In art -- poetry writing, painting, filmmaking, cooking -- you must learn to obey the rules before you can break them. When Robert Frost said that writing free verse is like playing tennis without a net, he meant something like this: that without adherence to rules, or an educated and deliberate choice to selectively break them, something of value is lost in an art.
I'm thinking about all this as I am alternately absorbed in and giggling over the pedantic, almost prissy opening chapters to Franz Zeier's Books, Boxes, and Portfolios: Binding, Construction, and Design Step-by-Step. But it's in the name of quality constructions and "the joy of the creative process"!
I don't agree with everything he says, but
- His strong opinions make for good reading. As Dennis Mahoney asserted so clearly, "Bold statements are dangerous, but they won't kill you. Timidity will."
- I know damn well that his book isn't taking any shortcuts. If I pay attention I will learn the disciplined, patient, and proper (not to mention muted and harmonious) way to build books, boxes, and portfolios . . . and then go break the rules whenever I want.
Here are some of my favorite quotes. Nurturers and unconventional creative types, be warned; the last point, although qualified, is quite shocking.
On selecting paper: "Papers in cheap and loud colors should never be used . . . I caution you against opulence."
On care of tools: "Because tools should function as extensions of the hand, never borrow someone else's."
On lighting: "Diffuse light such as that produced by flourescent bulbs is completely unacceptable for our purposes, since it creates almost no shadows and robs objects of their familiar appearance, which diminishes the joy of the creative process."
On decorating a box: "It is an unfounded opinion that a solid color makes a box seem unattractive and somehow less interesting . . . These days, regrettably, we see little talent for ornamentation. I advise discretion, even if it means ignoring the counsel of those arts and crafts teachers and others who urge us to be free . . . This is not to be understood as a case against lively colors, only against their thoughtless use."
