Bucket List item: Bookbinding
Status: COMPLETE

As of today, I get to mark one of my long time bucket list items off the list. I've wanted to learn bookbinding since I was a little girl. I remember taping folded pieces of construction paper together in attempt to make my own notebooks. I was always disappointed that it never worked, but it hadn't occurred to me then that you could sew paper. 

Sure, I could've just gone to YouTube to learn how to bind books. I often learn how to do things by following instructions posted on the web. But, for me, bookbinding is very personal. I've kept journals since I was 7 years old and this isn't something I'm learning purely for fun. I want this to be my craft. I want to be an artisan of books. If I didn't care how the books turned out, I might just teach myself. But I want to learn from someone with master's skills and be able to ask questions that will guide me in the direction of masterdom. 

So today I'm taking a bookbinding class at Paperworkers Local, a small printing co-op in Birmingham. The workshop is taught by master bookbinder, Doug Baulos, who has quite the biography.

Doug Baulos is Assistant Professor of Drawing and Bookmaking at University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received his MFA from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the UAB.

Baulos regularly teaches workshops and lectures on his research in book arts, drawing and mixed media. In 2009 he won the President's Award For Excellence in Teaching at UAB.

Don't worry. I'll be posting a formal blog post about what I learned in the workshop. Stay tuned!