All Creativelike: An Interview with Illustrator Christopher Denise

Christopher Denise is one of those enragingly talented people who makes, well, everything look easy - from making the artwork, to handling the business, to teaching about creativity, to being a dad. Since he was kind enough to share his truly wise insights about the creative process of illustrating books here today, I'll try not to stay too mad at him!

How do you define creativity? I try not to. It's too ephemeral, like trying to describe the gossamer wings of a firefly to someone that has lost their sight. The closest I could get is something like water formed by a breeze. I try to recognize it (creativity) in my own work and in the work of others. I know it when I see it. It looks and feels truthful, full of life, and made with care. Pretty broad, I know. Sorry!

When did you know that you wanted to be an illustrator? I really didn't know what an illustrator was until I transferred to RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) in the 90's. I always knew that I loved to draw, all kids do.

I just never let anyone talk me out of it and somehow made it into a life and career.

What does the average day in the life of an illustrator look like? It looks pretty amazing from here and I am grateful for it! What an average day looks like depends, in part, on the season. I have been known to play hooky at a moments notice on one of those perfect Rhode Island beach-days. But we are talking averages here. 1.Most days start with the crazy bustle of getting three girls out the door to school/play-groups. Fueled by copious amounts of very good coffee. 2. A daily recap and, perhaps, some creative consultation with my often collaborator and amazing author wife, Anika Denise. 3. Out to the studio to review the production schedule and start sketching or painting on the morning's assignment. I break all of my projects into work units that can be moved around in the calendar. If a particular piece is calling to me I follow the energy and adjust the schedule later. 4. Break at about eleven o'clock to check email and take care of the social media component that has become an important part of my professional life. 5. A bit more drawing/painting here. 6. Inside for lunch with a game of Scrabble on the iPad, or a conversation with our youngest (3 years-old). The conversation tends to be pretty freeform and it is best to stay flexible. 7. More coffee, and back to the paintings. 8. Around 3-4 p.m. I will wander inside for a few minutes just to say "hi" to the kids and make sure everyone had a good day. 9. Painting until about 5:30. Anika is also an amazing cook, so I try to stay out of the way until I am needed. 10. Dinner, wine, laughs. One of my favorite parts of any day. 11. Dishes and homework help, if it is not all done. 12. Reading picture books to the little, putting her to bed, then reading a chapter from something longer for the older ones. Love this part as well. 13. I usually get back to the studio for another two to three hours. If I am on deadline, a bit more coffee here.

What's your working process like? Do you read the book then start with an overall concept, then move on to specifics, or...? I would say that it is more overall to specific. I spend the majority of my time right now working on picture books so I will outline, in brief, that process. 1. I read the manuscript in hand a few times. I need to know that I will be able to connect with something in the story. 2. I begin to break it down into a book. The manuscript needs to work as a book. There are numerous ways that it can "work", but I need to be able to get a sense of at least one of those paths that it might take. 3. Sketching/thinking/looking at other books. 4. More of the above. 5. More of the above. 6. I create very rough scribbles for the entire book. Essentially, creating a book map. Notes included about color/light/references/music notes 7. More of #3. 8. Sometimes tighter sketches, and many, many changes along the way. 9. Painting, changing, repainting. I need to get going on something to see if it is working. Acting and re-acting. 10. Around this time I start painting like crazy with many pieces going at the same time. Always staying open to change with the incredible digital tools at my disposal. 11. While I am finishing up I am usually starting the process all over again with a new book and a new journey. A normal length picture book can take anywhere from 6-9 months.

How long did it take for your "style" to develop, and what did it take to get to that point? I am still developing my style, really. Each manuscript requires different things from me as an artist.

Writing is hard work, and I think it is a great disservice to both the author and their story for me to impose a particular style on a book.

What are the most important considerations when translating the written word into visual imagery? A few things come to mind right away: Stay sensitive to the material. My job as an illustrator is to create a parallel emotional narrative. Be certain that my communication is clear: I am a visual communicator. I love pretty pictures, I love painting them as well! But my job is to communicate something about the story. If I am not doing that part of my job then it matters little how nice the picture looks. Trust your instincts and stand your ground when you need to. At the same time, listen to constructive feedback and see what works for the book.

Favorite artists or influences? A few off the top of my head for different reasons: N.C. Wyeth, Edmund Dulac, Pablo Casals solo cello recordings of the Brandenburg concertos (no offense to YoYo Ma who did a fantastic job with the material), Wes Anderson, Pierre Bonnard, Brad Bird, E.B. White, Monet, David Lynch, Isaac Levitan, J. F. Millet, The Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Beatrix Potter, Andrew Stanton, Neil Gaiman, Ernest Shepard, Harold Budd & Brian Eno, George Inness.

Any daily or weekly habits and practices? I try to start each session, each day as a novice. It helps me to stay sensitive and, in a way, helps take off the pressure. I also try to start each day as a beginner and allow myself to make mistakes. It keeps it interesting for me, and I grow as an artist.

Advice for aspiring illustrators? Besides marrying an investment banker with a penchant for the arts? Make sure that you love this job. It is really, really hard work and many wonderful artists can get run down and fall by the wayside. And that is fine - it's not for everyone. Having said that, it is one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable things you could do with your time. So if you are in love with it, then love your life, and trust your instincts. Don't let anyone talk you out of it!

Christopher Denise is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and visual development artist. His first book, a retelling of the Russian folktale The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, was pronounced “a stunning debut” by Publishers Weekly. Since then, Chris has illustrated more than twenty books for children, including Alison McGhee’s upcoming Firefly Hollow, Rosemary Wells’ Following Grandfather, Phyllis Root’s Oliver Finds His Way, his wife Anika Denise’s Bella and Stella Come Home and some in Brian Jacques’ acclaimed receive series. His books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and have been recognized by Bank Street College of Education, Parents’ Choice Foundation, and the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition. He can be reached through his website or Facebook page.

Photo credits (in order): Anika Denise, Corey Grayhorse Photography, From Sleepytime Me by Edith Fine (Random House Kids, 2014), From Following Grandfather by Rosemary Wells (Candlewick Press, 2013), From Sleepytime Me by Edith Fine (Random House Kids, 2014), From Baking Day At Grandma's by Anika Denise (Philomel Books, 2014)

All Creativelike: An Interview with Comic Artist Dan Blouin

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Ever want to punch your friend in the arm and hug them at the same time? That's how I felt when I found out Dan Blouin was so talented. I'd known him for almost a year before I inadvertently discovered his comic strip online. I couldn't believe such talent had been sitting there under my nose for so long. Since I don't want you to have to wait as long as I did, behold Dan's work here, and read on to hear some clever and insightful thoughts about the inner workings of a comic artist. How do you define creativity? Creativity is a thought process, right? It's the fire that keeps you moving from project to project and gives life to your ideas, but that's the real goo at the center of the Creativity Cadbury Egg - having the ideas is just the first step. It's taking those thoughts and ideas and bringing them to a place where other people can share them. It's making things, creating. So, how do I personally define creativity? It's very much this sort of white whale. I find myself constantly coming up with ideas, but very rarely do I see them through to completion. Throughout my creative existence, the Comic Book Dude and Vegetarian Girl comic strip is one of the only things that I've managed to both produce as a complete thought, and then maintain. Even this answer is sort of an unfinished thought. But is it creative? That's for the folks at home to decide or.. define?

How did you get into drawing comics? Ever since I was a kid, I loved reading comics. And you always try to do the things you love, right? Even if you're not great at it. But you keep on keepin' on. Eventually I was in a position to produce a comics section for my college newspaper. Content was not abundant, and so I often had to cobble things together just to make the section look full. Some things clearly had more effort put into them than others. One of those things became Comic Book Dude & Vegetarian Girl. I've had several other start-up projects over the years that have competed with CBD&VG for my time, but nothing really took off the way this did.

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Tell me more about Comic Book Dude and Vegetarian Girl. Basically, it's a semi-autobiographical series about a bunch of awkward twenty-somethings, who, in the start of the series, all have serious character flaws, and are kind of lousy-people. But over the course of things, rude awakenings happen, as well as general silliness, and they start to realize that the misconceptions and prejudices they were harboring are incredibly unjustified, and everybody gets all close and cozy. It's really not anywhere near as sappy as I just made it sound. In some ways, they're still flawed, horrible people - just not towards each other. In other ways, they're just like people you know. Who love vegetables. And comics. Oh, and this series is FILTHY with hidden references to various comics, movies, books, TV shows, really, everything that I love. But mostly comics. There's also a talking goat.

Do you draw, ink, and write all of your work? I do if I can help it. I don't think I'm a very good collaborator, with a few notable exceptions. This series in particular started out as a one-man show. But my good friend Jessica (the real life Vegetarian Girl, for the trivia nuts out there) became so involved in the planning and plotting stages of things, that we decided she should try her hand at writing, and so, for much of the series, I took a back seat to the actual dialogue side of things, leaving the characters in her more-than-capable hands. I've since gone back to being a solo act, but I'd welcome her help in a second if she wanted to give it. On the illustration side of things, I've always worked alone. This strip began as something I'd pound out during class with a Sharpie, getting it ready at the last-minute before the newspaper went into production. I didn't really intend on working on it ten years later, so the early installments are very primitive. These days, the entire thing is produced in Photoshop- all the “pencilling” and “inking” is done with a tablet.

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Where do you find inspiration for the themes and content of the comics? CBD&VG is a big love letter to everything that's important to me - my friends, my family, major life experiences (good or bad), the creators and tasty pop culture bits that have shaped my mind and personality over the years. It's all represented in one form or another. Specifically, the three main characters are all based on close friends, combined with pieces of me. All of the jobs Vegetarian Girl has had were my jobs, and very soon they're going to find themselves as the owners of a small-town bookstore, which is where I've been working for about 3 years now. It's always easy to tell when there's a new element in my life - be it a new friend or acquaintance, or maybe I've discovered a new television show - because I'll totally find a way to bring it into the strip. I mentioned that I've been working on this for about ten years. I've grown as a person since coming up with the idea, and I'd hope that my characters have grown, too. I'm in my early thirties, and people around me are getting married, having kids. The spaces between our lives are getting wider, and I feel like soon, that's the sort of thing that should be reflected in my strip.

Daily habits or practices? Hmmm. Not as much. I try to work on it for at least an hour a day. Sometimes that means breaking down the panels, sometimes it means working on the finished art. Lately, it means writing. But this is the white whale I mentioned earlier, I don't work on it anywhere near as much as I'd like to in a week. I try to compensate by organizing my thoughts when I'm at work, or about to fall asleep. I can be a pretty spacey guy.

Favorite artists? For comics? All time favorites are Jack Kirby, John Romita Jr., Kevin Eastman, and Bill Watterson. No question, they've had the biggest influence on my individual comickin' style. For newer favorites- I'm really digging guys like Stuart Immonen, Ross Campbell, and Olivier Coipel. If you like comics, or comic art, and DON'T know who those dudes are, I highly suggest looking them up. And Emma Rios, too. She's wonderful. For non-comic artists? Jim Henson. What a guy.

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Advice for aspiring comic artists? Draw A LOT. Read A LOT. The most important thing to remember about comics, (to me, anyway), is that it's a form of storytelling. It's awesome if the pictures are pretty, but really, if you're sacrificing a coherent narrative for fancy illustrations, then you're probably not going to be happy with it when you're done. And no one will want to read it. If you really want to draw comics try drawing storyboards for a movie, or a play. Even if it's something you've already seen or read. The goal should be to understand what's going on, even without dialogue. Also, don't be afraid of publishing your own stuff on the internet. It's what all the cool kids are doing these days. I'd like to say it worked for me, but I'm just getting started.

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Dan Blouin is a 31-year-old comic artist who lives in Rhode Island with his cat. He's won the 82nd annual local Farmer's Market award for “Most Tomato-like Head”, drives the only car on Earth that runs on love, has bungee jumped from the moon, and is a liar. He's about to complete his 100th comic, and can be found online right here.

How to Make Sure Your Art Looks Good On the Wall

When I owned a gallery one of the most challenging aspects was physically hanging all the two-dimensional artwork. At any given moment there were upwards of twenty artists represented, and each one of them seemed to employ a different hanging mechanism on the back of their work. Many times these mechanisms weren't appropriate for the pieces, and that made my job quite a bit harder. Trust me when I say that having a gallery is not easy. There are very steep overhead costs, lots of humans who come through the door with only a tiny percentage who buy, big administrative tasks from inventorying to maintaining dozens of bios/resumes, managing and training sales staff, copious amounts of marketing and advertising, the physical labor of hanging shows, and much more.

I mention all that because when an artist makes a gallery owner's job harder, it doesn't usually bode well for the artist.

During the many years I worked in galleries I heard the owners say over and over, "I'd much rather work with an artist whose work is just good, but who has all their paperwork together, gets me stuff on time, and let's me do my job, than an incredible artist who's disorganized and a pain in the ass."

Whether you're repped by a gallery or not, someone is going to end up handling your artwork. Out of respect for them you want to make sure they can present the work easily and safely in a way that allows the work to shine.

So let's talk for a moment about the mundane - but necessary! - topic of hardware. 

Eyelets and Wire The traditional method of hanging a two-dimensional framed work is two eyelet screws secured into the frame or stretchers on back about one-quarter of the way down from the top (as flush to the frame as possible) with picture hanging wire strung between. If you work on stretched canvas this is the way to go. (You can also use D-rings instead of eyelet screws.)

If your work is heavy, you want the wire to go through and around the eyelet twice so that the weight of the work won't cause it to slip. Wrap a significant extra length of wire tightly around itself to secure.

Also, don't make the wire so long that the work pitches off the wall too far, or shows above the frame top. You want just a little give to it, but not too much. Ideally the peak point of the wire, when taught, will be a few inches from the top of the frame for small to medium works, and a bit more for larger works. (More here if you need help.)

Sawtooth Hangers Sawtooth hangers are great for smaller works, especially if the works are done on box frames. When using a sawtooth hanger make sure it's centered, and make sure the jagged side is down. (Yes, I've gotten work sent to me with upside down sawtooth hangers.)

If the edge of your box frame is not wide enough the person hanging the work will probably have to use two level nails (one nail and the work will fall off the wall if bumped or a breeze blows by). I've seen some artists tape string or wire across the back of small pieces. It certainly makes the work easier to hang, but the beauty of a box frame is how it sits flush to the wall.

Keyhole Hangers Admittedly, this isn't my favorite hanging method. It's a pain in the butt to line up the nail with the hole, for one, and secondly the work can totter on the rounded edge of the hole. Some pieces have two holes and, well, that's even more of a pain trying to level two nails and line them up. That said, if you have no other option you can use this. I'd try for something else first though.

D-rings These work for medium and large works. Drill or screw the d-rings into back sides of your stretcher or frame so that the rounded part is pointing upwards, of course.

These can be a pain to hang as it requires measuring tape, a level and a good amount of finagling, but if your work is very heavy it's a great option. If it's not too heavy, consider stringing wire between the D-rings (as you would eyelet screws) for easier hanging. In that scenario the D-ring top is facing inward instead of upward.

French Cleat The French Cleat is great for works done on, say, aluminum or wood - works that are, essentially, frameless. The idea is that the backside of your artwork has one beveled piece of wood secured to it. A companion piece of wood with the opposite bevel is then secured to the wall, so the beveled piece on back of the art fits right over it. This is not hard to hang, but can put significant holes in the walls, so make sure this is most appropriate method to your work before using.

L Pins For lighter frameless works - piece done on light wood or on glass  that cannot be strung on the back - L pins may be the best way to hang.

In this scenario the long end of the nail is (gently) hammered into the wall, while the short end secures the work.

If you aren't hanging your own work, include four L Pins and instructions when you sell the work, or when sending to a gallery, so the buyer/gallery owner can hang it successfully.

Bumpers Obviously bumpers aren't a hanging mechanism, but I figured I'd mention them since they can be important to the presentation of your art. If a piece is pitching forward off the wall at the top, add bumpers to the bottom corners. This will move the bottom of the work away from the wall enough so that the work looks more flush to the wall. Of course, if the work is pitching forward off the wall significantly, you may be using the wrong hanging mechanism. Try tightening the wire in back or using a different method.

No hardware? A lot of folks making small affordable works use ready made frames or cheap, easy-to-assemble metal frames. There's nothing wrong with that - except when it makes the artwork a pain to hang.

If that's the case with your presentation, do your best to cleanly jerry-rig the frames for easy hanging, or include suggestions for the buyer. And, by "suggestions" I don't mean something like, "Bang nail into wall. Wedge head of the nail between the frame edge and painting edge." That's not cool.

Some Etiquette * If you make odd shaped work, like draped linen or free floating paper cuts, for example, include hanging materials with your shipment or, at the very least, include recommendations and instructions.

* If a gallery or buyer requests different hanging method on future works than the one you're currently using and you have a good relationship with the them (meaning, they sell/buy your work) do what they say. Unless, of course, there's a very specific and thoughtful reason you wish not to. In that case, have a convo with the owner/buyer and explain why your method is best.

*In general, try to keep the back of your work as clean as possible. Avoid crazy or dangerous wire ends sticking out, a million pieces of tape, protruding eyelet screws and the like. Bring some care and attention to the process. If you can paper or felt the back - great. Whatever you can do to make it NOT look like a child or madwoman put this together is ideal.

Getting it ON the wall Finally, for those who want to know how to actually get the work on the wall and what to use, this article is fantastic and covers all the nitty gritty of hanging and securing your work.

"One day during a printmaking class my professor came to do his rounds. His style of teaching was allowing us to work on our own, and he went from student to student to see where we were at in our process. I was having a really challenging time in my personal life and started to cry when he asked me how my etching was going. (Now that I think of it, I'm not sure if I actually cried, but I know I shared with him my crazed emotional state.) What I said is a bit blurry, as it was over 20 years ago, but I'm sure it was infused with a lot of drama. He responded in such a sweet calm, but stable voice, 'Take all of that emotion that you are feeling and put it into your work.'

It was like all of the walls came crashing down in that moment and I finally felt free - free to express myself fully in my artwork, free to put it all out there onto the paper in all of its messy goodness. It was the permission I had been needing my whole life to let my feelings out there and to stop stuffing the scary ones deeper down into the festering well.

I can still smell the inks, the textured table from all of the wiped plates, hear the music someone was playing in their print shop studio, see the light filtering into the room from the windows high up.

After that experience I went totally 'Frida Kahlo' with my assignments in both my illustration and fine art classes. Years later, and after some therapy (mostly art therapy), I still recall that moment as the birth of the real artist within, an unleashing of sorts... and am ever so grateful to him for being the catalyst for that. Thank you Jim Lee, you are forever one of my heroes."

Jennifer Mazzucco is a devotional painter deeply inspired by Indian and Tibetan art. After teaching middle school art at a private school in Connecticut for 9 years, she took a leap of faith to open a collaborative arts and healing space on the west coast called PRASADA. Check out her beautiful artwork and books at JenniferMazzucco.com.

All Creativelike: An Interview with Bri Johnson

I am positively giddy to unveil the All Creativelike interview series today, especially because we're kicking off our inaugural post with Bri Johnson, a wonderful artist who uses words and text in delightful combination. Bri is a writer, scribbler, former teen librarian and cancer survivor with a unique perspective on life and art.

Bri, what does "being creative" mean to you? To me, it means being open and amused. I like myself that way, so creativity is linked to me being at my best. But what if someday I’m kidnapped and held against my will? I dread that possibility. In that situation I’d be at my worst—closed and anguished. And I would need to be creative in that state, in order to escape. That’s a paradox I like to avoid.

Where does your inspiration come from? Always from relationships. But it took me ages to figure that out. For a long time, I think I linked inspiration to problem solving, but for me that is a mistake. Difficulty and resolution don’t stimulate me at all. I like associations, of any kind, hostile or harmonious, between objects, people, images, sounds, etc. And how we respond to these also interests me.

What is it about the intersection, or confluence, of drawing and words that pulls you in? It just makes immediate sense. I like to think it has something to do with my early experiences with picture books. Who knows. It kills me now to see picture books underrated, not only by young readers determined to move on, but also by their parents, who believe their kids should read novels sooner than later.

I spent years hearing that as a young adult librarian. “My child reads at a high reading level.” I had kids as young as eight pining for young adult novels at the library. Few had read Edward Eager, or The Borrowers, or The Penderwicks, or anything by E. Nesbit. That never made sense to me.

There’s a wild buzz around graphic novels, too, and I dutifully fostered it as a young adult librarian. But my heart was always with the picture books tucked away in the children's room. Is anyone reading them past the age of five? My hope was renewed the day I found The Arrival by Shaun Tan. I hope everyone reads that book. No one knows where to shelve Tan’s books, but they’re universally loved.

When do you feel at your creative peak? When I’m open, and when I notice inspiration. Some people might link that to a certain time of day, but I don’t. It can happen any time.

What are you working on now? It’s an exciting year for me! This summer I’m writing and drawing indiscriminately, to gain creative traction before I go to Maine in the fall, where I’ll study documentary storytelling at the Salt Institute. I’m hoping the constant practice combined with new documentary skills will prepare me to spend the winter working on an illustrated memoir. To stay loose - a constant battle for me - I use an iPhone drawing app now instead of a camera. Every day I try to post a drawing, a poem, or a photo on Facebook, something fast and playful. And I’m about to launch a blog about meeting people, called Hello?

How does your work as a teacher fuel your own creativity? Kids are so compelling. They’re easily amused and they make surprising connections, but so often they don’t appreciate their own brains until they witness someone gaga for their work. I try to get out of their way, and, if necessary, I try to help them get out of their own way. That helps me. Blocking myself is my biggest hurdle as an artist. Time with kids is my reminder to remain free and to appreciate my own brain.

No, but seriously. Why are kids so darned creative? Lynda Barry might speak to this better than me, but I wonder if it’s their limited exposure to societal culture. We’re so shaped by culture. And American culture in particular features a dysfunctional relationship with creativity and freedom. But kids create so effortlessly, all they need is room. That’s what anyone needs, if you think about it. We all start with room, then everything shrinks. Our days give way to schedules, our schools support rubrics, minds close, our interactions become fractured. How can we be creative in spite of that?

Favorite artist or influence? I curbed my self-expression at a fairly young age, and I stopped reading for pleasure around 5th grade. I’m haunted by that huge span of lost time, all the books and ideas and creative growth that I missed. I vividly remember circling a large table in my school library, piled with new books. We were allowed to choose one to keep and I picked Harriet the Spy. But I didn’t open it for at least 15 years. I can’t believe I had in my hands a marvelous story about a young girl’s development as a writer—at the perfect time in my life—and I left it closed.

But certain authors from my early childhood continue to influence me: Shel Silverstein, Rosemary Wells, Richard Scarry, Dr. Seuss, and Charles Schulz the most. Later, I discovered other favorites: Bemelmans, Sendak, Steig, Toon Tellegen, Crocket Johnson, Ruth Krauss, Quentin Blake, James Stevenson. And I have a long list of new favorites now, including Lynda Barry, Maira Kalman, Shaun Tan, Wendy MacNaughton, Nick Wadley,  Franciszka Themerson, Saul Steinberg, Tove Jansson, and Charlotte Salomon. Salomon’s visual memoir, Life? or Theatre?, is remarkable.

You’re a cancer survivor. Did going through that crisis and subsequent healing journey affect your creativity or how you view the importance or non-importance of making things? I was at a crossroads when I found out I had cancer. I graduated from RISD years earlier with no job, no place to live, no voice, no direction (that’s a lot of NOs), and thousands of dollars in debt. I had to support myself, and fast, so that’s what I focused on.

By the time I was 30-something, I was more or less estranged from my creative self. I had no idea what inspired me. A breakthrough came when I bought a small digital camera and began taking daily pictures for the sole purpose of noticing what I notice. For three years, I paired image with text, whatever came to mind. It was the most rudimentary thing, but that’s how I learned about self-expression.

Near the end of that project, excited about my next creative step, I learned I had a sizable malignant tumor in my gut. I had talked so often about leaving my job (which I loved) to spend some lost time making things. The idea was even more appealing now that self-expression made sense to me. But the privilege felt squarely out of my league. Leaving to fight a life-threatening illness instead felt much more realistic.

Did it lead to my next creative breakthrough? Not directly. I spent many months sick and tired, watching TED talks on my couch. Then you and YES Gallery + Studio suddenly came along, and you encouraged me to make things for your Itty Bitty show. So I made some tiny things. And it felt good, like something I should build on.

Almost five years have passed since the Itty Bitty exhibit, and I might now be entering the luckiest time of my life. I have no evidence of disease, and I am suddenly no longer reporting to work as a librarian. My time is my own for a while. I can't wait to see where it leads.

You're always tapped into the most amazing books. Can you recommend your favorite books on writing, art making, and/or creativity to the All Creativelike readers? Yes! This looks like a mishmash to me, but all of these helped me, often more than once:

Louise Fitzhugh: Harriet the Spy Wassily Kandinsky: Concerning the Spiritual in Art Stephen Nachmanovitch: Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art Doris Lessing: Prisons we Choose to Live Inside Eudora Welty: One Writer’s Beginnings Tove Jansson: Moominpappa’s Memoirs Nicholson Baker: The Anthologist Maria Kalman: The Principles of Uncertainty Phillip Lopate: Being with Children Anne Truitt: Daybook: The Journey of an Artist Stephen King: On Writing John Steinbeck: Working Days Elif Batuman: The Possessed Louise Bourgeois: Drawings & Observations Lynda Barry: What It Is Patti Smith: Just Kids The Paris Review Interviews

On the web: Maria Popova: Brain Pickings Garrison Keillor: The Writer’s Almanac Sari Botton: Conversations With Writers Braver Than Me

Bri Johnson hails from the Green Mountain State. She is the founder of Sheepish Duck Magazine, written by kids from the Ocean State. And she is heading next to the Pine Tree State, to learn documentary storytelling at the Salt Institute. Keep an eye out for her new blog coming soon to www.thisishello.com. She can be reached at brilarian@gmail.com.