Daisy Tie: Daisy’s own well-used journal, which she bound, inspired two popular commercial variations.
When and where did Daisy Arts get its start?
In 1989 I was living in Rome, and I began selling a few of my journals to friends. By 1991 Daisy Arts journals were sold at Barneys, Flax and Kate’s Paperie in New York, and at Fred Segal in Los Angeles. By the mid-’90s, we had about 3000 consistent accounts. It was magical, being able to help keep so many traditional bookbinders gainfully employed in Italy.
Daisy Mosaic: The prototype (right) was made by one of Carlson’s employees, who inscribed the book to her.
Where did you study bookbinding?
I’m an art historian by training, which has proven helpful in designing collections for stores, including museum shops. I studied bookbinding in Perugia, Italy, after making a documentary on artisans in Umbria. The first few years I made one-of-a-kind books as art objects, using fur and nails, and with clockworks bursting off the page.
As I began to design for retailers, I took on the mantra that products should always be timeless, aspiring to understated elegance that would never be thrown away. We had many binders working, and to keep them all in pasta, I had to keep my creative impulses under control — never mundane, but not too zany. My documentary was about preserving handmade craft, and Daisy Arts created a market for these very things. We also sold linen, ceramics, brass and blown glass. But I always loved books and paper, so I focused on that.
Journals on four themes: Ladies, Lifestyle, Home and Happines(s)
What’s the background on your A–Z lifestyle journals?
They came about in 2003, and we ultimately sold over a million units. Each journal has 26 alphabetical tabs, like an address book. The Ladies journal was tabbed from Accoutrements to Zen; Home went from Auto to Zoos. Even if you didn’t actually “file” your thoughts alphabetically, seeing the orderly progression of Friendship, Gratitude, Hope, Inspiration (Happiness tabs) or Fashion, Girlfriends, Hotel, Inspiration (Ladies tabs) was appealing — and perhaps a bit aspirational. I do use mine as an address book.
I can’t help but ask about the misspelling on the cover of the Happiness journal. I assume it’s not a joke?
The Happiness was the last product I manufactured. The morning we were launching it at the gift show, Time magazine came out with a multimillion dollar study on happiness. I got to the show, nervously read the article, and found out that my 26 “ingredients” — Acceptance, Belief, Compassion … X-rated, Yoga, Zeal, which I’d written over a cup of coffee — were spot on. I propped the magazine on a ledge in the Daisy Arts booth so people could check it out.
Bloomingdale’s ordered 10,000, and their shipment arrived with happiness misspelled with a single s. One of my employees pointed out, “Well, you’re the one who said the first letter of happiness is Acceptance.” That day changed my life — I had to abide by my own advice. Every time I see that single s that almost put me out of business, I laugh. The short version is: I decided I didn’t want to wholesale anymore, that I wanted to focus on solutions to end hunger, provide clean energy, and protect the environment. This decision has made me more than a single s happier ever since. What a wonderful legacy from a spelling error.
By Grace Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya: At night the classroom becomes the children’s dormitory. Photo © Daisy Carlson from By Grace Children.
What did you do next?
I worked as a designer at the Vatican’s secret archives — the dream job for an art historian. That’s where I had the personal reckoning that I wanted to focus my design work on the future, the environment and the 80% of the world’s population that does not have enough food, water or energy. I want to design solutions. It’s possible to create solutions that are well designed and elegant, so that’s what I have set out to do.
Food line, Irbaan School, Maasai Mara: Due to the drought, the only food available is a meal of WFP corn. Photo © Daisy Carlson from Maasai.
What will that entail?
My new business, Be Delightful, is my attempt to help the world via home accessories that are responsibly made, fair trade and natural. The maker of a handmade item tells a story, through his or her work, of culture and value. People are far more receptive to new ideas when they are relaxed, shopping and exploring, than they might be in political meetings. Bringing beautifully crafted items to market can help lift many people out of poverty, while providing the customer with a connection to other cultures. At least that has been my experience. We tested the model with a pop-up shop during the holidays and had a lot of success. The shop supported 400 craftspeople, offset 800,000 lbs. of carbon by handing out CFL light bulbs with each purchase, and we’re using the revenue to purchase 100 solar stoves for schools in East Africa.
Everything I have ever designed was intended never to be thrown out. It should all last for generations and never go out of style. This is partially an environmental criterion. Having lived in Italy for 20 years as an art historian, I am simply confused by the throw-away society. Where do people think “away” is?
Daisy Carlson, guest curator of Exploding the Codex, with Cake of Books, a work by Jody Alexander
Where does paper fit into your future projects?
Personally, I covet fine paper all the more now that I use technology. I keep it on my desk to calm me down and remind me that life is still real. For me, a life without fine paper would be as sad as a life without love. Writing in my journal made with fine paper is a luxury. We all become too clean with the typed word, like processed cheese. I go for tea stains, dust, dog ears, to get the whole story across. So much will never be replaced by a keystroke.
I see children in Africa with scraps of paper and tiny pencil nibs, writing for their lives. If anything, we have to distribute paper and the reverence for paper more widely. We have to give those children more access to write their stories. We have to protect the art of fine paper for our children, as we protect the environment for the next generation.
Daisy Carlson curated Exploding the Codex (March 1–April 3, 2011) at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, Calif., showcasing artists’ books from the collection of Mary Austin. Carlson is currently curating the theater’s next exhibition, From Here to Eternity, to open in June, presenting the work of Judith and Richard Lang, whose art is made from plastic garbage washed up on Kehoe Beach at the Point Reyes National Seashore.
Photo of Daisy Carlson © 2011 Douglas Sandberg Photography
I think “happines” should be a new word for this kind of cultural awakening. Thanks Alyson for such an interesting interview and Daisy for such amazing insights.