KERI SMITH
{please visit Keri Smith here}
Oh, my. It appears today’s feature was tailored made especially for me, Miss K. Well, I guess for you, too, if you are a rule following perfectionist who gasps at the sight of messy handwriting, torn books, and unwashed hair. (Tsk tsk, Robert Pattinson.) Award winning illustrator Keri Smith is here to break out those of us who live in the box. She promises it won’t hurt, and might actually be–wait for it– fun.
Keri Smith has been inspiring people for years with her blog, Wish Jar, a seven-year compilation of daily inspiration for her and her tens of thousands of readers. In that time, Smith has also proven what limitless, out of the box thinking can produce. The freelance illustrator has worked most recently for Random House, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Ford Motor Co., the Boston Globe, Galison/Mudpuppy Press, and Hallmark all on her own terms. When she isn’t illustrating for top tier publications, she is penning best selling books, including How to be an Explorer of the World, and Wreck This Journal, one of the inspiring books Smith is offering today to our readers. (For a complete collection of her books, click here.) Although each book has its own purpose and message, consistent throughout Smith’s work is the challenge to tear down, deconstruct, and down right destroy preconceived notions of art and process all in the name of creativity. Consider me sold–but not on the dirty hair. That’s nonnegotiable for me, Robert.
Keri Smith is giving away three books to one winner. The books are: Wreck This Journal, The Non-Planner Date Book, and This is Not a Book. In order to win, here is the question you need to answer by Wednesday, January 20, 2010:
Look around you right where you are sitting. What do you see that you did not notice when you sat down?
Please start checking the winner’s box on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 to see if you won. Good Luck!
[...] didn’t think we would give away three bestselling books without pairing them with a stunning set of bookends, did you? Of course not. We know many of [...]
[...] didn’t think we would give away three bestselling books without pairing them with a stunning set of bookends, did you? Of course not. We know many of [...]
I am notoriously bad at noticing things– I came home from college the other day and commented on our “new chair covers” that have apparently been that colour for two years! Whoops. I do it with novels sometimes, too; because I devour them so quickly, I often miss things. Most notably: what happened between Charlie and his aunt in “Perks of Being a Wallflower”, the scene in the second Harry Potter book where Harry buys Dobby socks from a store that sells fabulously mismatched pairs (I just caught this one the other day rereading it to a girl I mentor–I used to wear different coloured socks every day, so I would have ADORED that paragraph as a child), and the part in a Sarah Dessen book when the girl opens the present from her (now deceased) father. In ‘Perks’ and the Dessen novel, these are key parts! Luckily, I grew out of that stage after high school, and I always reread my books…but it taught me to slow down a little and learn to soak things in more.
As for your question, I just noticed this pink picture frame with blue whales on it that I got for my birthday a few years ago– it was in a stack of books, papers, and notebooks on my bookshelf! I just put it out in the open where it deserves to be.
PS- I just got the Non-Datebook Planner for Christmas, and I already love it! It’s so nice to keep notes and thoughts and dates all in one place– I’ve shown it to so many people haha– and while I worked at Borders over winter break, a few girls bought “Wreck This Journal” and I’ve been waiting for us to get it back in stock ever since!
my cat…half underneath me!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE KERI’S BOOKS ;D
I would’ve bought all these books as soon as I knew about
them but I am way too broke to get anything for now ):
as for my answer, I guess it’ll be my glue tape right in front
of the keyboard. I guess I haven’t kept my craft stuff yet :x
One fruit loop under my desk… when did I eat those last? That’s why I need a dog…
a wooden toy fork hanging from a lamp pull. ha ha!
oh i hope i win these goods! thanks for the wicked chance :D
fortunes from tea bags that I’ve saved in a pile pinned to the back of my cubicle. i haven’t looked at them since in months. the two i can read from here say:
“By putting others first, you always win.”
“To teach is to learn twice over.”
I noticed that I forgot to bring my new calendar in to work (my workspace is very sparse, so it’s easy to notice things).
Also, I have two (!) bottles of Purell at my desk. Ah, to work in public health!
What a total mess my desk is! Once I’m done typing this I’m going to take a digital break and clean this stuff up!
My Live, Love, Laugh notebook that’s sitting on my desk. :) BUT MY OFFICE NEEDS SOME COLOR FOR SURE!!! I cleaned it up and threw everything away in Dec so now I need new stuff for 2010…
My fiancé’s half empty cup of coffee that he sort of stashed behind his monitor. I wonder if he plans on returning to it at a later time? Yuck!
my desk is full of brightly colored papers, photos, and lots of clutter (including an assortment of stress balls). at the very back of my cubicle space is my power strip and hiding in front of it is a clear ruler, cleverly hidden. haha. i’ve been looking for it for awhile (it’s supposed to be in a drawer). but now, thanks to you, i can return the ruler to its home!
a two-day-old sippy cup filled with milk…gross!
My kids Christmas-themed books are still sitting on the dining room table right next to where I work. I thought they were put away with all of the other holiday things!
This is such a fantastic giveaway!
I didn’t notice that my Dad had put all his photography books on the bookshelf next to me, I was wondering where they had gone! He has such a neat collection from when he used to own a studio and was self-taught. And his slide viewer is there as well! Haha, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, photography equipment and books = love.
I just looked over at the wall where I have taped up giant pieces of paper with my business ideas/dreams/aspirations/goals/creative mission statement and inspiring quotes, and realized that my “goals” sheet had fallen off on one corner….no wonder I’m feeling the fear associated with taking big leaps of faith….I can’t see my goals!
Ah, look at that! There’s a perfect little lady bug perched on the blinds on the window right in front of me. Since I think lady bugs are very good luck, I’ll consider this a good sign.
Thanks for forcing us to take this moment. And, for the thoughts on breaking out of the perfectionist box. That’s such a struggle for me.
I just noticed my “love” notes. They are not the traditional love note but notes that my co-workers leave when they use my desk. Some are drawings, some are little “miss yous” and some are telling me I’m awesome. I love it when I don’t initially notice them because when I do they make me feel great!
lol, I had to look very closely and then I saw that there’s a smashed & squashed up mosquito on a piece of paper at the corner of the table that my guy must’ve killed earlier today… (we’ve been hit by this guy many many times last night….)
The neighbor has this amazing weeping willow tree that I swear was not their a while ago. I have never noticed it before now, that saddens me a bit. I obviously never slow down enough to look around me. I will begin to from now on. Thanks! <3
There is a post-it note on one of my speaker telling me that I need to call back a guy named Tom.
I do not know anyone named Tom.
That my battery laptop was about to die :0\
Out my window, in downtown Brooklyn, I can see a star, not a satellite, not an airplane, an actual star.
My clarinet is shoved inbetween a snare drum, my dad’s burial flag and a scanner.
There’s a gouge/chip on the side of my buffet. Looks fixable at least!
The four little hearts that I keep on my nightstand are out of place. I have mild OCD when it comes to things being organised on my nightstand, so they must be shifted a quarter of an inch back into their proper place. Thank you for making me notice that. :)
I’m surrounded by power cords on all four sides, there are fingerprints in the stain on my wood paneled ceiling (uni housing, don’t ask).
My pictures are curling, so it must be more humid in here than I like to think. Not a single piece of furniture in here is stained the same color….and none of them match the ceiling either.
Everything on my desk is something I’m putting off dealing with. I’m going to go take care of some of them right now.
chocolate stains on the mousse pad ….
oh god….too much dust under my sofa!
I notice a large number of post it notes all with my scribbles of book titles, song names, to do lists, shopping lists and indesipherale scratchings on them. Hello, my name is Tash…..and I have a post-it problem.
the little pile of remnant letters my son left on my desk after cutting out his name from the black and white alphabet supplied with his new pencil case!
A pidgeon walking on the balcony outside the window. Gotcha!
how the light from the window makes that pretty little pattern by my toes. warms them up, too.
My ukulele, leaning against the bookcase, has somehow acquired a dinosaur sticker on her backside….
I’m at the school library pretending to study, I never noticed how cute the guy 2 carrels away from me is….
The first thing I noticed is my pen (from a special event) that has a long white feather attached to it. It makes me feel just like Eliza Bennett when I write with it!
Pick me please! I notice that I didn’t turn on any of the “right” lights. The kitchen and the bedroom lights are on – but not in the living room where I am sitting ;).
Uh.. I’m embarrassed to admit this but I looked around and noticed that the tea I poured an unknown amount of days ago has grown a little fuzzy already. Gross. Really glad I did not reach out and take a drink.
I am looking out the window and now that the snow has melted I found my son’s other glove he lost in the last snow storm.
The first thing I see is it is completely pitch black darkness going on in here. I started looking into the world of blogs for the first time, and fell down the rabbit hole. When did it get dark? I have literally been sitting here all afternoon skipping from blog to blog to blog in search of some tidbits of sunshine to cheer me up on this cold wintery day. I found my way here, somehow and am overjoyed at this discovery. So I’ll just turn on the lights…wait one moment……ok I’m back. Ok the first thing I see is my feet are sticking straight out in front of me as I am sitting across my daybed and it seems I have put on two different coloured socks today. Navy and black. Doesn’t really matter I guess, as when I was out today they were covered by my giant-made-for-living-up-here-in-the-tundra winter boots. Just a little mention that I added Wish Jar to my favorites as I can see it being just what I had started looking for earlier today…thanks :-)
I see my daughter’s little yellow fuzzy wormy thing poking out from beneath the papers on my desk. You know, those little worms that can be pulled through your fingers by a little bit of fishing line that you hold sirupticiously in your other hand so the thing looks like it’s squirming all over your hand by itself? I love how, in the serious chaos taking care of the business of my day, my daughters things literally worm their way into every area of my life!
i see my sense of accomplishment. i actually got an [A-] in design drawing, and i can hardly draw a dog or a naked woman. thank goodness for my hard working fortitude, as well as my ability to come up with radical ideas.
i also see my past, present, and future. why? because i sit in front of a computer almost 24/7.
I see my shiny gold/leopard print headband that I have been looking for all week. It makes wonder how I missed it this past 5 days…but in the end it also my day brighter!
oriental trading catalog for Valentines Day:)
I did not notice that the reason why no one else took this seat was because the sun was going to right in my eyes.
what a mess it is around me
Occasionally my daughter doodles pictures on sticky notes and leaves them for me to find. Today I found a fox stuck to my printer!
What a fun little exercise… and what fun books you’ve written! I notice four different clocks, all of which have either ceased ticking or are set to the wrong time. Why is it that I can accomplish so much in one day, yet I never seem to get around to those pesky clocks?
I saw my chore for tomorrow: neatly wrapped, just peeking out from under a binder my husband placed on top of its bristles. Reminding me of an early start to finish my painting project.