I just finished "Craft, Inc." by Meg Mateo Ilasco the other day. I had started reading it almost a year ago but got caught up in other things. It's a great book, and could be very helpful for many artisans. However, it is definitely geared toward people who are really looking to start a 'business' and really make some money, creating production lines and getting into retail stores, etc. That is all very helpful, but I'm not on that level quite yet.

I feel as if I've just managed to narrow down one point of what I want to do with my art and my business, which is a big thing, but I'm just beginning. This month has been full of introspection, questioning, realizations, and a bit of work. I do believe that "Craft, Inc." is a must-read for artists who want to start a business, though. It gives a good perspective, great tips, and real-life interviews with artists who have 'made it'.

Now, I think I'm ready for some fiction.

Continuing on with the food/health/diet/slow food related theme, I stopped in at Powell's bookstore the other night to see if I could find another one of Michael Pollan's books. All they had on the shelf was In Defense of Food, which I've already read (and loved), so I went searching for a book that I've been wanting to get for a while--Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I have read all but two of Kingsolver's books (those two being mainly essays), and have loved them all. I decided that I needed this book, that I have been refraining from buying since it first came out two years ago.

The first bit of the book felt somewhat redundant, since this subject is all I've been consuming lately, but Kingsolver has such a wonderful 'voice' that it doesn't matter too much. I find myself wistfully dreaming about building a garden and investing the kind of time and effort into it as she and her family have done in this year long journey (which I'm guessing has continued since). Living in an apartment that has no viable space for a garden can only last for so long, I say. Especially for someone who grew up with plenty of open space and wilderness to explore.

If nothing else, reading all of these books has at least awakened the forager in me--I will soon be hunting the plum trees and blackberries of Mt. Tabor, followed by hunting for mushrooms in the fall, and clams in between, as well as the local farmer's markets.

Months ago, while I was taking a class on Modernism (the culture, not the art genre), I decided to do my research paper on why we eat the way we do today, and where that change in our diet sprang from. I quickly realized that this was far too broad of a subject (after I had bought a bunch of books to research), and moved to a different topic.

However, part of that research that I had started introduced me to Michael Pollan's writings. I started with his most recent book, In Defense of Food, which is amazing, and am now working on The Omnivore's Dilemma. I find his style of writing to be fully researched, and it speaks to the every day person. I highly recommend his books, and will personally be reading all of them (along with seeing Food, Inc., and other productions).

You can also find a great TED talk from him HERE.