http://Altered books Brette Higgins Originally in the winter session, I had thought about using altered books as a thematic studio practice. This has proven to be very engaging so far. I am struggling a bit with focusing on themes however. I am still investigating a multitude of avenues in which to better to explore my ideas and launch off with design. My biggest challenge right now is organization and I am trying to focus on synthesizing my thoughts in a cohesive way. It is difficult for me to hone in on specific ideas and focus on only one book at a time. After much thought, I have decided that I want to record a thought or feeling on a page daily. I would like to dedicate a few pages to calligraphy, poetry and literature. I also wish to incorporate some sewing if time permits. These books will be used as an overall basis for painting, collage work, and drawing. Hopefully, I can complete four of them as discussed in winter session, one for every month. I strongly feel that this form of journaling will allow me to better understand the complexity of my life and serve as an avenue to document personal thoughts and feelings. Maybe this artistic practice will bring some serenity and peace into my life, hopefully so. I really enjoy working with found materials and I am always eager to search for objects. But most importantly,. I truly enjoy the journey of where the artistic process will take me. There are no rules, only the confinement of space with altered books. Since I am really struggling with sticking to one theme throughout the book I would like these books top serve as daily journals for me ( art journals). Also, in my visual research studies, I am investigating material culture and the study of objects and belongings of human beings. I think I am most attracted to material culture studies because just about anything you touch in this world has the potential to be an item belonging to material culture. Objects that intrigue me are photographs, maps, jewelry, literature and most of all, I wish to create something meaningful. I had thought about manipulating children’s books, graphic novels and comics earlier. Recently, I have begun to collect a variety of old texts, right now I have the book of shells, and the book of roses. Both I am working with currently. I have discovered that I am having a difficult time working with smaller books so I am always looking for oversized. The idea of recycling also interests me, like I am rescuing a book from its predicted doom. Potential artists I wish to explore more: Louise Nevelson. Mark Dion