How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum

by Keri Smith

Book Overview

Artists and scientists analyse the world around them in surprisingly similar ways - by observing, collecting, documenting, analysing and comparing. In this captivating guided journal, readers are encouraged to explore their world as both artists and scientists. Smith sets the reader the mission of documenting and observing the world around them as if they've never seen it before - taking notes and collecting things they find on their travels. With a series of interactive prompts and a beautiful, hand-illustrated, two-colour package, readers will love exploring this gorgeous book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399534601
• ISBN13: 9780399534607
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.0" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

get outside!

great book that encourages us all to get outside and experience the world! It's truly awesome. I teach environmental/ecology education, and it is really useful for coming up with new activities to do with the children.

The World Begins Right Where You Are

This is an awesome book for anyone looking to expand their awareness of their surrounds. Beginning right where you are sitting and expanding to include the whys and hows of common everyday explorations. I bought this book for my son who will soon become a high school teacher. Learn to think beyond and outside the box.

Very good ideas

this book is cleverly written and has some wonderful ideas for exploring your world. most all of them are ideas I have never seen before and want to try in my sketchbook. there are examples too. I highly recommend this book for the artist, journaler or someone that just wants to see their world with FRESH eyes!

How to "Be" Guide for Artists

Smith's newest book is the most recent installment in her passionate, ongoing process to distill life and the art process (indistinguishable to most artists) down to it's bare matter. If you can embrace playfulness, open courageously to the idea of art as life, are willing to turn off the television and look around you, love to challenge yourself to learn to BE and create from essence as opposed to trend or fancy, Explorer is for you. As an author, she seems to live her life exactly the way she writes (as one can easily pick up when visiting her blog The Wish Jar Journal). As an artist, she is apparently very well read on the subjects of art and life and willing to push beyond art school rules to find her own voice among so many artsy voices that seem to blend together these days. For an insightful, modern perspective on gathering the fodder to create amazing experiences, I was not disappointed with this book. I completely disagree with other reviews which state that this book is not for deep thinkers. I find her simple, freshened concepts to be timely and revolutionary, just what artists have been missing from our creative processes. I also recommend Wreck This Journal and Guerilla Art, also by Keri Smith.