UPPERCASE { Janine Vangool }

Hello Reader, I am excited to announce that the next volume of the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration is called Jot! This uplifting volume will be about journaling, note-taking, sketching, book-making, handwriting, and other ways of jotting down our thoughts onto paper. This book concept is one I've been exploring for some time (you might see some similarities in theme with it and my Sketchbook Revival "text" book session). I am consciously and purposefully incorporating hands-on elements...

Correspondence from the 1990s Dear Reader, Greetings from my childhood home! I knew I had some old diaries and journals stashed in my cupboard, so it was convenient to retrieve them for reference in my Jot book while I'm visiting my parents. I had forgotten the extent of paper stuff I'd saved: my recess notebook from early elementary school; the letters I'd ghostwrite from my pretend penpal; the journal I kept after a friend died when I was 16; notes from friends passed during recess in grade...

Dear Reader, Proofs have been proofed! Looking through the proofs for UPPERCASE #71 (Oct-Nov-Dec), I can say that it is an excellent edition; new and returning contributing writers, photographers and illustrators have done an amazing job. In keeping with my focus on "concentrating" my efforts on what matters most—for UPPERCASE magazine, that's publishing and supporting writers and artists and their human-made ideas—funds saved by lowering the print run have gone towards more original content....

Dear Reader, I know it feels like the current issue (#70 July-Aug-Sept) is still inky fresh but the next UPPERCASE (#71 Oct-Nov-Dec) is nearly ready to send to the printer! I am so excited for the next cover that I'm revealing it today... it's by UK artist and illustrator Helen Cann. For those of you who were on my Path to Inspiration Idea Session live call at the end of June or watched the replay, you'll remember that I was gushing over Helen's illustrations and book, Hand Drawn Maps. I was...

50% off Back Issues! Read on below as to why... Hello Reader, I have been thinking about how I can do things differently. I want to simplify—not any of the creative side; editing, designing and publishing UPPERCASE magazine and my books is why any of this exists!—but to reduce the logistical complexity and financial burden of publishing physical things. I want my business to be less resource-intensive to ensure it is aligned with my environmental values. I don't want UPPERCASE to exist within...

Dear Reader, I am using this vintage Letters collector box to store the postcards and letters being sent in for the Jot book. It's on a table by the front door, so when I get new mail, the postcards and letters gets popped into the Letters box. It's "leather-like" finish is textured paper with the script letters in gold foil. I'm fond of old desk accessories. But, as you can see, my actual desk is currently accessorized with piles of things! Each pile represents a train of thought or action I...

Hello Reader, Today, I'm occupied with editing the articles for issue #71 (Oct-Nov-Dec). So, rather than break my focus too much, today's newsletter is a simple reminder: ➜ The open calls The Path to Inspiration and From There to Here both close tomorrow, July 22, at 11:59 pm MDT. There will be no extensions on the deadline because this issue goes to the printer in mid-August. The image above is Brianne Burnell's submission to The Path to Inspiration. She writes, "The path to inspiration is a...

Dear Reader, The theme of the current UPPERCASE magazine is "practice makes perfect" though, really, once you read through, you'll see that the point of the phrase was never about perfection. It's the practice that is the point—the making, trying, failing, trying again. My thanks to Lilla Rogers for her wise words and drawings in the current issue. Here's a poster for you from the both of us: download link: UPPERCASE 70 - Practice with Lilla.pdf Use the code perfectcircle for CA$15 off...

Hello Reader, I still have my scissors from elementary school, with my name taped around the handle. I wonder what distance of cuts they've made over the decades? I put them to use this week; I'm working on a collage for my own interpretation of the current open call, The Path to Inspiration. The open call asks: Where and how do you find inspiration? If Inspiration were a place, draw a map or create a diagram about how to find it. Read more about The Path to Inspiration here. The Idea Session...