My Field Guide is a Work In-Progress
My field guide is still a work in-progress. It’s still missing a couple entries and a lot of illustrations, but I was able to get in a second draft version for critique this past Tuesday. Here is my first draft next to my second draft.
I was able to settle on a taxonomy, which ended up being:
- energetic currency within yourself
- meditation
- chakras
- meditation
- energetic currency between people
- karma
- how to identify
- karma
- energetic currency in the enviornment
- carbon cycle
- how to do better/balancing the budget
- carbon cycle
It’s visualized in my map/table of contents.
I did decide to stick with having a hole in the book. I think it goes along with the notion of a field guide being used as in info overlay out in the world as well as letting the reader exchange some energetic currency outside the book.
The voice of the book is meant to be friendly and at the same level as the user. I think part of good energy is balance, so I didn’t want to have an overly authoritative or aggressive voice.
The illustration and visual design are also kind of a gentle children’s book style - partially because this is within my ability to draw and so it has a warmer vibe. Energetic currency is about exchange with other living things, so I didn’t want it to look overly digital.
Critique was helpful. I think it wasn’t as easy to critique since it wasn’t 100% done, but got some good reference to check out:
There were good suggestions about how to make more use of the hole - different ways that people could interact by holding in certain positions in relation to themselves. I’m clearly not done with it, but everything is coming together soon! Desipte the stress, the time restriction has been helpful in forcing me to put my ideas down faster.