Self-Reliance

The Self-Reliance Project began in the spring of 2020 as a daily essay from Jessica Helfand about what it means to be a maker during a crisis—to think through making, to know yourself better through the process of producing something—and how this kind of return to self-knowledge might just be the entire point.

It’s title comes from the 1841 essay on self-reliance by the American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote with astonishing clarity about the perils of conformity and consistency, about what it means to follow your mind, trust your instincts, and listen to your heart.

Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself.

The Self-Reliance Project—combining twelve of the essays from this project with Emerson’s original text—goes on sale on May 6 in the UK and on May 18 in the US. The editors are pleased to bring you this brief conversation between Jessica Helfand and Jarrett Fuller, who collaborated on the book’s design.