What the Heck Am I Inspired By?

Hi friends,

Happy mid-May. I hope that you’re doing well and that spring is in full swing wherever you are, or I suppose it’s almost winter if you’re coming here from the southern hemisphere. This phenomenon always blows my mind. The star jasmine plants here are in their prime, and everything smells so good.

At the end of April, I spoke at a design conference in Austin, Texas, called Crop. It was so fun, and I gave a 30-minute talk about the power of personal work. One of my slides led to a bit about inspiration, especially during times that feel…insane.

So today I thought I’d send out a bit of an unpolished post about things found on my camera roll and things that have caught my eye over the past month. I find that looking through our camera roll can really show us that “wow, life IS beautiful!”

It’s the time of year when our garden is really gardening. She’s in full bloom. This year, I’m experimenting with the indigenous “three sisters” planting method with corn, beans, and melon. Those poppies you see here are from seeds I threw all over the yard after the LA fires last year in a state of panic. And our sad lemon trees have come back to life after a year of dedicated care.

I like to unwind from the week by heading to estate sales on Saturday mornings. This one was located in Shadow Hills, an area in LA where it seems like everyone has a horse and they’re just walking down the dusty roads at any point. I was excited because I bought this German Bakelight Picture Cutter. I’ve wanted one for a few years because they cut those perfectly imperfect perforated edges that you see on vintage photo edges. So niche, and I can’t believe I found one.

Speaking of photos, Dan and I got invited to the art opening of a “Miles Davis: A Century of Cool,” by our friend Lindsay. I felt high after leaving this night because it was a jolt of inspiration. Below you can see Dan meeting Miles Davis’ nephew, Vince Wilbur, Jr., and then I met a photographer I’ve loved since watching the Stax Records Documentary, Bruce Talamon. He’s known for his soul photography and got his start with people like Isaac Hayes, James Brown, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye… all of the Motown artists!

Last week, we met dear friends at the Dockweiler Beach fire pits, grilled some food, and sat by the fire until 11pm, and I loved it. It’s been one of those things we’ve wanted to do for years, and we all finally made it happen! More of those moments, please… doing the things we’ve talked about doing for years.

Speaking of that sentiment, I’ve been deep in my sign-painting course. We have two more weeks to go and are working on our final sign. I’m working on an Iva Mae’s Luncheonette-themed sign to cap off that personal project.

I turned 41 on May 5th. It’s a weird age to celebrate, but I had a great birthday. Dan and I went and saw an evening with David Letterman and John Mulaney. Here you can see David Letterman giving a slideshow presentation about his career, which I found fascinating. When do we ever see people at this level clicking through a slide deck and reading note cards like they’re in speech class?

The day before my birthday, I found this heart-shaped rock on top of my compost pile. The ravens have been leaving gifts for years now, and this one quite literally touched my heart. I couldn’t believe it! They usually like to leave airline liquor bottles and shiny bottle caps, and have occasionally left rocks or marbles. They’re such smart and observant birds.

We drove past this business in downtown LA. I have plans to investigate this store and the person behind the counter further. Look at how many shoes he’s repairing!

I have watched Justin Pearson’s speech on the Tennessee House floor at least 5 times. He’s speaking to the fact that Tennessee Republicans erased the majority Black districts from the congressional voting maps, making their voices now obsolete. It’s one of the most powerful speeches I’ve ever heard, and I believe every white American needs to hear it.

I saw this vinyl lettering on the wall of a taqueria in Austin. It opened my mind to the possibilities of using permanent vinyl cutouts with my Cricut instead of paint, saving a billion hours of work.

And finally, here’s Elijah Wood holding the Wes Anderson box set I designed, and if you had told 16-year-old me watching Lord of the Rings at The Varsity Theatre in Carbondale, IL that Frodo Baggins would call something I helped create “dope”, I’m not sure I would have believed you. He seems so nice.

That’s all for now! Inspiration and beauty are everywhere!

Love,

Beth