The Urge to Make Things

Leo Lionno and I have something in common; an irresistible urge to make things. When reading the selection The Urge to Make Things I could not ignore the message in the first couple of paragraphs when it was talking about "becoming what you're making". When working with the haikus, abstract symbols, and mark making, I keep in mind the lines and words I am dealing with -- focusing on the feeling and movement of the words and how they can be represented.

"When I was four years old, my answer to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was, "The bell of the trolley car." Uninhibited as I was, identification with an inanimate object was spontaneous and immediate (besides, I wanted to be heard)."

-Leo Lionno

Content is an important thing to look at when composing a piece as well. By using the haiku for a focal point for words and symbols, the content needs to be strong so that the process that follows can be just as strong.