Imagine you’re a child early on Christmas morning. The anticipation of the big day ahead makes it difficult to curtail your enthusiasm for the festivities that lie in store. Mustering every last bit of composure to keep your excitement in check is, to say the least, taxing, if not downright confounding. Now, imagine what it might be like to feel that way every day for several months. That’s the kind of anticipation I’ve been attempting to corral ever since I completed the manuscript of Get the Picture earlier this year. Naturally such eagerness is fueled in part by wanting to see the finished product in physical form. But it’s also due in part to see what you, the readers, think of it. I’m understandably curious about what you make of the book’s writing style and its contents, but I’m even more interested in learning what you plan to do with the information contained within its pages once you’ve finished your initial read.
To me, the publication of Get the Picture marks a significant milestone in the odyssey of this project. The baby is at last born. But what happens to it next is equally important. I’m looking forward to what becomes of the child as it makes its way in the world, to see its impact on those who read it.
That’s what this companion Web page is all about, and that’s where you come in, dear readers. I need for you to talk to me, to tell me what you think about Get the Picture – how you feel about its contents, how you’re using it in your individual and collective lives, what you like and dislike about it, what should have been included and excluded, and what you’d like to see out of any siblings that may be born into its family. This applies equally to the book’s metaphysical subject matter, as well as to its film selections. It’s all part of the evolutionary process that’s playing out here – that of the book’s constant state of becoming.
I believe books and other forms of artistic expression are (or at least should be) interactive creations between those who produce them and those who become involved with them, and that’s no different in this case. In writing Get the Picture, I’ve done my part, and now I hope you’ll do yours by giving me your valued feedback. I’d like to hope that this Web page will lead to a meaningful, ongoing dialogue between us about what’s covered in the book and how it can be put to use in daily life. I’ll even throw in a few new ideas of my own along the way to keep the conversation going. Get the Picture has provided the spark of that discussion; now it’s up to you and me to stoke the flames that it ignites.
Write me. I’d love to hear from you.
Brent Marchant
brentmarchant@momentpoint.com
Get the Picture will be available in stores and online November 1, 2007.