Hi!
Getting right into it, here is BASK:
Had a lot of fun with this one! This was from my personal stash of words, but I’d love to do a submission next week! Submit a word for me here, if you wish!
And it’s crudité time! Here are 3 things that inspired me this month:
Doppleganger by Naomi Klein – My smart friend Elise recommended this to me, and I’m so glad she did. I won’t try too hard to summarize here because it’s a multifaceted book, but Klein takes her experience with being mistaken online for the neoliberal-turned-right-wing figure Naomi Wolf and uses it to branch off into conspiracy theories, capitalism, colonialism, vaccines, Zionism – the breadth of topics covered within ~300 pages is impressive. I’d recommend it if you (like me) have been feeling unmoored by the darkness of the post-Covid, post-election world and would like to gain some semblance of clarity.
Princess Mononoke – Saw this in IMAX with Jaime, Ben, and Steve. Sitting on cushy lay-flat seats while watching one of Miyazaki’s best on a massive screen, I mean… *chefs kiss*. The recent Miyazaki-AI trend was upsetting, to say the least!! So it felt good to return to the source text and bask in his genius. Forever inspired his ability to balance light and dark on a knife’s edge in films ostensibly “for children”. There are other things about this movie that inspire me, but they feel harder to put into words – the Forest Spirit’s ancient oddness contrasting with the silly, bobble-headed Kodama, for starters? And the forest background paintings!!
Drink & Draw – A “drink & draw” is an event where you figure draw and drink beer, exactly how it sounds. I rarely draw from life anymore, but when I do it’s at a drink & draw (or sometimes randomly when I’m on vacation?). I went with my dear friend Derek who is so talented, and whose work is very figurative. You can imagine the perfection of a Derek figure drawing, even when he’s out of practice. Mine were…less perfect, I will say :) but I do love the act of figure drawing! Human bodies are so mushy and angular and fun to draw. It can feel so meditative, even when I’m rusty. And it reminded me that when I’m drawing from life regularly, my drawing improves overall.
Thanks for reading! See you next week,
Maddy