For many years now when starting to work on books, I’ve been sketching in three dimensions. I liken it to a warm-up before exercise. It’s not a plan for the work to come, but a way of getting in touch with materials, loosening up creatively, leaving the inner critic behind. Just combining bits and pieces into a nonsensical object. Because it has no other purpose than being a sketch, there are no rules to be bogged down by, no shoulds to aim for nor is it possible to make any mistakes. It’s very liberating and fun, and it always works. Sometimes it’s even more fun than the work itself. I have boxfuls of these little things. I call them talismans – maybe it says something about them in relation to the purposeful creative work that happens after them… (Jul08)