Over the past few years, Jack has been crafting a special book called The Diary of a Tree Standing on Its Head. It is part of the story of his journey of faith. The book is comprised of drawings, poems, letters, institutes, and recorded visions. Making the book has been an expensive and a time-consuming endeavor, which Jack has embraced as his loving ministry. He has experimented with different bindings and has added additional content to later editions; and he has managed to keep the quality excellent.
WWNS?: good/great books are incomparable. Literary criticism (if the questions must be asked by the cognition of humans) is where folk busy themselves with such questions. If you engage an artifact and are taken / live in with it, well you know your communion... I've never shared with someone (far as I know) two similar "books" or mss or publications (even if "identical" copies they are living in various hands/hearts/minds) ... there's a lovely tradition throughout history (think of illuminated/hand-copied medieval mss; early US pamphleteers, Beat 'zines, etc...) where every copy is its-own... I love the living nature and altering / not static-izing headstone-terminus of 'The Diary...' and I suppose I believe things find their ways... plenty of "how the hades did someone choose to publish THIS?" artifacts out there - and I'm sure each of you know the experience that the turd-clipping one does to proffer a publication... actually has no terminus and changes alongside your lives and experiences... one of the most precious (invaluable) things about 'The Diary...' to me is its craftsmanship... each one... as Jack does with nigh every activity in his living (from farming to family to husbandry to building to painting to singing to writing, etc.) - the splendor of his attention to what-is, each/every (haecceity)? An infinite, unending openness/pursual/desire. Worth talking about - glad you are together. Take time! :) Blessings.
Ah Sam, I can't imagine anyone suspects you want to rob anything of life 🙏🏼 the love is deeply obvious betwixt your Trinitarian friendship - it's beautiful. Always take care one to another...you are precious folk
In some ways this has been an episode I have been waiting for. I have wanted to hear more about Jack's rejection of Christianity and to understand this better, what it means and doesn't mean. And I know it can't simply be explained, and that it has taken the making of the book to 'explain' it, and this is obviously infinitely better than any discursive explanation. What that difficulty or impossibility in explaining has resulted in is a such a beautiful ongoing project, which is causing all sorts wonderful problems! (One problem I've never had is in delighting in selling work, it never fails to surprise me and feels special every time. Like, "Really? Are you sure?". Learn to enjoy selling work Jack, it's good for the soul!)
On a practical note the thing that springs to my mind is to approach a small press that specialises in letterpress, small runs, hand binding etc. They would completely get the motivation behind it, the resulting books would be (relatively) expensive but also (relatively) true to the vision behind it. Perhaps it could go through various limited editions too.
But also, I was left with a question that probably shouldn't bug me but it does: did your rejection of Christianity involve leaving a church? As someone who has always had one foot in the door of church this fascinates me, though of course you don't have to answer. I feel slightly intrusive and slightly silly asking, but there you are. Maybe there's a whole other episode in that.
First, I'm enjoying listening to the three of you and your "intently haphazard" conversations (Levertov). Second, thanks for inviting we the listeners into the genesis of this book and its possible progeny...I'm intrigued. I'm pretty sure that contrarian Blake self-pubbed all his stuff so he could maintain control, but he did get by ($$) with a lotta help from his friends.
In all fairness, I wonder what Blake would’ve done today? He self published as he could self publish in his day, but how would Blake himself take advantage of our technology today? So, I think we gotta do it for Blake! We might owe it to him, if to no one else.
Blake is a model for certain. Dependence on friends- also a model. Thank you for listening to us - I appreciate that “intently haphazard”. There are ways for us to be in the world today- in a way that offers generative resistance. I think I’m committed to working in that direction. I think Blake was a good example of this. Even if it remains “unsuccessful” by many metrics.
I’m in Scotland now, and it took all my willpower to not pack the book in my luggage. It’s too precious and priceless to me to risk damaging it. I know a publisher who would love this project…. But. As a fellow paper addict, I just don’t think they could reproduce it with Jack’s quality and craft. I’m tongue tied with this - just grateful the printer found its home.
I don't know if you guys are aware of Andy Squyres' book project, Poet-Priest. He self publishes, and is a blend of text and imagery, similar, I think, to what I've seen on a small screen. He works with a quality publishing company, so the forms are fitting for the content.
I would dearly love to be able to purchase and own one of these, but the way you speak of it feels very similar to how I feel, and have decided to approach leatherworking. I make things for gifts, but remain firm that I do not sell or do commissions. The time, thought, and connection with the recipient is woven into the time, thought, and connection with the gift. I think I might encourage keeping that a boundary until you get a release to transform what is currently only a gift into something a bit more of a commodity.
I’ve long sought to keep boundaries between the sacred artistic work and the realm of commerce- but there are also points where I am inadvertently limiting accessibility to the work by keeping it from that space. Then I have to see it as a type of witness or a remnant in the marketplace- something not driven by creating a commodity for the sake of profit. I’ve come to loathe the concept/word “monetize”- so how do I exist in this space? - make work in this space? Even exchange work in this space? There is a lot of faith and discipline involved in navigating a realm that is treacherous. No answers- but a slow journey through the land. I’ve often contemplated the idea of a “cottage industry” that seeks to see certain economic relationships flow out of daily life but not seeking unlimited growth.
WWNS?: good/great books are incomparable. Literary criticism (if the questions must be asked by the cognition of humans) is where folk busy themselves with such questions. If you engage an artifact and are taken / live in with it, well you know your communion... I've never shared with someone (far as I know) two similar "books" or mss or publications (even if "identical" copies they are living in various hands/hearts/minds) ... there's a lovely tradition throughout history (think of illuminated/hand-copied medieval mss; early US pamphleteers, Beat 'zines, etc...) where every copy is its-own... I love the living nature and altering / not static-izing headstone-terminus of 'The Diary...' and I suppose I believe things find their ways... plenty of "how the hades did someone choose to publish THIS?" artifacts out there - and I'm sure each of you know the experience that the turd-clipping one does to proffer a publication... actually has no terminus and changes alongside your lives and experiences... one of the most precious (invaluable) things about 'The Diary...' to me is its craftsmanship... each one... as Jack does with nigh every activity in his living (from farming to family to husbandry to building to painting to singing to writing, etc.) - the splendor of his attention to what-is, each/every (haecceity)? An infinite, unending openness/pursual/desire. Worth talking about - glad you are together. Take time! :) Blessings.
Such an incredible comment, Nathan. I love the word “craftsmanship” you used for Jack’s book. And I’d never want to rob it of that.
Ah Sam, I can't imagine anyone suspects you want to rob anything of life 🙏🏼 the love is deeply obvious betwixt your Trinitarian friendship - it's beautiful. Always take care one to another...you are precious folk
In other words...blah blah blah 😮💨
In some ways this has been an episode I have been waiting for. I have wanted to hear more about Jack's rejection of Christianity and to understand this better, what it means and doesn't mean. And I know it can't simply be explained, and that it has taken the making of the book to 'explain' it, and this is obviously infinitely better than any discursive explanation. What that difficulty or impossibility in explaining has resulted in is a such a beautiful ongoing project, which is causing all sorts wonderful problems! (One problem I've never had is in delighting in selling work, it never fails to surprise me and feels special every time. Like, "Really? Are you sure?". Learn to enjoy selling work Jack, it's good for the soul!)
On a practical note the thing that springs to my mind is to approach a small press that specialises in letterpress, small runs, hand binding etc. They would completely get the motivation behind it, the resulting books would be (relatively) expensive but also (relatively) true to the vision behind it. Perhaps it could go through various limited editions too.
But also, I was left with a question that probably shouldn't bug me but it does: did your rejection of Christianity involve leaving a church? As someone who has always had one foot in the door of church this fascinates me, though of course you don't have to answer. I feel slightly intrusive and slightly silly asking, but there you are. Maybe there's a whole other episode in that.
First, I'm enjoying listening to the three of you and your "intently haphazard" conversations (Levertov). Second, thanks for inviting we the listeners into the genesis of this book and its possible progeny...I'm intrigued. I'm pretty sure that contrarian Blake self-pubbed all his stuff so he could maintain control, but he did get by ($$) with a lotta help from his friends.
In all fairness, I wonder what Blake would’ve done today? He self published as he could self publish in his day, but how would Blake himself take advantage of our technology today? So, I think we gotta do it for Blake! We might owe it to him, if to no one else.
Blake is a model for certain. Dependence on friends- also a model. Thank you for listening to us - I appreciate that “intently haphazard”. There are ways for us to be in the world today- in a way that offers generative resistance. I think I’m committed to working in that direction. I think Blake was a good example of this. Even if it remains “unsuccessful” by many metrics.
I’m in Scotland now, and it took all my willpower to not pack the book in my luggage. It’s too precious and priceless to me to risk damaging it. I know a publisher who would love this project…. But. As a fellow paper addict, I just don’t think they could reproduce it with Jack’s quality and craft. I’m tongue tied with this - just grateful the printer found its home.
Your business model continues to challenge me. I feel I’m thinking way too much about making things work out.
I’m not sure, Stephen, but I think my business model is a train wreck! But it’s all I’ve ever known.
I don't know if you guys are aware of Andy Squyres' book project, Poet-Priest. He self publishes, and is a blend of text and imagery, similar, I think, to what I've seen on a small screen. He works with a quality publishing company, so the forms are fitting for the content.
I would dearly love to be able to purchase and own one of these, but the way you speak of it feels very similar to how I feel, and have decided to approach leatherworking. I make things for gifts, but remain firm that I do not sell or do commissions. The time, thought, and connection with the recipient is woven into the time, thought, and connection with the gift. I think I might encourage keeping that a boundary until you get a release to transform what is currently only a gift into something a bit more of a commodity.
I’ve long sought to keep boundaries between the sacred artistic work and the realm of commerce- but there are also points where I am inadvertently limiting accessibility to the work by keeping it from that space. Then I have to see it as a type of witness or a remnant in the marketplace- something not driven by creating a commodity for the sake of profit. I’ve come to loathe the concept/word “monetize”- so how do I exist in this space? - make work in this space? Even exchange work in this space? There is a lot of faith and discipline involved in navigating a realm that is treacherous. No answers- but a slow journey through the land. I’ve often contemplated the idea of a “cottage industry” that seeks to see certain economic relationships flow out of daily life but not seeking unlimited growth.
Just a smattering here