I visited with some friends recently. We talked about how much we like the saying, “We are all walking each other home,” which is attributed to Ram Dass. And though my first thoughts upon hearing the quote go to how I try to live my life, the words also ring true in my work with writers and my own writing.
I’ve ordered Austin Kleon’s book, Show Your Work, not because I want to put myself out there. But because I don’t. And yet, I love the idea of community and sharing.
That tension has pulled at me for several years now. The sub-head on Brain Picking’s story about Austin’s work caught my eye: How to balance the contagiousness of raw enthusiasm with the humility of knowing we’re all in this together. I love one of the quotes from the book that she cites:
The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others.
I’ll be doing that here as I get started with letterpress. The press is sitting on my living room floor right now, waiting for a friend to help me carry it up three flights and screw it to a table. I’ve ordered a magnesium cut, some ink, and some magnets–all of which I’ll explain as I go through my first print job.
Stay tuned…