Customer Reviews

1000 Journals Project

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I first learned of "1000 Journals" from TheScreamOnline, an online publication in which I have been lucky enough to place some of my own writing.

Someguy began the "1000 Journals" project in San Francisco. He purchased 1000 blank journals and sent them around the world. He gave them to friends and left them in coffee shops, book stores, and libraries -- and even on park benches. People wrote in them, drew sketches, painted pictures, glued-in photos, and then passed them on. Instructions inside the cover ask that each contributor scan his/her pages and email them to Someguy for posting on the website.

I was fascinated by this project when I first heard about it. The "1000 Journals" project evoked, for me, the pure magic of raw creativity unmediated by middlemen who, all too often, strain out the magic and keep only the commercial or easily digested product.

Like a drill sent deep into earth that hits fresh water, the "1000 Journals" project hit people like you and me, people washing their laundry, sipping brews in cafes, getting over broken hearts, nursing invisible dreams, and then erupted with their creative gifts.

The project's foundation was serendipity. Someguy released his journals to the winds with the faith that something beautiful would result, and it has.

Someguy's process reverberates; to some it is reminiscent of religious faith -- of letting go and letting God.

For others it is a manifestation of the faith an artist requires to begin any project that may, or may not ever, find its audience. For others it brings to mind the process of being a parent. "Your children are not your children," wrote Khalil Gibran. Well, your journal is not your journal; your art is not your art. Someguy's process brings that all home.

TheScreamOnline featured the 1000 Journals project in 2003 and it has since been made into a documentary, which will be coming out soon.

The magazine's editor calls it "one of the most significant and innovative sociological experiments in recent history." Thousands of hands have touch the books, and it truly is a global project. This new book looks just like one of the journals, with its black cover and dimensions. The project certainly has had many incarnations, from the journals themselves, to the website, the magazine feature, the film, and now this book. I highly recommend it!

Unfortunately I came too late participate in the 1000 Journals project. I found myself in awe of the creative rawness of the entries I found on that site and its sister site 1001 Journals. So be inspired by the multisensory spreads (much easier on the eyes that staring at the computer screen). This books is compact, but not too small and it looks like an actual leather bound journal. Entries range from innocent to indulgent, sensual to sublime. All of these artists have created a book that is not only an art book, but a memoir as well. Each entry expresses a piece of the artist's world. I am looking forward to a sequel. Until then, enjoy this book and check the websites:
[...]
Thank you someguy and to all who contributed to the project.

This beautiful book is the product of a multi-year mail art project. The actual size and color of the book match the 1000 journals that were sent out over the world. Each journal has it own incredible journey and story to tell. And this is undoubtable one the largest and most exciting collaborative mail art project ever undertaken.

I've been fortunate to be part of this experiment, and it was a life changing experience. This book is a tiny glimpse into the 100's of 1000's of pages filled with the art of the everyday person. Art made accessible to everyone.

If you think the Postsecret books are fascinating, this book actually looks a bit more indepth into the personal lives of the participants. It is a look at the everyday reality of our times.

I've been familiar with the 1000 Journals Project since it's inception. It was my honor to participate (to a very small degree) in this project, and I feel that this book is an amazing collection of everything that made this project so successful - spontaneity, honesty and a feeling of connection.

This book does a beautiful job of reproducing every detail of the pages from the original journals. Some of the spreads were even stitched with designs true to the contributors' artistic intent.

The whole book is bound, quite beautifully, in the same style of casing as the original artist journals that started this project seven years ago.

A wonderful collection of unique art. The only thing that would make this book better is if it were larger so we could see the art in greater detail.

This book is wonderful!

1000 journals moving around across the globe... maybe 10 times as many contributors. How can that not be awesome? This book has a myriad of different people's writings, sketchings, photographs and pastings... all from different cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life. Just a great collection of 'journal art' that inspires you to make your own, and re-examine this book over and over.

Ever really wanted to read your friends personal journal? Sure, lots of people have. You might not quite be getting that in this book, for I see this as biased writing. Deliberately "unauthentic" entries... all written with the obvious knowledge that this would be read by hundreds, possibly thousands of others. When you know someone is watching, you'll do it differently than when you know you have the utmost privacy. So you wont quite be a voyeur if you purchase this item, but you will definitely be exposed to a lot of awesomeness that you can't find just anywhere.

A worthy buy, but in the vein of tactile journals, I'd recommend Dan Eldon's work over this.

...and those were the words I uttered when I removed the journal from the amazon box.

As a lover and collector of books, I have my own sense of 'feel'. Done in the same size as a standard blank book (you can't have enough of these!), it is compact, narrow with heft and feels so good in my hands.

As an artist, the visual appeal is so great that I am writing this review after only fanning through the pages because to absorb it, savor it, will take time.

Loving ephemera, a fan of collage, I think the only thing lacking is the
texture, dimensional quality of the originals although there are a couple of embroidered pages. (I'm sure this will gather a few items as I carry it with me.) I really am not the least disappointed...would love to see, to touch the originals.

I came upon the 1000 Journals Project too late, however, have signed up to participate in 1001 Journals. Still waiting (tap, tap, tap), I feel the need to begin one of my own (thinking altered book) and send it out into the world.

What a marvelous concept--sharing the creative spirit and trusting in strangers that it will be respected, contributed to and returned... representational of art, expression and humankind.

If you have found your way "here" and are reading these reviews, you have an interest on some level. Don't deny yourself a peek into 1000 Journals by having just this one!

I was able to participate in this project, and my work is in the book (many times, which made me blush! It was amazing enough to have participated!) Chronicle Books, as always, did a fantastic job with the construction and execution of the book. It really does feel like having one of the 'real' ones all for myself. Having held several of them in my hands, I've experienced the power of the project...and I can wholeheartedly say that this publication comes as close to the real thing as possible.
Three Cheers for Someguy, Three Cheers for Chronicle Books, and Three Cheers for the documentary coming out soon!

After seeing the film doc I was excited to order the book to see many other entries that were made in the many journals.
A simple little image book...lovely, I was surprised by the added feature of stitching on many pages...really made it feel like more of a homemade piece.

If you're in to visual journals, buy this book! (It's priced way under value too.) Love it! So many ideas form so many people.

Thanks "some guy"!

Here's the story: In June of 2000, a graphic designer, known in this project as Someguy, had an idea for a collaborative art project. He would distribute 1,000 blank journals, allow people to fill them in any way they wanted to, and return them to him.

According to Someguy's story, "In August of that year, I began distributing blank journals around San Francisso. I left them in bar bathrooms, at cafes, and on the bus, and gave them to friends and strangers. Each journal contained instructions inviting participants to contribute something to the journal, and then to pass it along to someone else."

He had no idea if the journals would ever return. But he started a website on which people could post their journal artwork and sign up to have a journal sent to them when they returned.

People who found the books eagerly looked forward to leaving their mark. Faced with filling a blank page, some filled it eagerly, some couldn't decide how to fill it. Many had trouble sending the journal onto the next person. (Artists frequently have trouble letting their work go into the world without adult supervision.)

Because the books traveled to every state in the union and into 53 countries worldwide. People began to add rules to the journals. "Finish them in 24 hours and pass them on." "You have two weeks." And then, some artists decided they didn't like the writing of others, painted over the pages and added their own artwork. Some people who got the journals wrote angry, damaging entries to previous artists and sent the book back to the original artist.

The book is the same size as the original journals, and is full of color spreads of the creativity of people who found and filled the books. It has stitched entries along with photographs, writing, confessions, collages and raw art. The artwork is preceeded by an explanation and an explanation of what happened to the journals the author could track down and retrieve. Most of them are still circulating. This is a wonderful book illustrating an amazing collaborative art project.