The Book Artist--altered book

Throughout all of our childhoods, we are asked what we want to be when we grow up.  I wonder, have you grown up?  And what did you become?

Whenever someone asks me what kind of artist I am, what kind of art I make, my answer has always felt like a joke.  “I like to experiment and haven’t quite figured out what I want to do when I grow up.”  And it has been true.  If you click to the Gallery tab on my website, www.maggielinakerrigan.com,  you’ll find such a variety of styles and subject matter, you would expect to find different artist names listed under each work.  I have been the “Sibyl” of art–you know, the novel about the woman with split personalities.  Yep, that’s me.

Or it was.  I think I have finally grown up!

About 4 years ago, I began experimenting with altered book art, and it’s starting to feel like there is no going back.  I find this medium to be so stimulating and challenging, I can hardly give attention to painting at all anymore.

Since December I have made 15 new works of art, and only one of them was a painting.  The rest were all books.  Yes, I think this is a Thing.

To fully embrace it, I’ve gotten a new website domain, www.TheBookArtist.com and will soon change the whole look of my website.  (Not ’til you have a the chance to click and see the “Sibyl” influence though.)

Another exciting sign of this Thing is that I’m putting together an on-line course to teach others how to make some of these books.  I’m so excited about sharing this special form of sculpture with you.  Stay tuned for more details about that once all the technical on-line work is ready.

So back to my question to you–have you grown up yet?  Are you working in YOUR life’s purpose?  Maybe not as your full-time job, but at all?  Are you pursuing hobbies or passions that make you complete?  If you hesitate the slightest before answering, then maybe the answer is “not yet.”  Maybe you should keep experimenting and testing the waters of different pursuits.  It’s not too late! (After all, I’m no spring chicken!)

What do you think?