About The Zine Maker’s Prayer

Thomas Merton (1915-68) was a monk and a mystic. He’s a favourite of people who like their religion with a dose of rebelliousness. Merton had a very unusual way of writing about prayer and meditation. That’s why he pops up in all sorts of surprising places.

There’s a quote from Merton in Gregg Krech’s fascinating book, The Art of Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology. Merton was observing how joyful it can be at times to undertake a simple, routine, monotonous task. Like making a little magazine for his monastery, and then finding yourself lost in the flow of following a creative process. You just lose track of time, doing something like that in a stress-free, un-rushed manner.

I made a piece of art out of it. A small version is included in the latest edition of the Modularity zine. And now, there’s a print as well.

It’s a RISO print made on Kozo Thick Washi paper from the Awagami Press. I have 25 21 of them for sale. I’ve priced this item quite low because I’d like it to be affordable to all sorts of makers. So for the next week it’s $10, including shipping anywhere. After that the price will go back to $20.

And when it’s gone, it’s gone.