Toronto writer Sheila Heti has brought back to life an artists’ survey she conducted over 10 years ago in a coil notebook. This time around you can answer her 12 questions on the artistic process online (queries include “what’s the most astonishing thing you have seen today?,” “which trends in [your medium] are the death of [your medium]?” and “would you like your answers posted on this site?”).
Make sure to peruse the 1999 archive of respondents with its many familiar names: Maclean’s editor Andrew Coyne, Coach House Books editorial director Alana Wilcox, Filmmaker Bruce LaBruce and Joyland’s Emily Schultz. This makes for odd and wonderful reading, a little time capsule of what that creator was thinking and feeling 12 years ago. Over 20 people have already completed the 2011 survey, some from more well-known creators, others leaving only a first name.
Side note: I’m a big fan of Heti’s sporadic web projects, as evidenced by a post I wrote three years ago, whilst still a wee BP intern, on her dream blog about the 2008 America election. I was pleased to discover you can still peruse some of the truly weird dreams about Hilary, Barack and McCain, submitted by the blog’s readers.