The final two lines of Emily Dickinson’s poem “Bloom — is Result — to meet a Flower” have been a mantra of mine for many years. Whether I was writing without a precise purpose as a stream of consciousness or engaging in deliberate, rational experimentation, these words would spontaneously surface and carry me forward through their sheer flow. The responsibility of the flower is the one we owe to ourselves: to become us despite the influence of others, to shed the fear of blooming, and to do so with courage and inspiration.

After all these years and countless iterations (through calligraphy, expressive marks, abstract drawings, and illustrations) the question remains: Am I a flower now? Do I have the courage to bloom, to flourish, and to create beauty in my own way?

This book is fully handcraft, with mixed techniques.

Crayon and pencil on paper.

Watercolour on japanese paper - after waxing.