The Flight of the Rocketman

Maybe this time
For the first time
Maybe this time
I'll win
-- Maybe This Time, From Cabaret (music by John Kander and words by Fred Ebb)

Busy is good. Busy is always good. I am swamped with work and it means very little time in-between to think of things that are inconsequential. Things that do not matter in the larger scheme of things.

Someone just asked me to do the cover design of his book. It is a wonderful request considering the fact that I am no visual artist. I know what works and what does not. I would like to believe that I have pretty good taste in what is good art and bad art. After all, I did teach Art Appreciation before. I had to do immense research before just to be able to feel comfortable in teaching the class. I had read the essays of Jeanette Winterson on art (the book is called Art Objects, read it! It is a must!) and have read enough books on the aesthetics of poetry and creative writing to know that all art follow similar rules. It is easy to transpose the rules of harmony in words to the rules of harmony in design.

But does that make me qualified to design a book cover? Maybe. I will read the book, and figure out a strong visual that could capture the entirety of the book's theme. Try to capture what it is the book is trying to tell its readers. I do not have to execute it myself; I know many capable artists who can do so. I just have to share with them my vision.

In that sense, I once again step into the shoes of a director.

It is becoming inevitable. I am going to become like my father. And that thrills me and frightens me at the same time. What large and heavy shoes I have to fill! I spent many, many years hiding from his shadow, running away from it, denying it only to discover in my early twenties that there is nothing else I want to do than to take it on, grab the bull by the horns and mount the black stallion and ride into the horizon carrying his torch.

If I succeed. It will be bliss.

A funny story: when I was still a staff member of the Malate Literary Folio, the official literary folio of De La Salle University, ran and written by the students of De La Salle University; I was picked out to be one of the possible future editors of the publication. The Editor-in-Chief at the time, a great man and writer, Harold, sat me down and asked me to help him lay-out the next issue of the Malate. I was excited. So he started teaching me how to use the computer application we used to lay-out the issue. He then asked me to start lay-outing the story on my own. So I was putting the words in, choosing the font, fixing the page numbers and choosing where the art work will be.

I showed him my design for four pages of story lay-out. Harold was looking at my draft with his hand covering his mouth. He then said: "Wanggo, you just broke 7 of the 9 rules of design!"

My response? "There are rules for book design?"

By the end of the year, my friend Rex became Editor-in-Chief, my friend Chrissie was appointed Associate Editor and I was made Managing Editor. The Managing Editor was responsible for all issue related matters - budget, office equipment, lay-outing and distribution of the folio. I think I was the only Managing Editor that never did the lay-out of an issue of Malate, ever. Chrissie handled it and I was in-charge of some writing workshops and all the budget issues; because people thought I did a good job with it.

It was hilarious, really. Later on, slowly, I learned there was a lot to learn about book design. But then again, that's another story, really...