Make stuff you love and talk about stuff you love
Newsletter #012
This blog was adapted from my monthly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
February flew by, didn’t it? Here’s 10 things worth sharing:
“Make stuff you love and talk about stuff you love and you’ll attract people who love that kind of stuff. It’s that simple.” I gifted Molly the trilogy of Austin Kleon books on her first day at Hot Dog. It brought me quite a bit of joy to re-read these little gems… I am a HUGE fan (I actually stole this “10 things” email format from Austin).
-It was fun to share my story with Indeed in this article for their Career Guide, which features workers who re-invented their careers after layoffs. "I don’t think I ever would have decided to go for it myself…”
-Lately I’ve been trying to articulate why this studio exists, and why our work is still relevant in the A.I. era: “There are plenty of folks out here doing the same kind of work. The tools we have in 2026 help lots of people do lots of things themselves. But sometimes you want to work with a human, a real neighbor who knows what you’re about, who knows your name, and who has the same goal of making our corner of the world a tiny bit better.” Read more on instagram.
-Do you know a retailer who should carry our stationery in their shop? Dugout Paper Co. is now on Faire Wholesale!
-“Most things I worry about never happen anyway” - Tom Petty, Crawling Back To You
-Ryan Holiday recently described famous tech execs as “the attention barons” and I can’t stop thinking about it. In the 19th-century, the robber barons were ”powerful American industrialists and financiers who amassed unprecedented wealth through ruthless, often unethical business practices, such as monopolizing industries, exploiting labor, and manipulating markets during the Gilded Age.” Sound familiar? I loved this entire conversation on Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know.
-“Very often, metrics force us to play the games we can measure rather than the games we actually value…” Derek Thompson dissects how metrics make us miserable, including stories about how the “stats-era” of baseball (Moneyball) has actually made the game more boring.
-“You’re acting like life’s got me on the ropes. I want to be on the ropes. I’m letting life hit me until it gets tired. Then I’m going to hit back… It’s a classic rope-a-dope!” It’s been almost 10 years since I declared that La La Land was “the best movie since The Lion King.” I watched it recently with my oldest daughter and, dang, does that take hold up. What an absolutely heart-wrenching yet lovely story.
-“I’ve spent most of my life in a position of reaction, pulled to one side or the other of the boxing ring, but I don’t actually want to be stuck in either corner of the boxing ring. I want to be the rainbow light bouncing on the kitchen wall as the sun goes down.” My friend Rebekah Taussig shares 40 things she’s learned to celebrate her 40th birthday.
-"Everybody who’s been to the moon is eating Stouffers.” This collection of newspaper ads from the day of the moon landing is delightful.
-BONUS: For her first month on board, here’s a rec from the coolest person in the office, Molly K. Smith: ”Sarah Kinsley’s new EP is the perfect combination of chill indie and upbeat pop music to give us some light in these dark times. Her sound is so ethereal and amazing and emotional. It just came out on Feb. 14!”
Thanks for reading, see you next month 🤙
New work for Praesto Health!
Praesto is a healthcare company that helps veterans diagnose and treat sleep issues. We’re proud of this unique wordmark, which is strong yet friendly. Can’t wait to bring more of this brand to life as we support Praesto’s growth.