Two of my favorite quotes include “guts.” From Tokyo, Japan, Chihiro Nishimoto encourages, “Fall, choose, guts, inspiration, open (Be open to any chance, you will develop and be sophisticated).” From Dublin, Ireland, Elaine Murphy observes: “Guts will come in very handy if you are living a creative life.”

Due to the different shades of denim used to make the paper, no two books are exactly alike.

Which came first, the SWTC community or the TEDWomen conference?
The community. Levi’s had started an online community in October 2010 called Shape What’s to Come, to focus on women who are turning their passions into a lifestyle — activating their creative impulses to make a difference in the world.

When Levi’s decided to sponsor TEDWomen, the conference organizers basically said, “Show up with a point of view about millennial women.” We had done quantitative research all over the world, but we wanted to bring something really fresh, stories that would enable us to bring the data to life.

How did you go about gathering these stories?
We used journals — but I’m not referring to the little denim-covered journals. We asked Etsy’s bookmaking group to make us beautiful big journals, which we planned to send to young women all over the world who are making a difference. Our original hope was for the journals to circulate, but we realized the complexity of keeping track of them and of getting them back in the timeframe we needed. We simplified that part by deconstructing the large journals, and we sent out eight-page sections, which the women returned directly to us. We then regrouped them by “sphere of creative influence” — so each story became a chapter in a journal about Music, Art & Media, Fashion, Social Change or Miscellanials. You can actually browse the journals on the Shape What’s to Come site.

Pam DeLuco’s hand-forged scissors from India are signed by their maker.

Then what happened?
We got wonderful responses, and we whittled the 70 down to eight — based somewhat on our desire for diversity, but mainly on the power of the stories. Then we worked with filmmaker Chiara Clemente to film these women — in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. The film premiered at TEDWomen, and we posted it, of course.

What about the Shape What’s to Come journals?
We learned that the concept of journaling is a powerful expression. So, we set up a room at TEDWomen where attendees could create a single-page journal entry and put it up on the wall. Everyone who did a page received a keepsake — a Shape What’s to Come book. It couldn’t be just any book, and a relatively small journal that ties in to sustainability seemed ideal.

Marcy Moriconi on our team found Pam DeLuco to make the denim paper and bind the journals for us, and we started a little partnership. Pam also recommended the “environmental” paper for the journal pages — it’s Mohawk Loop, in a color called Milkweed [100 lb. Text, 100% PCW]. We find that once you open yourself up to the world, you meet so many interesting people along the way, and more characters come into the story. Pam became a character, and we had a video made of her making the denim paper.

Papermaker-bookbinder Pam DeLuco makes a difference with 40 lbs. of Levi’s denim scraps.
(iPhone and iPad users: Please view the video here.)

What’s next for Shape What’s to Come?
We are using the same approach to understand what is going on with women in India by asking them, “Who or what inspired you to become what you’ve become? What advice do you have for other women?” The concept of “story” has been and always will be an important part of our brand. It enables you to express something that is genuine. It’s different than advertising, which is a scenario that expresses a point of view, but it’s not a story. We value the ability to tell genuine stories about people who are pioneering in the world.

Several years ago, we developed a curriculum to help people at Levi’s think about motivating people to tell us their stories — and then deriving their relevance. I have a lot of experience in ethnographic research, so I’m familiar with the tools and techniques. We worked with IDEO to help us articulate it in the right words and pictures, so it would be a teaching tool. We motivated our colleagues to access the right side of their brains, and I think many people were delighted that the company recognized this as an important business tool.

Once you see the books and the Chiara Clemente films, there’s an emotional power that changes the way people feel about our brand — which is ultimately why we did it.

“Dear women on the planet: Make your life a piece of art.” — Naho Iquichi, Tokyo, Japan

Did you happen to keep any extra Shape What’s to Come journals?
I did. I’ve given away several of them, and it’s always a delight. People are absolutely charmed to receive one, especially when I explain about the pounds of jeans that went into the covers. I gave one away just this morning, to Tiffany Dufu, president of The White House Project, which advances women’s leadership in all communities — up to the U.S. presidency — by filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women.

Gaby Dolceamore, a.k.a. the Levi’s Girl, recently gave a shout ’n’ share to Pam DeLuco’s affirmation: “Even everyday choices can align you with the sorts of things you believe in … all these little things add up.”

Brag Book in Ochre Zigzag: Cover letterpress-printed in two colors on Mohawk Via Warm White 100# Text

Cursive’s philosophy aligns beautifully with McMahon’s. A bit of theirs: “We love paper and we love people who love paper and we know that people who love paper appreciate all things of beauty….” And a corresponding bit of hers: “My books are as uniquely my style as I can possibly make them. The covers are patterns that I design, that I letterpress print right here, on papers that I select … and finally I hand-sew the books.”

Brag Book in Crimson Leaves: Blank interior pages are Mohawk Via White White 80# Cover

Was 2010 your first time exhibiting at the National Stationery Show?
Yes, it was. I shared the Ladies of Letterpress group booth to get my feet wet. I received great feedback, so this year I’m doing a small booth on my own. I’m creating my own tiny world to live in for three and a half days. [Booth #1955]

Who from ABC Carpet & Home noticed your books?
MK Wong, the manager and blogger for Cursive, came around the second day of the show. She was friendly, and we had a great conversation. I am a big blog reader, and everywhere I look, ABC pops up on design blogs in every other post. It’s a cohesive, curated collection. Anyway, MK mentioned that the owner of Cursive would be walking the show the next day and might come by and say hi.

The next day, a nattily dressed man walked right up to my display in the Ladies of Letterpress booth and introduced himself as Michael Schultz, the co-owner of Cursive. He asked me a few questions, which I answered, and then he placed a big order on the spot for the boutique: several patterns of brag books and two sizes of albums. I was a bit overwhelmed even before he said, “And let’s duplicate this order for the second store.” [Cursive has a shop in Lexington Passage in Grand Central Terminal.] I shook his hand, we exchanged cards, he walked out. I went and sat down, hugging my clipboard! His order almost filled up my entire form. This came out of the blue — I hadn’t done any networking or had anything available ahead of time for people to see.

Brag Book in Eggplant Leaves: Letterpress-printed endpapers complement the cover

What sorts of things did MK and Michael ask you?
Questions about my work, from start to finish. They were very interested in the design aspect, as well as in my process and execution. My books are designed to feel good in your hand and to be the optimal size for whatever their use is. I have specific reasons for every aspect, and both MK and Michael responded to that. I was very flattered and completely flustered by their attention to detail.

And what about actually producing the order for Cursive?
They requested a ship date of four weeks after the show, just after Father’s Day. I made the date, but the last three days were pretty intense. It was my first large order, and I had no idea of the scale of time or intensity of labor. Since then, I have improved 125% in terms of time management and my production capabilities. I’ve learned that there are some steps you can move, like cutting all the thread and ribbons at one time. Editions of six are good; 18 is too many — you get lost in the steps.

Tall Album in Ochre Zigzag, with six signatures of Mohawk Via Warm White 80# Cover; dimensions: 7-in. w x 10-in. h x 1.5-in. d; holds 144 photos

Are you devoted to Mohawk Via Warm White?
I do use Mohawk Via a lot — the texture is really nice, and it offers a good range of whites. For my business, I like to use papers with recycled content when I can. I do still spec Mohawk Superfine for high-end book-arts projects. While I was in grad school, I was an intern for a couple of years at the San Francisco Center for the Book, and that’s where I started printing on Superfine.

Kelly McMahon blogs about every aspect of May Day Studio, from white ink to deep teal book cloth. She regularly checks out what’s happening at Ink & Peat and Clementine, both May Day Studio stockists. She also frequently visits Oh So Beautiful Paper and Poppytalk. Visit the May Day Studio shop at Felt & Wire Shop.