Reviewed by Kaili, 12/10/14
“This is not really a book,” You Are A Circle says on its very first page. “This is an invitation for you to find the courage to create (because it’s not always easy.)”
I discovered this “invitation” last year and I’ve been gifting it ever since. You Are A Circle is an earnest, honest meditation for the creative who appreciates simplicity, speculation, and attention to detail. Each vignette—on the left-side page—is paired with the textured image of a circle—on the right—, no two the same. These pairings range from funny (“Don’t worry, it’s okay to be weird”) to insightful (“When you open your heart and project your enthusiasm into life, you create a small opening for grace”) to important reminders (“It’s okay to think a lot, but you need to act a lot, too”). Not only do they invite the observer to challenge and be conscious of his/her creativity, they engage the visual sense to sometimes become the spark of creativity itself.
You Are A Circle encourages the creative mind to embrace both its disadvantage and its success, and to be aware, open, and ever-evolving.
This is an excellent book for someone who doesn’t normally like creative meditations, which run the risk of being overly instructional or lengthy. Ultimately, the book itself is a piece of art. Best of all, it doesn’t limit its message to one type of creative person. I found You Are A Circle in a collection of books about dance, yet I have returned to its meditations it as a writer, illustrator, and musician.
