a lunch-break meditation on today’s design work.
flickering signifiers
partial lovely truths
for several months now i’ve been trying to put my finger on what makes me feel sad about facebook, instagram, pinterest, and the many crafty blogs i read on a regular basis. the other day, my friend selene posted a photo of herself on instagram with the honest question of why she feels like she is failing at being lovely, and why she even cares.
on friday, victoria at sf girl by bay wrote about it much more articulately than i can. it’s interesting that these questions are coming up all over the place.
a little photoshop magic spells out what i already knew it said. trying to keep myself honest here.
in the flat farmland of northeastern ohio, this is where i learned how to rock climb. that tower was bolted up like a pincushion, and we hauled two bucket seats from a car up to the top.
water tower at the arb, oberlin. 1995. photo by ary shalizi.
Vintage Postcard: “Mineral Specimens, Natural Shapes - Natural Colors” from Crystal Mountain, Ark.
this tumblr is 6 years old today. this is the first picture i posted, a still from brand upon the brain!, which was the first feature i production designed. this september will mark the 10-year anniversary of my arrival in seattle. i spent some time this morning going through the archives of this blog, remembering things i’d forgotten. i’m not sure who is out there reading this, but if nothing else, it’s a tidy map of the roads i’ve been traveling. feeling thankful for this life i’ve built.
i got the news today that jason molina had passed away over the weekend. he was in the wide orbit of my friends at oberlin, part of the cool older kids who played in bluegrass bands and had good parties. people called him sparky. he played the mandolin.
i’m sitting in my studio, thinking once again how quickly life burns itself out if we’re not careful with every second. jason’s poster has been hanging on my wall for years, and like his music, just absorbed another layer of sadness.
if you haven’t heard his amazing work, please check it out.
what didn’t happen:
1. being at sxsw
2. washing my down coat after the holes had been patched
3. having a third day of sunshine
4. having only one drink last night
5. eating my vegetables
6. moving the cardboard box out of the rain
7. returning those emails
8. playing my turn on words with friends
9. walking out of goodwill without the bead loom, pillowcases, sneakers, or vintage ashtray (it would’ve just shattered in the parking lot anyway)
10. trusting the stillness
heading to sxsw in a few hours, for the premier of improvement club. looking forward to sunshine, margaritas, and the hopefully positive reception of this little movie of ours.
