More Details on What Exactly Is In the52 Projects Book

So I mentioned in this earlier post that there are projects based on the page numbers, and that yes, there are more than 52 projects in the book. I realized I should post a note about all the other elements of the book.

So here is some more complete detail on the 52 Projects book:

There is a section that explores the joys and possibilities, the inspiration and energy, inherent in project-making -- What projects can do for you. One of the major things that I am trying to convey in this book is that projects and project-making truly can influence -- in a good way -- how you approach the day to day, and can positively impact all areas of your life.

There are, of course, the 52 Projects -- writing projects, photo projects, mail art projects, one that involves key lime pie, another that encourages experiments to make the perfect margarita, and many more. The idea of the book is not for the reader to re-create these projects exactly, because following something to the letter is never fun. There are no step 1, step 2, step 3 instructions, no pictures of finished projects. The hope is that you'll use the projects as jumping off points, and take your own ideas and muses and inspiration and create projects that you can truly call your own.

I should note that many of the projects offer up variations (and the total number of variations adds up to 52).

There's a section that explores why writing things down is so important.

And taking pictures, and making projects out of those photos -- why that is also important.

There's an essay on making projects as gifts, and how gift-giving furthers and expands the positive impact of project-making.

There's a section that features suggestions on how to make time for project-making, because I know one of the major excuses for not making projects is that "there just isn't enough time."

And at the end of the book is a resources section (52 resources) that I really tried to make a little different than the usual resources section found in most books. There are links to some of the sites featured in the right column of 52projects.com, of course, but there also mentions of movies, books like Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, the WPA's Federal Writers' Project, and a film reel you may have seen back in high school called Why Man Creates (I have to thank Mr. Coronet and Mr. Cohen, my high school geometry and calculus teachers, respectively, for both showing this film to me, and more importantly, for their novel approaches to teaching math -- they revealed math not to be complicated formulas that "had no use in the real world," but a way to challenge your mind and tap into this awesome brain power of ours, and yes, to be creative in solving problems, math and otherwise). There are also items that you need to fill in yourself. You know what your resources are better than anyone, even if you don't technically think of them as creative resources.

Special note: there are a couple of hints in the book to something else... to more projects, to another project altogether. See if you can figure it out.

Overall, my hope is that all the elements in the book combine to inspire the impulse to create and share, in each person's own, unique way.