Some of the world’s most well known people kept journals and sketchbooks. The fun part is peeking inside of some of these creative minds by having access to these journals.
Historian Karen Falk wrote a book entitled Imagination about Jim Henson’s private journals. They reveal a glimpse into his life with the Muppets; his drawings, photographs, rare sketches, doodles, and so much more.
His daughter Lisa Henson wrote the forward to this book:
“Everyone knows that Jim Henson created the Muppets, and that he performed the most famous Muppet of all, Kermit the Frog. … What no one really understands is how much other creative stuff was going on in my father’s mind. Jim spent almost all of his waking hours in some form of creative activity, which was as natural for him as smiling and walking are for other people. What he produced was only a fraction of all the ideas that he had, and what we generally see today is only a fraction of what he produced.“
In this book, you are able to see snapshots of my father’s creative process, flashes of his inspirations, and his memories of the milestones that were the highlights of his personal and professional life.
Henson used journals and sketchbooks to store all his daily thoughts. By doing so he left a world of discovery through the significance of his work.
Lisa also writes:
I”t is from these materials that the incredible Karen Falk has created a proper archive and drawn from it to illustrate my father’s journal excerpts, as presented here for the first time. She has unearthed rare tidbits of unproduced material, as well as quintessential items in the evolution of the famous Muppets. She has found thematic threads that connect projects many years apart, as well as kernels of ideas that germinated major productions. The great profusion of images, titles, and characters that she has used to illustrate my father’s journal is a wonderful way to capture Jim’s very busyness—his wildly creative mind. Because creativity is a process, it is also rewarding to focus on it more than the finished projects. In this book, you are able to see snapshots of my father’s creative process, flashes of his inspirations and his memories of the milestones that were the highlights of his personal and professional life.
His was a life worth celebrating, and we are thrilled to share it with you.”
~ Lisa Henson”
The book is an incredible read and insight into Mr. Henson’s life but the point to make here is that he kept an ongoing journal. Now long after his death, the world has something to read and discover about such a talented person.
We can all learn a valuable lesson from Mr. Henson’s example. So pick up your favorite journal. Mine happens to be the legendary Moleskine. From this page, you can see there are numerous shapes, sizes, and styles to choose from through Amazon.
You never know what amazing things the rest of the world might discover!
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