Working as an illustration-adjacent employee was mostly a health-care decision. I've been diabetic for years, and I don't think I could pay for medication without health insurance from an employer.
Aside from a few 100% freelance years in the late 90s, I've split my time between freelance illustration and illustration-adjacent employment, like sketching product concepts, or doing project management & creative direction.
Now I'm a full-time teacher who does 1-2 freelance jobs per year.
I had a picture book of The Hobbit, illustrated with stills from the Ralph Bakshi animated movie. It came with a full(ish) cast recording on a vinyl record.
Gollum haunted me for years.
Loved how Gandalf said "Bilbo Baggins" though.
Usually an iPad (so I can carry it around like a book).
Sometimes a computer (when I'm reading at my desk).
Never a phone (small size + creative and/or fiddly layouts don't work with my visual impairment)
If you have something to say about the moment, try to be mindful of resisting the urge to make folks as anxious as you are. This discourages action rather than inspire it. [1/2]
From Motto, by Langston Hughes
My motto
As I live and learn,
is:
Dig And Be Dug
In Return.
For an industrial designer: "What...like factories?"
We're mostly product designers. Our discipline's name dates back to the mid-1900s, when saying "we design things for industry" made sense. Nowadays, "I'm an industrial designer" needs to be followed by "here's what that means."
My worst headaches are usually sinus related. In addition to ibuprofen & caffeine, I use saline sinus spray. Keeping the humidity above 40% helps too.
Keep fighting! We're counting on you you to keep standing up for our health care.
This half-baked proposal doesn't look like it's going to do the job. Please hold the line.
Keep fighting! We need you to keep standing up for our health care.
Keep fighting! We need you to keep standing up for our health care.
Keep fighting! We need you to keep standing up for our health care.
Keep fighting! We need you to keep standing up for our health care.
Keep fighting, @rosen.senate.gov
We need you to keep standing up for our health care.
Thanks for this suggestion. Thanking them for their commitment is appropriate in this moment, no matter what happens next. We can follow up with something more pointed if we need to.
The relevance thing is so frustrating.
Just realized it's also a great (and kinda petty) example of a digital tool trying to perform the important bits, in the name of efficiency.
For me it's either "buddy" or "goober". Buddies are welcome inside my personal space. Goobers are nice to talk to, but I'm happier if they're over there.
That bodega cat looks like a buddy. I'd totally stop & say hi. Maybe offer some scritches too.
I found a lot of great stuff about gaming and learning communities in "Women and Gaming: The Sims and 21st Century Learning" by James Gee & Elisabeth Hayes. Don't remember what else is in there, though. It's been a few years.
So much this. A team of good phlebotomists who take careful, clear records (so their colleagues can find those veins on the first try) are just the best too.
Should also mention that some of its themes—especially the corruption and institutional racism—feel very (maybe painfully) relevant right now. Haven't watched it in a few years. Wondering how watching it in 2025 is going to feel.
The trailer feels a little silly to me. Hits a few highlights, but also makes the movie feel a lot pulpier than it actually is. either way, it's one of my favorites.
youtu.be/UffK-IHM1B0?...
Some great stuff here. Thanks for the thread!
I'm going to rewatch Lone Star for eleventieth time tonight. Starts with a 20 year-old murder mystery. Weaves together 3 very different southwestern, intergenerational stories. Wraps up with some beautiful moments of connection, forgiveness & catharsis.
As a design history teacher and goth(ish) high schooler from the late 80s, I have so many feelings about this.
Can't eat ice cream any more, due to health issues. So I'm counting on someone out there to eat a scoop of ice cream for me.
Tom, this is incredibly disappointing. You need to treat your artists better.
I can't imagine a single version of this that appeals to me. But I can't stop imagining versions that will make my life harder.
📌
I think this is where I'm at too. There is so much work to do right now. I need all my spoons to support my students, my community, & my family. There may be good reasons to make a "we're so cooked" post, but I don't have the resources to engage with them.
