Friday Inspiration 377

I am doing a free “pop-up” newsletter about creativity May 15th-June 8th. I’ve been writing and illustrating a book of 50 micro-essays about creativity over the past few months, and I’m putting half of them in a pop-up newsletter that will last 25 days. Here’s how it will work:

You sign up at the link below. (You’re not automatically signed up for it just because you’re signed up for my regular newsletter! I would never do that)
You get one email each day, containing an illustrated micro-essay (~2-minute read)
You can unsubscribe at any time
I delete the subscriber list on June 8th after the final email goes out

If you are someone:

who would love to do more creative things in your daily life, or
who needs a polite but firm kick in the ass to get started, or
who could use some reassurance that you’re not the only creative person who has a slight to moderate crisis of confidence from time to time,

I think you might like it.

Here’s the link to sign up: https://semi-rad.com/makeit/

REGULAR FRIDAY NEWSLETTER CONTENT:

I don’t know how the YouTube algorithm works, but about six months ago, I was flipping through my copy of Joanne Lee Molinaro’s The Korean Vegan Cookbook and in the recipe “Korean-Style Toast,” she wrote, “I made this for my husband, and he proclaimed it the best sandwich he’s ever eaten.” I am hesitant to call anything the “best ever,” but I made that sandwich, and it was definitely the best sandwich I’ve ever assembled in my own kitchen. Fast-forward a few months, and YouTube served up this video of a woman in Seoul making street toast, and it is definitely not vegan, but it is 8 minutes of watching a master at work, with no narration or music. Just pure, hyper-efficient action that will probably make you hungry. (video)

This probably dates me a little bit, but back when I was in grad school writing papers every week, Microsoft Word had that, I don’t know, mascot (?) named Clippy, which was ALWAYS just trying to help but also never actually helping—maybe you remember this era too? Anyway, this tweet about the owner of the L.A. Clippers really hit home for me.
(Also, sorry this video is incredibly pixellated, but it’s from the early 2000s, and it was the best representation of a very common relationship with Clippy.)

I went like 20 years without getting stung by a bee, like since I was about 10 years old, and when I was walking around a campsite in California in Chacos a few years ago, a bee stung me right on the arch of my foot, and I was pretty impressed by how much it hurt. Like I can’t imagine becoming obsessed with insect stings, and even further, allowing that obsession to make me want to get stung by over 1,000 different insects. But I think we can all be inspired by the passion of Paul Schmidt, and his life’s work. (Thanks, Sarah!)

This poem popped up in my Instagram Explore feed last week, and I immediately followed the Poets.org account, and even if you’re not on Instagram, you can read the poem, which will take you about 10 seconds but will make you laugh and/or smile for at least 10 seconds too, regardless of your feelings about birding.

I took a quick but wonderful walk through the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago last weekend, and whenever I’m looking at paintings hanging in museums, sometimes I ask myself, “OK, if this was 12 inches wide instead of 12 feet wide, would it be in a museum? Would anyone even notice it? Would that make it less great?” Anyway, check out THIS GODDAMN GIANT PINECONE SCULPTURE made of 95 hoods from Volkswagen Golfs.

You know what I love about this plaque? It teaches people like me, who never have time to stop and read the plaque, to take the time to stop and read the plaque. (via Kottke.org)

Here’s a sweet essay by a dad whose oldest child will be leaving for college in the fall and if you have ever been part of a family, it might put a little lump in your throat and/or a smile on your face.

If you’re at all interested in the process of self-publishing a book, I wrote a pretty detailed post about it in my latest update for Patreon.