New Year, New Book(s)

/ January 5, 2016

There is something incredibly satisfying about starting afresh. A new year – lots of resolutions. A new project – lots of ideas and hopes. And incidentally I am launching into 2016 with a new notebook, too, since I have run out of space in my old notebook.

But today I am particularly excited because I have finally done something that I had been planning to do for a long time. As you all know, I never keep the pocket shrines but always give them away. An integral part of the whole shrining process for me, is the final shoot of the finished RAPS. I love setting up my shoots, styling the product, so to speak, and then taking the images. They are the only thing I feel a need to keep. Of course they are all documented here on my blog in the presentation posts and in the shrine gallery, but I have always wanted to have a handier way of looking over them. And so I decided to give myself an early gift for my upcoming RAnniversary, i.e. the anniversary of my discovery of (and subsequent obsession over) Richard, and created a proper, printed book of the first 100 shrines. I actually had been working on it for a few months – collating the images, playing with layouts, and had been set back when I had to change laptops in between and all the formatting was lost. But today I finished the project, uploaded it to my favourite photo book printer, Blurb, and ordered a copy for myself.

Screenshot 2016-01-05 16.41.59

The book has hardly any words, just photos of the shrines. Well, think of it as a picture book. A grown-up version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the RAPS fan, so to speak. 🙂 If you would like to have a look yourself, you can click through to it via the link below (click the image). In order to make it fully viewable on Blurb, I had to set it up for sale. (Unfortunately, since these photo books are printed on demand, they tend to be quite dear, even though they are available in more – or less – expensive formats as soft cover books or hard covers. It is 10″ x 8″ (25 x 20 cm) in size. But I nonetheless rewarded myself for my efforts by splashing out on a copy. I am now waiting for its arrival like waiting for the birth of a baby 😉 )

I am undecided whether the book is evidence of cheeky creativity or proof of single-minded insanity :-D. 100 miniature dioramas, all featuring the same chap. Sounds pretty mad… But yeah, I guess I quite like the bloke whose face is in every little box. Or let’s say, I appreciate his talent and I like his work. But see for yourself, have a look, have a laugh and enjoy –  if anything, the book is a celebration of the fun that communal fangirling brings, as many of the shrines were made for specific recipients, and every single one has gone to a fellow fan. Maybe the images will even remind you of the individual shrines’ owners – that would bring the fandom love project full circle. ❤

I am curious myself if the future holds a part 2 of The Art of Shrining 🙂

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50 thoughts on “New Year, New Book(s)”

  3. You’ve done a fine job. I smiled when I saw mine and now I want them all. Ha! 😉 Hopefully, someone who can afford it will donate one to send to Richard. He would get a kick out of it. I can ‘see’ him delightedly showing it to his family the next time they get together. Thanks, S!

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    • Oh goodness, no. A single shrine to catch his eyes would be bad enough, but the full works? Surely, he’d be horrified and think the creator a complete nutcase. (Mind you – that wouldn’t really matter. He doesn’t know me, so he can think whatever he likes.) Not sure his mum would appreciate shrines with her son in saucy scenarios, either 😉

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  4. what a wonderful keepsake for you! to have them all there together, not only as a celebration of Richard and the creativity he inspires, but also for the fond memories that I’m sure are attached to each fan they were made for.

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  5. Your shrines are definitely book worthy. I would love to have one lying around the living room for anyone to pick up and discover it’s delights. What a fab idea.

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    • hehe, every public library ought to have a copy of this photo book. Who knows, it might spread the man’s fame even further ;-)… Anyway, come to think of it – however mad it appears, it surely can be interpreted as a compliment that someone finds him shrine-worthy…

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  9. I think RA himself would find your “single-minded insanity” amusing and sweet, as do I. I love your RAPS, they are so RA inspired…..clever and funny and sexy.

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  12. What a lovely keepsake! And a worthy memento of your generous creativity. 🙂
    Instead of photo albums these days, I always compile a book like this of our holidays. Much more coffee table compatible and we find we’re more likely to pick a book up to browse through than a bulky album. They can become rather expensive when they run close to a hundred pages or more, but I reckon they’re worth it.

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  14. Liebe kleine Raupe Nimmersatt, ich erlöse dich mal von deinen Selbstzweifeln:

    “evidence of cheeky creativity” – no.
    “proof of single-minded insanity” – no.
    “evidence of cheeky creativity AND proof of single-minded insanity” – yes. 😀

    Du bist einfach viel zu bescheiden. 😉

    Sehe ich das richtig, dass das Buch für dein Bloggiläum geplant war? – Dann kann ich dich beruhigen: Für den Jahresstart ist es mindestens genauso gut. 🙂

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    • Hehe – das soll mich jetzt beruhigen? Das ist ja der Doppelhammer… Aber macht ja auch alles nichts – Herr A weiß von nichts, da kann ich beruhigt weitermachen.
      Und ja, das Buch war eigentlich schon letztes Jahr zum WP-Jubi im November geplant, aber da war ich irgendwie komplett überlastet. Aber so passt’s auch.

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      • Tja, die Wahrheit kann so hart sein … und erst recht das Wissen, dass wir dich längst durchschaut haben. 😛
        Wenn du ein Beruhigungsschlückchen brauchst, empfiehlt sich ein Besuch in einer Lagerhalle.
        Oder du könntest ein Kreppelchen vernaschen.

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        • Och, ihr dürft mich gerne durchschauen – mich kennt ja sonst keiner 😀
          Ja, so eine Lagerhalle hab ich RA auch schon anempfohlen. Dabei trinkt er doch gar kein Bier, der süße kleine Pfannkuchen.

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          • Du musst jetzt ganz stark sein: Ich bin mir fast 100%ig sicher, dass dich auch Mr. Guylty und der Guylty-Nachwuchs längst durchschaut haben. *gg*

            Ja, wegen deiner Aussage, dass wir Deutschen sogar LagerHALLEN haben, kam ich ja drauf. *gg*

            Ich nehme an, dass der Guteste auch mal Bier trinkt. Es macht sich nur nicht so gut in Interviews, wenn man sagt: “Hauptsach’, es macht doll im Kopp!”, hähähä.

            *hüstel* Nein, ich bin kein Lästermäulchen! Gar nie nicht!

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            • Die Guylty-Sippe ist voll informiert, steht aber weitgehend hinter mir, da ja immer wieder aus den hier eingehenden Fan-Paketen (!!!) leckere Sachen für sie abfallen 😂.
              Hehe, aber Bier macht doch dick… und Wein intellell.

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  15. Also ich schwelge gerade….in shrinen ❤ Irgendwie hat man sie ja schonmal gesehen aber es gibt welche die sind so klasse, dass ich sie gerade beim blättern neu entdecke 🙂 Tolle Idee sie in ein Buch zu fassen, die Geschichte der künstlerischen Gestaltung der RA shrines! Für ein Jubiläum und für einen Jahresanfang bestens geeignet. Ich könnte meine Lieblinge ja jetzt aufzählen, aber willst Du das als creativer Kopf und Mutter aller shrines überhaupt wissen ? 🙂

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  17. What an incredible coffee table book, or nightstand book more likely. Last views of Mr. A before turning out the lights. What great Christmas gifts. You should sell them. Consider it.
    I have a confession. I’ve kept little pictures of all your shrines in a Word document. Just tiny pictures with their titles. It was so hard going back and forth through the blog to see older shrines, so I saved them to a document entitled RAPS by Guylty Pleasure. I can go and enlarge each one when I need a smile. Now you know why it is so easy for me to rattle off a # and title when I talk about it. My memory needs all the help it can get.

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    • Yep, I really like seeing them in one place, too.
      Pinterest – I once started a Guylty Pinterest and uploaded a few pictures but never really followed through. I have seen others pin pictures of them, though.

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  19. I think it’s a wonderful documentation of a project with significant personal and fandom meaning, and perhaps on some level more that that — an exemplar of an age, so to speak. Congratulations!

    (sorry — just catching up after spending most of the week away)

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    • Thanks – and yes, you are right, it is all of that for me. A collection of photos that record my creativity, a reminder of the fandom and the friends I am happily interacting with – and maybe in the future a memento of a time in my life.
      Hope you are enjoying your time off!

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