52 Projects – Random Acts of Everyday Creativity

Discover the art of your life and inspire your next creative endeavor.

“Jeffrey Yamaguchi’s 52 Projects is a heartfelt guide to creating perfect moments and connecting with others. It’s a perfect antidote to our zone-out culture — a magical work that will remind you — 52 times — how great it is to be alive.”

— Dave Isay, Founder of StoryCorps

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52 Projects is an exploration of your creativity — from the culinary to the literary to the artistic. A way of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, and finding a flash of inspiration in our everyday lives.

The only materials required are already within you: memories, creative energy and imagination. Skill level and age are irrelevant, and the cost of making the projects ranges from very inexpensive to nothing at all. The projects can take an hour or a lifetime.

Whether you write, paint, draw, sculpt, carve, dance, sing, play music, take photographs, cook (or even if you don’t know what your medium is) — use 52 Projects as a tool to discover the art of your life and inspire your next creative endeavor.

About the Author:

At the age of 26, Jeffrey Yamaguchi quit his job, threw himself a retirement party, and believed that he could make a living publishing zines. It didn’t work out, but he continues to dream the dream. Jeffrey’s books include 52 Projects, Working for the Man, Anya Chases Down the End, and Body of Water. His stories, poems, photography, and short films have been published in many literary journals, including Okay Donkey, Kissing Dynamite, Back Patio Press, X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine, Honey & Lime, Spork Press, Vamp Cat Magazine, Nightingale & Sparrow, Black Bough Poetry, and the Atticus Review.

About the Cover Artist:

Maggie Umber paints, prints, and programs comics, and she’s a co-founder of the alternative comics publishing label 2dcloud. She’s published three graphic novels — Sound of Snow Falling, Time Capsule, and 270° — and her work has been widely anthologized. The Man in the Blue Suit, her fourth graphic novel, is forthcoming from 2dcloud.

maggieumber.com | @maggieumber

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

“Sitting in a cafe reading 52 Projects I find myself excitedly opening my journal to begin something new (project #10). This book proves what I have long believed is true, that creative inspiration is contagious. Sometimes all we need is a little reminder that we CAN create no matter what is going on in our current life, no matter what our situation. We need not wait for the ideal situation. 52 Projects give us permission to begin NOW, right where you are sitting.”

— Keri Smith, Author and Illustrator of Wreck This Journal.

“A treasure-trove of inspirational activities, 52 Projects is everything you’ll need to get your creative juices flowing.”

— Chris Baty, Founder of National Novel Writing Month and Author of No Plot? No Problem!

“52 Projects is the perfect self help book for hipsters. It inspires everyone to insert whimsy and creativity into their lives — just the thing we all need to be happy.”

— Jean Railla, Author of Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec

“In this little gem of a book is one of the secrets of true happiness. 52 Projects shows you how to get blissfully lost in time, give priceless gifts that last a lifetime, romp down memory lane, live in the moment but create treasures for the future, and discover your authentic self. All in one book!”

— Susan and Larry Terkel, Authors, Small Change: It’s the Little Things in Life that Make a Big Difference!

“For those moments when you’ve hit a creative wall and still aren’t sure whether you should go around, over, or under it, completing — or even just reading — some of Yamaguchi’s projects can tear you away from the task you’ve been struggling with and help your creative mind get moving again.”

— Andrew Womack, Co-Publisher, The Morning News

“52 Projects is a grown up activity book for smart, witty, busy people. It’s whimsical and practical at the same time. Jeffrey Yamaguchi brings a Fluxus take to the new craft zeitgeist. 52 Projects helps you channel your creative prowess without subjecting you to any pandering new age crap. A ‘self help’ book you wouldn’t be ashamed to read on the subway. A totally loveable book. I adore it.”

— Tsia Carson, Author of Craftivity

“Ours would be a richer world, if every citizen between the ages of 11 and 93 kept a copy of 52 Projects atop his or her toilet tank, where it could be referred to constantly and spontaneously. Full of high pranking spirits and sentimental recognition of the most deserving stripe, Jeffrey Yamaguchi’s suggestions reduced me to tears even as they sent me scuttling for the padded envelope in which I happily mailed my first project to a stranger.”

— Ayun Halliday, Author and Illustrator of the Long-Running Zine The East Village Inky.

“In the hustle bustle of every day life, being creative in a limited amount of time can be a daunting prospect. 52 Projects taught me that even seemingly simple ideas can kick start the creative juices.”

— Heather Champ, Creator and Curator of The Mirror Project

“Jeffrey Yamaguchi’s book is like a magic elixir that can work for anyone. From creative folks in a slump to new artistic hopefuls trying to figure out what the heck to do. 52 Projects is filled with ideas that are simple and fun, but can result in brilliant and complex art.”

— Kevin Sampsell, Author, Critic, and Publisher of Future Tense Books