I’m currently reading Death of an Artist by Kate Wilhelm.
I first found Wilhelm as a science fiction writer but she also writes mysteries. (If you like Louise Penny you will probably also like Wilhelm.)
Death of an Artist is provoking all sorts of thoughts, stirring up all sorts of emotions. One of the characters is an artist (painter) who finds that nothing she executes is ever ‘done’, that she can always find more to do to a piece. Therefore she cannot sell or even give away anything that she has created, although she has no objection to having her work on display.
Another character makes a wooden box which is a tour de force of in-laid design. His wife rejects his gift of the ’empty’ box, preferring diamonds. Needless to say, the marriage fails.
As someone dealing with the creative urge – some might even say ‘imperative’ – in my every day life, these characters have a lot to say about living a creative life.
Having just launched a new publication I have been thinking about how the creative urge is insatiable and how much expressing one’s creativity relies on not just one’s own approval, but the approval of others. I’m not just talking about compliments, which are lovely, but in someone actually offering their good hard earned cash in return for the results of that creativity.
I thought long and hard about doing another publication, especially going ‘old school’ (i.e. not just printing on paper, but including actual fabric samples). I spent the better part of 9 months working on it and in the end shaved as much of the expense off of it as I could. If I had included a binder, the price of AGY would have had to be even higher, although at $25 for shipping from Canada to the US, it’s already causing controversy.
If I were independently wealthy I would not have to be compensated for postage, envelopes/boxes, packing tape, mailing labels, the gas to drive to the post office, parking fees. If I were one of the 1% instead of the bottom of the 99% I could have subsidized the costs of shipping the publication. But I’m not. The fact that people are assuming that I am charging too much for shipping leaves me feeling very uncomfortable about doing any further publications.
I completely understand why the publishing industry is going more and more towards digital publishing. But textiles can never be entirely captured in a photograph.
So I ask you, gentle readers, if you have ordered A Good Yarn and feel it is worth the purchase price *AND* the cost of the shipping when you have received it, please let the weaving community know.