I hope you all had a nice long holiday weekend. I'm writing this on Sunday evening - a particularly liminal time of the week. Time seems to bend and warp more easily on Sundays. An idle, lazy afternoon often accelerates into an evening fraught with thoughts of the upcoming week.
I always find the change in tone somewhat disorienting, particularly after a long weekend and particularly after a weekend that also snaps between two moods itself - the idea of abundance and gratitude to one of scarcity and need. We spend a day acknowledging all that we have to be grateful for followed by a day (or 4) of being told to frantically purchase everything that's missing in our lives before it's too late!
I was recently talking with my friend about our "depression". I should clarify that when I say "depression" I mean the uncertainty/exhaustion/hopelessness/malaise/disinterest/blueness that we're all experiencing after the last 18 months, as explained here and summed up most succinctly, though maybe not clinically accurate, as "depression".
During this conversation, we both concluded that one of the few times we felt fine/normal/good/happy was when we spent time with our friends. Seeing the people we care for, those we choose to make space for in our lives, those who we felt seen and understood by, brought us joy and meaning that is hard to find or replicate elsewhere.
As I've gotten older, I've felt this to be more true than ever. I try to be aware of the moments I feel love for and feel loved by my community. In fact I often repeat a line from Motion City Soundtrack's When You’re Around to myself in these moments - "I'm so full of love it deeply sickens me". Another quote comes to mind as well -
"The heart is not like a box that gets filled up; it expands in size the more you love." - Her, 2013
We often experience a scarcity mindset when it comes to these kind of feelings - experiences that are ephemeral and fleeting...love, happiness, creativity. These things feel hard to predict or control, so we assume they'll visit us only so often and will eventually be depleted, gone for good. How common the misconception among artists is to feel that our most recent idea or creation is the last. That's it! We'll never make anything good again because we've used up whatever creativity the universe had allotted for us. It's not so unlike the relentless messages of consumerism we've all been exposed to this weekend - THIS SALE WON'T LAST. This feeling won't last.
My ongoing goal is to try and actively resist that idea of fear and rarity. Instead, I want to return to gratitude and abundance. Love, happiness, creativity....these are not finite, but exponential. They are expansive feelings that multiply as we engage. Like a muscle that grows stronger with exercise or a box that expands as you fill it. The more we use and acknowledge these things, the more we will have for ourselves and others.
MUJI Store Anniversary Celebrations
MUJI celebrated two store anniversaries this month - the Portland store turned 3 and the 5th Avenue store in NYC turned 5.
As part of the celebration they asked me to design a commemorative enamel pin which was given out with any purchase during the anniversary weekend. I visited my store in SW Portland to enjoy the festivities and sip a chai latte made by the resident robot barista, Jarvis.
MUJI, a Japanese brand that focuses on affordable, quality, brandless goods, is an absolute favorite of mine and I'm so pleased to have contributed to their anniversary celebrations.
MUJI My Bag
Around this time last year I also collaborated with MUJI on the artwork for their holiday My Bag. I illustrated a festive, wintery scene featuring a MUJI storefront and bustling holiday shoppers.
Smaller Things
I've created quite a few city-themed patterns for Smaller Things this year. As a former New Yorker, working on the NYC pattern was particularly fun!
If you're shopping for any kids this year, these ethically made pajamas make a great gift. Keep your eyes peeled for more patterns coming in 2022.
The printed fabric
A closer look at a few of the individual pattern icons
Sticker Sheets
My bong sticker sheets have been re-upped and are ready to ship out now! These make great stocking stuffers and you can grab an extra for yourself, too.
Free shipping, snag some now.
Reading
The Field, Lynne McTaggart
How To Survive in a Science Fictional Universe, Charles Yu
Visual Thinking, Rudolf Arnheim
Lovers Magazine interview with artist and illustrator Frederique Matti
Watching
Dopesick (Hulu)
Selling Sunset (Netflix)
Seinfeld (Netflix)
Listening
Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time
Wilma Laverne Miner - Used To
Enjoying
An extremely detailed spreadsheet of candle reviews
The training of this generative network
ManiMe Gel Wraps - If you use my link you get a free set and I get a free set! Win win!