The Tangled Nest

I can’t stop thinking about the recent Picture Book Proclamation, penned by Mac Barnett, and signed by many of my favorite writers/artists/illustrators.  This is an inspired statement toward the defense and reclamation of a book and art form that will always influence my life.  But much of the advice herein can be applied to the artful inhabiting of our lives in general.  The Proclamation abhors “imitation, laziness, timidity,” and extols the “fresh, honest, piquant, and beautiful.”  Don’t we all “need a more robust criticism to keep us original?” I love the hope that “Even books meant to put kids to sleep should give them strange dreams.”  And can’t we all condemn, in all things, “Glossy paper as default?”

Enjoy.  For a more legible image, click here.