Notes From the Studio

4/11/2025

I was in a funk this week. Didn't get a grant I had applied for, and while setbacks and rejections are nothing new after being self-employed for 7 years, the sting never goes away. So yesterday I needed to just do some low-stakes creating in the studio. Mess around and see what happens. Play.

The full quote on the prints above is "The way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent." Sometimes we're hitting bullseye after bullseye, sometimes we miss the target completely, but the point is to keep loosing arrows. Don't stop. If you run out of arrows just hurl your self at it. I think Ralph really captured that sense of - for lack of a better word - desperation that we creatives feel from time to time, when things just aren't coming together. But if we keep going, keep stumbling forward, eventually that quiver fills back up and we find the target again.

Ink on Paper

About halfway through setting up the Emerson print, I realized I didn't have enough "R's," so I switched typefaces for a few words. The creative constraints of letterpress is what makes it so fun!

I got a couple boxes of green envelopes to go in with the cards. The bright color combined with the minimal, black text is a really nice contrast, and makes them pop!

I wasn't able to attend the Hands Off! protest, but I did make some signs for it. I saw one peeking out in a photo of the event on Facebook.

Mixed up a moody dark green for a friend's stationary. I love making things that people intend to affectionately give away.

Upcoming Events

I just submitted a vendor application for Pride Fest! Head down to Lower Harbor on June 14th and say hi!

Other Rambles

I've been trying to be more intentional and not reactionary when it comes to the political dumpster fire we're all living in, and this piece on schismogenesis by Cory Doctorow really helped.

As an avid consumer of instrumental post-rock/post-metal, how have I never heard of Pelican?

See you out there,

PB