Go Play!

I posted this piece a little over a year ago. But as I’ve been feeling “all work and no play”, I thought it worth a repeat performance.  Sometimes you need reminding to make play a priority. So I’ll leave you with this, as I’m off … to play now!

The Importance of Playtime

dog playing frisbeeWhen was the last time you jumped up and down like a kid, or played frisbee in the rain … just for the fun of it? If you have, you’re better off.  If you haven’t, maybe it’s time!

I recently saw bits and pieces of a TV documentary about the power of play. It showed images of wild animals, who might normally be mortal enemies, engaged in play. And children, of course, using all their natural talent for having a good time.

The essential message though, was that play is not just for fun. And it’s not just for kids or animals. It’s actually really, really good for you.

And when you think of it, who doesn’t like to play? I know I do. And knowing that it’s vitally beneficial for our well-being, makes it even more inviting.

But sometimes we adults can get so darn serious, or acquire some heavy sense of self-importance, or feel so burdened with the weight of our individual worlds (not to mention the world at large) that we don’t make room, or forget to make time, or heaven forbid lose the ability, to be playful.

By continuing to “play” throughout our lives though, we increase our brain’s learning capacity and become more productive. We’re more balanced, happier and well adjusted. We work better, and we live better. And seriously, it’s a lot more fun.

As Stuart Brown talks about in the video below, “play” seems to be its own separate biological entity. It’s inborn. It has a great evolutionary purpose. And this I believe to be 100% true. Yet there really is no particular purpose to play other than the purpose TO play.  The point is to have fun. And the benefits are in the side-effects: pure, unplanned, and positively life-giving.

Dr. Stuart Brown’s research shows play is not just joyful and energizing — it’s deeply involved with human development and intelligence. Through the National Institute for Play, he’s working to better understand its significance.

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Week 50: "52 Weeks of Peace"

“Peace Chain”

I can hardly believe we’re already at week 50, with only two to go after this! I hope you’ve been enjoying the series ~ and who knows, maybe it’ll set off some kind of peace chain reaction …

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Tea and a Great Piece of Writing

A bit of a book review for my more literary friends…

Time has had its foot on the accelerator of late, driving us forward much too quickly, compressing what might normally be summer’s leisure into streaks and blurs of heat and humidity, flowers, bees and drying lawns.

But I’ve found a perfect book for the time-snippets I’ve been able to carve out to maintain my reading habit.

The Elegance of The Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery is a story told in the voices of two main characters: a brilliant, cynical young girl and a brilliant, middle-aged woman trapped by societal expectation in a low-class existence. I haven’t gotten terribly far, but it’s the kind of book that doesn’t require obsessive reading (which is why it’s just right for a summer season that’s squashed with to-do’s and squeezed between the schedule-laden seasons of spring and fall).

One of the things I’m most appreciating about The Elegance of The Hedgehog is the abundance of fabulous lines that tempt me to create the book’s very own list of quotes ~ which I haven’t done and won’t do, but the thought is testament enough to the author’s  wordsmithing.

In any event, those of you who know me, know I enjoy my tea. So finding the topic of this particular entry appealing will be no surprise ~ but it’s the larger essence, the rise and fall of the thought process, the meditation, the skilled expanding and condensing of a moment speaking to life and power and subtlety that I found truly delightful .. and worthy of sharing.

So here it is:

I pour the tea and we sip in silence. We have never had our tea together in the morning, and this break with our usual protocol imbues the ritual with a strange flavor.

Yes, this sudden transmutation in the order of things seems to enhance our pleasure, as if consecrating the unchanging nature of ritual established over our afternoons together, a ritual that has ripened into a solid and meaningful reality. Today, because it has been transgressed, our ritual suddenly acquires all its power; we are tasting the splendid gift of this unexpected morning as if it were some precious nectar; ordinary gestures have an extraordinary resonance, as we breathe in the fragrance of the tea, savor it, lower our cups, serve more, and sip again; every gesture has the bright aura of rebirth. At moments like this the web of life is revealed by the power of the ritual, and each time we renew our ceremony, the pleasure will be all the greater for our having violated one of its principles. Moments like this act as magical interludes, placing our hearts at the edge of our souls: fleetingly, yet intensely, a fragment of eternity has come to enrich time. Elsewhere the world may be blustering or sleeping, wars are fought, people live and die, some nations disintegrate, while others are born, soon to be swallowed up in turn – and in all this sound and fury, amidst eruptions and undertows, while the world goes it merry way, bursts into flames, tears itself apart and is reborn; human life continues to throb.

So, let us drink a cup of tea.

(From  pg. 91 of The Elegance of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery)

……………………………………………………………………………….

ps: Other great reads this summer that I’d recommend have been “The Help” (Kathryn Stockett), and “The Art of Racing in The Rain” (Garth Stein). A comprehensive list of my favorite books can be found at patriciasaxton.wordpress.com

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Do Typefaces Really Matter? (silly question…)

Typefaces

Here’s a confession: I belong to a Facebook group called “Correct Spelling, Punctuation and Apostrophe Use.”  It pleases my inner nerd. Yes, indeed it does. Plus, when you grow up with a literary parent, the whole kit and caboodle of spelling and grammar becomes second nature … so if it’s used wrong, it produces a screeching nails-on-chalkboard feeling. A travesty. A stain.

But I digress.

So … I happened to make a brief detour over to Facebook to check on something or other, and there, to my delight, was a pretty cool article about the impact of typefaces posted by the “Correct Spelling, Punctuation and Apostrophe Use” folks. It’s actually a BBC News Magazine article, and I don’t think it’s okay for me to re-post it, so I’m just going to give you the link. This is only for those of you interested in type and fonts… otherwise you may not care, and can just admire the pretty picture above.

(I sure hope I didn’t make any grammatical errors in this post!)

Do Typefaces Really Matter?

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Great Book Covers: Part II

It could just be me, but I think bookstores are like candy shops. Maybe it’s the difference between a sweet tooth and a sweet eye …  okay, I made that up (not a bad analogy though, if you think about it!)  … but whatever it is, I get a feeling of yummy anticipation when opening the door to a well-stocked, nicely laid out bookstore.

I really, truly, love books. I love to hold them, turn the pages, get lost in great story-telling. I love to see all the different covers, and pass judgment (c’mon ~ we all do).

And when great cover art matches up with a great story, it’s almost as good as really good chocolate. (apparently I’m still on the *sweet* reference) It’s like the marriage of ice cream and hot fudge. You could get by with one or the other, but together they make perfection.

Trouble is, sometimes they don’t match up. You might have an outstanding story housed inside a mediocre cover, in which case you could pass it by and miss out on something real special. Or, a stellar cover might disguise a less than stellar reading experience. Talk about disappointment.

One aspect of my job as a designer is to make book cover art that weaves its best magic for the author. The goal is to get folks to pick up your book. So regardless of reviews (or lack of), accolades from Oprah (most likely lack of) or best-seller lists ~ when it comes down to considering a book as a potential read or possible purchase, the cover can make or break that first opportunity to grab someone’s attention.

And it’s important that that attention is both dynamic and pleasing. It’s a tease of something good to come. It’s welcoming. And of course, it has to speak to what the book is about, which very briefly answers the reader’s question “is this something I might be interested in?”

If a book has made the first cut where people have taken notice, reached out and picked it up ~ congratulations! But remember, then they’re going to look at the back cover. Then they’ll look at the inside flaps. Personally, I also like to read the first page of a book before making a decision ~ to see if it’s gonna “grab me”.  If all these elements find favor ~ cover, back, flaps (and maybe the first page)~ you’ve got a win.

So, while we all judge books by their covers, it still holds true that the cover alone will not sell a book. What it will do is determine whether it warrants a closer look. It’s a critical first step.

So what makes a great cover? What makes it jump from the shelf onto your personal radar?  Something like this:

  1. It looks professional.
  2. It reflects the nature of the story.
  3. It respects the audience.
  4. It’s visually appealing.

Sounds easy, but there can be a fine line between what works and doesn’t work. And that fine line can create a huge gaping difference. If it looks unprofessional or lackluster, the perception is set that that’s what’s inside as well.

Making it work is, very literally, in the details.

Fonts. Not always, but generally speaking, conservative/traditional fonts work best. And whatever the fonts, it’s all about size, color and placement. Even hints of difference in those treatments can change the look dramatically. There’s no one-size fits all plan, unless you have a published series with an established look.

Art: Art speaks to the soul of the book. Is photography best? Illustration? Both? Neither? (Believe it or not, there are occasions when no art is good art. Coming from an artist, you might think that sounds crazy. But [excluding children’s books] type alone has a place if used exceptionally well and manages to convey the book’s essence.) Bottom line, the style of art (or type) used is a huge deal, because not only does it suggest the story, it suggests the feeling of the story. This is the emotional grab.

Trends: What’s out there, what looks good (or bad), what’s selling well? These will serve as style guides… but the best covers will bend “the rules”. In fact, they’ll break a few. Because there really are no rules, just guides. Visual justice should be given to the uniqueness of the each book.

Over-design: Aside from being next to impossible, attempting to put everything about the story on the cover, or trying to capture all the nuances, is not a good idea and will scream “unprofessional”. Cover art should simply portray a sense of what’s inside. It’s a tantalizing piece of candy from the jar, not the whole store.

…………

I positively adore a great book find. I get excited. I chomp at the bit to find that moment in a day when I can get comfy, make the light right, and sink my over-thinking brain into another place and time and cavort with all sorts of fascinating characters.

But just as much, I savor the look and feel of a book. It’s also one of the fondest parts of my work ~ designing covers that can make that magical first connection between book and reader.

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Great Book Covers: Part I

It’s true: we do judge books by their covers.

This is one of my new favorites. For more scrumptious designs, check out the Book Cover Archive site. It’s filled with yummy, inspiring finds that will thrill designers and possibly even inspire more people to pick up a book and read. :  )

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