Pilgrimage of Desire: An Invitation
An Invitation
I would like to invite you to a special Book Preview Event for Pilgrimage of Desire: An Explorer’s Intimate Journal of Art and Flow as a Way of Life, a memoir written by Author and Creativity Coach Alison Gresik.
Pilgrimage of Desire has an emotional depth and stunning realness about living an art-committed life that is unmatched. Alison’s writing is exquisite, you will really have to let me know if you’ll be able to put it down. Luckily we are printing a limited edition book so you can hold it close while you try to put it down.
Alison’s writing is naturally rich with intimate crisp details and real time revelations. While you will be immediately drawn into her captivating style you will also simultaneously be in full conscious awareness of all roads barefoot and bumpy and smooth that you’ve traveled on your own inner and outer pilgrimage. This connection you feel to her writing and your life at the same time is by natural design and speaks to Alison’s ability to open herself up to being fully present for her self and you the reader. It is one of the many unique characteristics that I admire about Alison’s art and work.
Strength of Character and Commitment
I honor all of Alison’s traits and gifts but the trait that makes her extra special spectacular is the fierce strength of her commitment. And by commitment I mean the kind that requires every morsel of your own being to hold your feet to the fire while you hold your course and do your work and breathe deeply into backing up your values and beliefs with your words and actions. Her commitment to mastering her self and life while living from the place of fullness and substance comes from the inner core of her being and because she does the work to maintain this equilibrium. You cannot miss all the benefits of witnessing this in her and while instantly applying it to your own presence of being. The architecture of this book, both visually and verbally, corresponds with the interconnection of her work and yours, also by design. She sold her house and has been traveling the world with her family while writing this book as an account of her life to date. She’s been traveling during all of our work together but our inverted time zone difference was unnoticeable even as her day was my night and vice versa. It’s an impressive undertaking to write your own story of truths with chilling detail and acceptance while you are walking your talk and bringing everyone you care about — not to mention the entire universe — along with you. Can you even imagine the strength this requires? If you can, you will love experiencing this memoir.
The Landscape
Alison and I met in Autumn 2010 and met in person last summer, June 2011. I had already known of her exceptional writing talent because as a book designer I have an inherently refined attunement to the art of exquisite writing. Alison was describing her newsletter idea for her Operation Hejira and as I listened to her thoughts I was transported into a much larger more expansive landscape, as though a new field of art and meaning opened up right in front of me and I painted it with a brush on a fresh canvas while I was listening. I shared this landscape and larger picture with her as I saw it from that moment in its every detail. I can honestly say that this project and its depth has been strong and clear for me from the onset. In August I began to lead Alison through my creative process via a series of Design Briefs for Identity, Book, and Cover Design for what was then aptly titled the B.I.G. Project (because we needed something to call it!) and is now known as the Pilgrimage of Desire Project. {pilgrimageofdesire.com}
Symmetry by Design
Although I have a clear vision, my Design Methodology is designed to incorporate and integrate words, emotions, and facts that I collect through a series of communications. I’ve created this process and mastered it over the course of my own work and creative process throughout my career over the span of just-this-side of two decades. My design process seamlessly unites my vision with the vision of my client.
I used my Naming Structure Formula which integrates a multi-step process to analyze the information Alison provided to my specific questions. I titled this body of work, Pilgrimage of Desire: An Explorer’s Intimate Journal of Art and Flow as a Way of Life, and created its identity, book interior, book cover, and marketing collateral. I will also be designing, art directing, and producing special limited edition printed books and all of the collateral materials you will see from here. Alison has chosen to self publish because she is also committed to symmetry which means producing the highest quality representation of her memoir in the shortest time without compromising a single detail. You can understand why Alison and I are symmetric in our collaboration! In this case, this is also another account of the commitment to the quality of work that Alison creates for herself and at the same time generously shares with her readers.
I’d like to point out that Alison is already in all ways invested in her own work and in this book and its larger significance and has been for quite some time. This fundraiser is offering you an opportunity to pre-order a limited collector’s edition printed book or a digital book. There is no small amount of support here, it is all of great value. This is a real volume of work of her life’s work and how it naturally relates to your body of work and life’s work. It’s a magnificent achievement on all counts and it is again by its very design redefining the quality and depth and genre of what you know as a memoir. As self-employed professionals the lines we choose to follow are in fact our own desire lines and these lines twist and turn as we navigate through the complexities and delights of being the creator of our own experience and abundance.
Frames of Reference
I invite you to experience Pilgrimage of Desire as a special preview. Here you can read the Prologue and the first chapter, “Lighter by the Minute”. The rest of the chapters are full and overbrimming with intricate detail, presence of being, and emotional connection.
I also designed Alison’s book, The Field Guide to Truth and Beauty: Explore Your Creations and Move Forward with Purpose. You can have a look and read more about some behind the scenes aspects of the creative process from Alison’s point of view.
Self Publishing
Self publishing your work is a testament to creating and producing your own work in the world because you are intensely dedicated to having your message reach the people who are waiting for it. It’s far and beyond selling a book but more living your book. It is creating a collection of work that has a deep and wide impact throughout every aspect of your own life as well as throughout every relationship in your life. Creating a collection of work with commitment and investment is not a risk, it’s a deliberate choice knowing what really is at risk by not doing it full out. The open road of our experience is laced with choices that define our own pilgrimage.
It is my wish that you contribute and support this campaign so you can experience this story of truth. I am proud of my contribution and honoring of Alison’s work. It’s been an honor to design this book and bring her words into a three dimensional form so it can gift more and more value. It has a great significance to me both as the Design Director on this project, as an independent self-employed professional, and also as Alison’s true friend in the dedication to and mastery of creative flow and commitment. This is her story of internal acceptance and determination of how to create art and flow to live your work and prosper but it also represents our own internal individual determination and perseverance for living an extraordinary life by design through every ordinary and unmistakably raw moment in time.
Publication Date
Pilgrimage of Desire has a publication date of November 2012. This is a quality publication from cover to cover. It will also be a great gift book for anyone you know who is determined to live their desire and live an art-committed life. I hope you enjoy this preview in all of its depth. I hope if you choose to contribute that you revel in the satisfaction and pride that comes with believing in your fellow creatives who relentlessly bring their best to you in words and intention.
Appreciation
I sincerely appreciate all of your beautiful words and emails, thank you so much. I hope you will continue to let Alison and I know your thoughts because we value and appreciate all of the voices that contribute to our creative community. Creative commitment thrives with sincere appreciation and acknowledgement. I warmly thank you with all of my heart for all of your acknowledgement of me, my work, this project, and for your support of Alison’s work.
It is with great pleasure and tremendous grace that I look forward to sharing this present and future Pilgrimage with all of you.
Michelle Farinella
Design Director