What he took:

Where he ran:

Which means we got both and more. Here’s what he has to say:

Perhaps in anything vaguely creative, all one does is manipulate what already exists, but a literal (in more ways than one) way of doing it seemed to me to be to create an anagram.  So I did.  Every letter is used, just once.  I think.  No, I’m sure – I checked it quite a few times.  The annoying thing is, seriously, who else is going to? 

The evidence is perhaps in the slightly abstract penultimate line.  The idea really was that the risk in doing something is ultimately no greater than in doing nothing.  Which I try to believe, even if I don’t often do it.  Usually I seem to ‘cease pace’s act’ (stop moving I mean) for fear of failure, but this time, maybe I ran.

Has anyone ever made an annagram recreation of a poem before? Did Jon just invent a new cross-over genre?

Either way – I’m hoping for a haunting folk version on his mandola.

What she took:

Where she ran:

She says “When I saw this I immediately thought of Yoga – being rooted in and on a route towards love and also we have a pose called ‘the tree pose’ which connects to the sketch. For me, love is about connection to people accross boundries like gender and race, so kissing was my way to show that.”

I think it’s interesting how differently the figures stand and kiss. And I also think the two guys at the end missed out.

This is what she took:

This is where she ran:

I love how she has zeroed in on a particular situation and vividly brought it to life. It makes me start thinking of other situations where this is also true…

What she took (one of the oldest, from 2007):

Where she ran:

I love how balanced it is. What I love even more is her creative trail over at http://sampeczek.wordpress.com/category/penpaperpause/ where you can feast your eyes as she toys with the concepts beautifully. Here is a taster:

This is what he took:

This is where he ran:

For the project showcase he laid it out like this:

I love the poetic link between the original sketch and Ben’s crafting. It makes me think that maybe the confidence doesnt come just from age, but from what we do with the time we have as we age - from the extent to which we are prepaed to craft raw matereals into somethign else.

It’s also quite a beautiful pipe.

This is what he took:

This is where he ran:

And this is what he says:

I chose this poem as it strongly reflected my own experience of the search for God. We expect to find Him in the times and places of religion, and we become surprised by the times when we don’t. But He is not confined to the limits of our religion, and so often I’ve heard “the still small voice” in the beauty of nature, in genuine expressions of creativity, and during times of hardship or solitude.

What she took:

Which is actually part of a longer poem that you can watch here.

Where she ran:

And what she says:

This particular sketch really captured my imagination. Initially because I love rainbows,  but also because the topic really resonated with me. I’ve just hit my thirties which people inform me is when you really get to know and accept yourself. This has also coincided with a few life events – I’m conscious of becoming weathered by life, which I find difficult and positive all at once.

The collage was inspired by Tracey Emin’s “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With, 1963 – 1995”. I wanted it to reference the feelings, thoughts and memories the sketch triggered, in  a personal but available way. I also wanted it to reflect the transience of the process – noticeboards are always changing and being added to, just like the patina life gives you. I’m aware that were I to do this in 6 months time the results would be similar but different, other influences would float at the top of my consciousness and I wanted to leave room to acknowledge that.

I love how it puts flesh on the bones of the idea and how it’s also a bit like a rainbow.

Anyway. He made a short film.

What he took:

Where he ran:

I suppose we all die, but one thing is certain – Andrew won’t be slowly dying for lack of creative endeavour.

This is what he took:

This is where he ran – he actually did two versions and so it seemed like a waste not to share both:

I actually think they work quite nicely together and couldn’t pick one i liked more. I love the feel and how other-worldly it is – like some future progressive reality. Which I suppose, when you think about it, is exactly what the sketch is about.

What he took:

Where he ran:

The counter keeps track of the changing population in real time, so you can always know exactly how many others your 1-in-a-million status might apply to. It is the sort of thing that helps you not get too carried away.

As Nick reminded me with a wry smile, “The situation isn’t getting any better, is it?“