September | Show & Tell

Hello, my friends! Wow, it’s been a minute since I sent out this Show & Tell newsletter. Happy September! To quote the great George Costanza, “I gotta focus. I’m shifting into soup mode”.

A lot of fun design news has happened since we last met here in our emails together. The biggest thing being I attended Annie Atkin’s Graphic Design for Filmmaking workshop in Dublin, Ireland a few weeks ago! My husband and I turned the whole trip into a 15-year anniversary celebration trip and also visited France, Belgium, and the Aran Islands. It was a dream trip that was mostly unplanned which led to lots of bike rides through the country, wandering into cafes, and so much walking.

Let’s jump into the workshop!

10 of us attended Annie’s 2-day workshop and it was so fun to meet other designers from all over the world who also have a niche interest in prop making. Here are some tips and tricks I learned to make props look realistic:

• Butter! If you want your paper to have a translucent look, rub butter all over the paper on both sides. Then rinse it off in water. Magic! A translucent piece of paper.

• Need rounded corners for a passport? Or a pocketbook? Skip the xacto knife and buy one of these.

• Never start a prop without proper research. Use eBay. Scour a flea market. Pop up to your grandma’s attic!

• Perforated edge: buy one of these pokers and poke away at the edges

I’ll leave you there with what I learned. If you’re a designer and have an interest, I highly recommend taking her workshop and investing in yourself. I feel so lucky that I got to go.

Post Workshop Homework!

My homework was to think of a character and create the graphic props. I chose my husband’s grandma, Barb Norling. Barb fished in Northern Minnesota every summer on the shores of Rainy Lake. So I designed what her tackle box could look like in 1967! 

Here’s a look at the process:

I created templates, printed them out, mocked them up, stamped them, and even added dirt, water and tea to them.

I bought some old fishing lures and boxes from a neighbor and dressed them up with new labels that I referenced from 1967 fishing materials from ebay. Each typeface was referenced to the the era.

Here’s a look at all of the pieces!

Thank you for reading and following along. As always, I love to hear from you! Cheers to September. 🍁

Love!

Beth

November | Show & Tell No. 02

Hello! Welcome to Show & Tell | November edition. Thank you so much for being here. I hope your October was full of spooky Fall-time things. Isn’t October just the best month of the year? And here we are now bopping into November and I’m ready for round 2 of Fall time. It rained in LA last week and I swear everyone was making soup.

This month’s newsletter is all about design research. In my opinion, this is one of the BEST phases of a design project. Let’s jump in, shall we?

This is the beginning phase of the project where curiosity comes into play. What’s the time period? What fonts were popular? What sort of materials were used during this era? This is also a prime opportunity to discover something new about the world. For example, I once designed a fake commercial for my hometown bowling alley that no longer exists. Through research, I learned that a man named Buzz, with one thumb, really knew how to work the grill at Anna-Jo Bowl.

Let’s use my recent redesign of Catch Me If You Can ephemera as a jumping off point into some behind the scenes design research tips & tricks

Set in 1963, Catch Me If You Can portray a teenager named Frank Abigale, Jr. who whisks around the world as a master forger of documents, careers, and lives. With this baseline of information, we can start to research the design trends of 1963.

My #1 Resource for Historical Documents: ebay!

eBay is a gold mine for finding era-specific documents and ephemera. Using it as an image bank tool, one can quickly pull together mood boards for any project.

#2 Resource for Historical Documents: Past Brand Guidelines

We know that Frank Abigale, Jr. forged his way into working for the airline Pan Am. Through some quick googling, I found all of the Pan Am logos throughout the ages here. Finding and using past brand guidelines creates authenticity to designs which is always the goal.

Typefaces can make or break a project when you’re designing for a specific era. Luckily, there are some secret weapons to help one choose the most appropriate fonts for your project.

Secret Weapon #1: Whatthefont.com

Secret Weapon #2: fontsinuse.com

See below how some historical research using eBay and font research using whatthefont.com can break down:

I hope this sparks some curiosity within you for your next upcoming design project! I would love to hear about additional resources you’ve found to be helpful or tips and tricks up your sleeves if you’ve got them!

Maddison Cunningham sings the most beautiful song about her grandmother’s passing during Covid. Hold on to your hearts.

• The barbershop club-houses of South Africa via Messy Nessy.

• I launched a shop on Spoonflower this past month for all of your nostalgic fabric needs.

• A new documentary about Val Kilmer.

Thank you again for being here! I hope your first day of November is off to a beautiful start. I’ll see you back here in December!

Love!

Beth

October | Show & Tell No. 01

Welcome to the first “Show & Tell”! I so appreciate you being here. This month’s newsletter is all about finding moments to create for FUN and for yourself!

Many moons ago I worked as a UX designer at a tech company. There were pros to this position but what lacked was the opportunity to be creative in a way that felt good to me. It was then that I decided to carve out an hour of time before work a few days a week to create whatever came to mind. This intentional time felt like the biggest creative treat and gave me something to look forward to. This is something I’ve carried through to every job I’ve held since. Sometimes I design whatever is on my mind as a way to process the world. Sometimes it’s looking at inspiration on Pinterest and in books. Sometimes it even leads to projects like this memo kit that taught me how to manufacture a product from conception to production to selling at an art show! (More on visiting that pencil manufacturing factory to come.)

Here’s some things that have helped me intentionally carve out this time to create.

A friend I used to work with once told me that one secret to happiness is to “fill your basket”. There are many ways to phrase this but if you’re working, creating, or living from an uninspired and empty place..this shows up in every area of your life. So how do you fill your basket as a creative person? Create! Not everything will be a masterpiece but getting into the practice of creating will not only make you a better artist but you might just discover a talent or interest you had deep inside that’s been wanting to come out.

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Starting to carve out time for yourself with creative projects is different for everyone. Here are some ideas to ponder if you work a 9-5 position and are wondering “where can I find the time?”.

• Take a lunch break! A real one. Turn off the work apps, set your timer for 1hr, and let your mind go where it wants to.

• Are you more creative when you wake up? Try sitting down at your desk an hour before work and explore your favorite art mediums.

• Perhaps your creative gears start to turn in the evening. Grab a cup of tea, set the phone down, and cozy up to your creative spot. Maybe even after your loved ones go to bed so you can limit the distractions.

• Sunday afternoons are perfect for personal projects. When that sleepy beautiful lull of a Sunday afternoon comes along, grab your computer, paints, or whatever stirs in you and get curious.

• Have a notebook next to your work computer. When inspiration strikes, write it down! Then make sure to come back to it later.

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As a designer, I have so many unfinished personal projects looming on my desktop. But goodness it feels good (and scary) to create something for fun and release it out into the world. It may not be perfect or even become a real life piece of art but sharing it with others just feels good. And it’s those tiny personal accomplishments that create fuel for the next personal project.

Sometimes I look back at past work I’ve put out into the world and want to hide under a desk. “I designed THAT!?”. But who cares. Sharing your art might just inspire someone else to be brave enough to share their own work. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Creating. Sharing. Connecting. And doing it all over again.

People love to see what is uniquely yours. The way you think is unique. What you make and create is unique. If you can show your authentic self, it is noticeable!

I once landed a position solely because of my personal work and projects. Personal work also attracts the kind of work you’d actually like to work on.

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If you’re craving more personal time in creating, I hope something in this newsletter helps and inspires you to get curious. The world needs more beauty and what you’ve got in that beautiful creative brain of yours is a real gift to everyone. Now it’s time to bring it to fruition!

• Are you an Adobe member? Make sure to sign up for Adobe Max’s free virtual conference on Oct. 26-28. See prop designer Annie Atkin’s talk from last year that is super inspiring.

• Brown Sugar Coconut Oil Cookies by Averie Cooks. Holy buckets.

• Help! I’ve fallen down the Illustrator tutorials and I can’t get up.

• It’s October. We all love the Monster Mash, right?

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I hope you’re having the best start to October! If you want to follow along all things life related, you know where to find me. I’ll see you back here in November!

Love!

Beth

Mighty and Humble: Women that inspire me politically and beyond

In the Secret Life of Bees, the author Sue Monk Kidd writes about a beautiful wooden statue on the front of a boat called “The Lady of Chains” that symbolizes feminine strength and serves as a guiding force in the character’s lives. This symbolic statue stuck with me long after I finished the book.

“She was black as she could be, twisted like driftwood from being out in the weather, her face a map of all the storms and journeys she’d been through. Her right arm was raised, as if she was pointing the way, except, except her fingers were closed in a fist. She had a faded red heart painted on her breast and a yellow crescent moon…She was a mix of mighty and humble all in one.”

When I think about the past two years as part of the resistance, so many women come to my mind. Here are 9 of them that help lead the way for me and for others. I wanted to feature them publicly because they are truly a mix of mighty and humble.

• Melissa Shah: Not only is she a social justice advocate, she leads with love and shares her passion of yoga with the rest of us to keep us all on track and centered.

• Erika Wright: One of the smartest women I know and is a strong women’s health and rights advocate. She is also the founder of Nashville Science Club.

• Ruby Amanfu: Singer/Songwriter powerhouse and uses her gifts of songs and cooking to touch people’s souls… mine included.

• Cindy Berger: Applied linguist at Duolingo. She’s changing the world by empowering others to learn new languages at no cost. It’s accessible to everyone. She’s also a badass women’s marcher.

• Alanna Quinn-Broadus: Lead singer of Alanna Royale. She uses her platform to speak love and support towards the LBGTQIA community as well as additional social justice issues. Go to her shows and be mesmerized and empowered.

• Elizabeth Madeira: Strong voice for the oppressed, adoption advocate and speaker of truth. Her words are a force.

• Caitlin Mello: Leader of Southern Women for Civil Rights, art activist, and a voice for immigrants, refugees and all humans.

• Tara Bender: Has a heart bigger than the size of Texas. Storyteller and activists for refugees, those with developmental disabilities, the youth, gun control, and the list goes on and on. A true mix of mighty and humble.

• Mary Ellen Peden: Owner of Mothers Woodshop, manager of Portland Brew, and a voice for the oppressed, women’s rights, immigrants and refugees and is a person that gets. it. done.

I plan to do more features of the women I feel so lucky to know and who help illuminate the path for me and others. Stay tuned and thank you to these 9 incredible women. Keep going!

Wise words from William Penn

About 5 minutes after I bought the book “Hillbilly Elegy”, I saw this quote on a sign and I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

American Operational Guide Book Vol. 1

I once went to a Trump rally in protest of the refugee ban. There was a Trump supporter there who was "Facebook live streaming" us and she put her camera on me and my friend. She said into the camera "just look at them...none of them are wearing red, white, or BLUE!". I thought it was funny at the time. I think there's this narrative in Fox News world that "liberals" aren't American enough. So this liberal here has been making "American Operational Guide Book" posts where we review different aspects of the U.S. Government each week. They're for everyone. Liberals and conservatives. So this is for you "red, white and blue" lady.

Southern Utah (Part 2/3)

A few weeks ago, my friend Samantha and I took an impromptu trip out west. We started with driving to The Grand Canyon from Las Vegas and then ventured on into Southern Utah. I think Utah might be America's best-kept secret. Every turn on their open highways led to so many "ooh's and ahh's"!

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

We started our morning off by driving through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and arrived at the unmarked trail for Zebra Slot Canyon. (Here is a great guide to get you there!) Before getting to the slot canyon, we hiked along the Mars-esque landscape.

Zebra Slot Canyon was incredible. We were lucky that it wasn't full of water and were able to jump right in to the canyon and start climbing our way through. It was exhilarating and also really hard to not think about the movie "127 hours"!

Bryce Canyon National Park

We then ventured on over to Bryce Canyon National Park. This was my favorite of the 3 parks we visited because of it's unique landscape. Unfortunately, it was storming so we only got to see the park from the overlooks but even still, it was breathtaking!

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

We took a side-trip off the highway on our way to Kanab, UT to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The rain had just stopped and we had the place to ourselves! The sand dunes are formed by the erosion of pink-colored Navajo Sandstone that surrounds the state park.

Kanab, UT

• Kanab, UT is also called "Little Hollywood" for being the film location for many of the old Hollywood western movies.
• We loved staying at Aiken's Lodge in Kanab. If you're into mid-century design and looking for a walkable neighborhood, this is for you!

Stay tuned for Part 3!

Reunification of Migrant Families

Perhaps you're like me and need to see things visually mapped out to be able to wrap you're mind around such horrible situations. As of 6am July 28th, here is the update on the reunification of migrant children and their parents at the border. 

How can you help?

• Add your name to this list.

• Support any of these organizations

• Call Congress

Sources: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4619231-Status-Report.html , https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/theres-no-timeline-for-reuniting-hundreds-of-families-who-remain-separated-what-happens-now

The Grand Canyon and Beyond! (Part 1/3)

Recently, my good friend Samatha and I took a trip out west. We both recently wrapped up a chapter in our careers so we decided to meet in Las Vegas, NV and see uncharted territory!

First up: Making our way to The Grand Canyon

Like any good road trip, we quickly learned that driving is part of the adventure. Heading out of Las Vegas, we quickly stumbled up The Hoover Dam. What a treat! From there, we made the 3hr drive to Williams, AZ. We even got to drive on the famous Route 66 and take photos in the middle of the road. (Sidenote: Did you know that they have a monsoon season here in July? We didn't either.)

Williams was so much more than we imagined. It felt old-timey, classic and western. We stayed in The Grand Canyon Hotel which we found out after Samantha "felt something" that it's the #2 most haunted place in Arizona (according to google). I played a lot of "was it a ghost or a person?" all night long.

Grand Canyon National Park

What a dream! After arriving, we made our way via the shuttle bus to the South Kaibab Trail to hike to "Ooh-Ahh Point". The trail is a 1.8 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail with amazing views. It's slightly strenuous on the way back up.

This also happened. (We know, we know! Don't feed the squirrels..but just watch..)

The real view: Shoshone Point Trail

A friend of mine gave us the world-class tip to visit Shoshone Point. I'm so glad he did! This was an easy 1-mile hike into the woods and we were the only ones there. It took us to the craziest view of the south rim canyon!

Next up: Utah!

From Grand Canyon National Park, we drove 5 hours up to Southern Utah. The amount of times we said "this is so beautiful!" and "WHAT!" is insane. It was also amazing to drive through the Navajo Nation Reservation. We stopped at a few Navajo arts and crafts stands and spoke to some locals. I loved every minute of it.

Up next: Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument..