Prompt: What do you like, find interesting, etc.? What kind of an artist’s book are you
thinking of? Can you think of ways that two different genres of art work together to harmonize
or synergize?

There were a few things from the interviews that I found interesting. The idea of the livre d’artiste being a “beautifully bound book”, yet containing something personal is almost touching in a way. Sarah Bodman specifically stood out to me, as she explained that her books closely followed the livre d’artiste tradition of being beautifully-bound and exquisite looking. Yet, I also like the idea that many of the artists described by stating that they create their books with an intention of being humorous. I think that for me, I’d like to merge the idea of having something that looks wonderful and exquisite as a façade for the humor and silliness beneath it. I also found it interesting that many of the artists agreed that while these books have no places in gallery settings or for monetary gain, they are-or almost- as important as those works. Artists books are incredibly personal and can not only reflect how an individual thinks and feels during a certain period, but can reflect a culture and society as well. I’m not sure yet what artist’s book I might think of. When I created an artist book during my non-fiction writing course, I focused more on connecting the things I wrote about in my life, specifically the evolution of different relationships from my childhood up until college. I think I’d like to highlight the similarities in each of my stories when it comes time to create the book. This way, I can try to pinpoint a specific writing style that I might have. Two different genres of art can work together to harmonize in a few ways. Firstly, people have different ways to interpret things. A person who may not resonate wholly with words might not make much of a poem, but if that poem were represented through a drawing or painting, that person may take or create an interpretation of their own. Going along with this, different styles of art/writing could also create conflicting themes and messages, which could create discourse on the topic. For instance, words could convey that one should “reach for the stars”, but a painting could show a burnt hand reaching for scorching flames or vice versa. By seeing a similar message conveyed by different styles/genres of art, we, as viewers, have the opportunity to look at the message through two or more unique perspectives that we otherwise wouldn’t have.