Text Playlist

A lot of designers and creative folk that I know keep a morgue file, a folder of random elements that they find from old jobs that got killed, inspirational bits, torn images from magazines, and other scraps. In fact, a lot of Tumblr blogs are just that.

I do a bit of that myself, but I keep what I perceive to be a more valuable, important morgue file: one made of the best writing on the web I come across. I take this list and revisit and reread it every 4 to 8 weeks. You could almost consider it a playlist of text: it’s very select (I artificially limit it to 10–15 articles), I typically read them all in one sitting, and the order and pacing is very purposeful. Most revolve around what it’s like to be making things in 2010, and a lot of the people that I respect the most have pieces in it. It’s almost a pep talk in text form. I visit it when I’m down, when I’m lazy, when I’m feeling the inertia take over.

Earlier today on my Twitter, I posted one of the articles. People were interested in knowing what else was in my list, so I’d like to share it with you (or, at least as it exists today) and offer a bit of commentary as well. I hope you like it. I’d put it on a cassette for you if I could. Maybe you can make one of your own and share it?

Merlin Mann — Better: I read Merlin’s essay when I’m sad and tired, fed up and cynical. Nothing makes me more angry than the internet some times (sorry, but true) and reading this reminds me that just because a lot of others are making shallow, husk-content, that doesn’t mean we have to. “Don’t you dare be one of them, Frank,” I tell myself. Bullshit is bullshit, no matter how sweet it tastes, and anything short of better than your previous best isn’t good enough. And you know what? If there’s all this overflowing content out there… that probably means our standards need to rise with the supply, right? I think so.
Kurt Vonnegut — How to Write with Style: Everything Vonnegut says about writing I believe applies to design and illustration too. Attention is a precious commodity. We’ve got to serve up incredible work for our audiences each time they gift us their attention. It should be like a thoughtful gift or a kiss on the lips. The best part? Be yourself. “I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most, too, when I sound most like a person from Indianapolis, which is what I am. What alternatives do I have?” So much time spent trying to be other people. So little time trying to figure out who we really are and how to use that to say meaningful things that only we can say.
Sister Corita Kent — Classroom Rules: Kent’s list gives me guidance on how to run my classroom. It’s my north star when teaching. “If you work, it will lead to something.” Amen, sister.
Rands — Hurry: Rand’s essay taunts me. It’s a pep talk in just a few paragraphs. It scolds me in the best way, much the same way a coach would. “Do it. Stop whining! DO IT.” Stop waiting. Get going. Make stuff. Do things. Life is short. Full steam ahead.
Maira Kalman — Can Do: Maira Kalman makes me feel like I’m not living my life to the fullest. (But, in a satisfactory way.) Every time I come back to this blog post, it reminds me that story is the atomic unit of magic. It makes me thankful that there are people out there like Kalman who can suss the sublime out of any situation or setting. It proves to me that life is about noticing and deeming the mundane as special, and that if you do that, just maybe you can wring the last bits of beauty out of this life while you’re here.
Me — On Avedon, On Vonnegut: I know. It’s lame to put something you wrote yourself into this sort of thing. But, I think there’s something special about this post. It’s not very well written, but I often revisit it because it makes me remember that feeling of being so moved by a piece of art that it compels me out of my inertia. Movement is sacred. I should remember to value it as such.
Robin Sloan — Stock and Flow: Robin ruminates on applying the economic concepts of stock and flow to the media we produce. In short, flow is the low-impact fluff that reminds people you exist. Stock is the valuable, durable content you produce that conceivably has a long shelf-life. Reading this always makes me assess how my ratio of stock versus flow is doing.
The Wire — Until Next Time This is a snippet of dialogue from The Wire I’ve archived on my blog. Where does it end, Frank? Get your priorities straight. There’s nothing like this little scrap to help refocus things, quick-like.
Jonathan Harris — World-Building: A series of vignettes from Jonathan Harris. Each one is heartfelt and sincere. A list of observation, rules, and insight that never feels dogmatic. It’s not very often I feel truly appreciative for something I read, but, sincerely, thanks, Jonathan.
Liz Danzico — Confidence for Good: I begin the reading session with better, I end with better. Liz’s rumination on making meaningful leaps, being scared and trying to improve is enough of a peptalk to make me passionate about what I’m doing, and thankful for the opportunity to try to do meaningful work.

May 12, 2010