Let’s say you just had a baby. Would your first thoughts be “cool, now I should plan a 180-day trip to different artist residencies in the circumpolar north in the dead of winter”? Probably not, but that’s exactly what Alison McCreesh, writer and artist of Norths, decided to do.
If you need a break from hefty novels and have a soft spot for postcards, Norths is the book for you. It’s a collection of postcards that chronicle McCreesh’s adventures through seven of the world’s eight northernmost countries; according to her intro, she “just couldn’t work in Alaska, USA.” She asked artist residencies to host her as she traveled, promising exhibitions, workshops, and other artistic feats to whoever would. Deals were made, and with her partner and her 18-month-old son in tow, they set off for Lapua, Finland in November 2016. Every day, McCreesh would illustrate and write a postcard on the day’s happenings, and send it to one of her many supporters for $20.
The book’s appearance immediately reminded me of another postcard book, PostSecret, but I soon realized the only thing they had in common were the postcards. Norths focuses on silly travel anecdotes that easily fit on the back of a postcard. These include McCreesh’s struggle to decipher Cyrillic script in Petrozavodsk, Russia and her attempt to use a Finnish washing machine.
While I do appreciate Norths’ coverage of places in the world I don’t usually think of, I don’t find the way they are portrayed very thought-provoking. All of the postcards McCreesh painted are completely grey and most of them are scenes of empty landscapes. This seems to confirm the stereotypes I’ve encountered that the north is boring and desolate. Whether or not this was her intention, I still thoroughly enjoyed her art and wit, which improved throughout the book.
