Studio Notes #32

Hi there, Stupendous Being. Here's Issue #32 of Studio Notes—quick bits delivered to you each Friday.

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Sometimes, just a simple image can make you stop in your tracks and inspire you with some sort of fresh perspective. Today? It's Japanese designer Yasuhiro Suzuki's giant, zipper-shaped boat that makes the water appear as if it's unzipping. Bravo.

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I enjoyed this little feature on the making of Gruff, an animated short film made entirely out of paper puppets by artist, Julian Curi in his home garage. In a time where computers can virtually do anythingvisual, handmade is always going to stand out.

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It's always a treat when you stumble on a documentary series you're unsure of, and yet you take the plunge and it turns out to be a wild ride filled with eccentric folks and plot twists. The latest example was Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn's Treasure on Netflix. An aging, wealthy adventurer hides a buried treasure of gold and gems somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, then writes a book where clues are hidden in a poem. It starts a decade-long treasure hunt that should become a feature film based on the hunter characters alone. I hadn't heard about this saga before and that made the series even more enjoyable.

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Stuffed in the bottom of the coat closet, I found the old Kendama I had bought for me the kids years ago. There was a time we all got realy into playing these Japanese wooden toys. Essentially, just a ball on a string that you manipulate into trick routines. Rediscovering it, I both love and hate the break from screens it provides. I end up refusing to put it down until I successfully perform a certain series of catches—no matter how many attempts it takes. If you're looking for a distraction that doesn't need to be charged yet may drive you insane, check 'em out.

What are you working on?

I'm still very much in the weeds of the Big Site Migration to Ghost. Some of the most intense coding I've done in a quite awhile! It's forced me to get more acquainted with CSS Grid, which I'm admittedly still pretty rusty on. All this web development work will pave the way to a far more streamlined publishing flow around here, which I'm very excited about.

Unrelated to that, our friends at Lucky House Mfg have shared some behind the scenes peeks at the new tees and hats they made for us. Love their attention to all the little details that matter.

Have a wonderful weekend, and see you here next Friday.

• #studionotes