{"title":"Stories, Comics, Essays, Surveys \u0026 More","description":"\u003cp\u003eEverything from the various blogs as well as a few things that do not yet have a permanent neighborhood.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"our-turn-to-pass-out-candy","title":"Our Turn to Pass Out Candy","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Letter\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe morning was chilly and more than a little foggy, the bedroom is especially cold and still, the blankets a perfect combination of softness and warmth. Red Leaf, somewhat roused, was greatly enjoying not doing much.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA sound in the foyer announced the morning mail’s arrival. Awake, fully and instantly, Strawberry sat up instantly. “I’ll get it!” she giggle-shouted. A quick hand gesture magicked a bubble of water around her tail and, within a heartbeat, she was down the hallway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dryad remembered the day’s importance on the calendar and quietly counted the seconds, until predictably, “LEAF-FIE!” Ah, so it is our turn after all, Red Leaf thought to herself, pushing herself into a sitting position.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalloween is celebrated regularly, throughout the Netherworld, throughout the year. Neighbors take turns offering trick-or-treat destinations, allowing everyone a chance to pass or seek candy. And this weekend \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Leafie, Leafie!” Strawberry giggled madly as she dove from her bubble back into bed. “Leafie! Wake up, Leafie!” the mermaid shook her wife excitedly — “We have! To get ready! It is our turn!” — and with increasing intensity — “To pass out! CANDY! Leafie! We have to go SHOPPING! LEAFIE! HALLOWEEN!!”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dryad gathered the mermaid up in her arms and buried her face in her storm of hair. The mermaid made plans about decorations they would need, candy they should hand out, the amount of pumpkins to order, offered several questions, ideas, and a million other details without pausing for responses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Leafie how will we get ready in time? We have so much to do.” Strawberry rolled over to face her wife, anxious ocean blue eyes meeting bemused sunset copper brown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“One haunt at a time, soft waves,” the dryad kissed her wife.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePlanning to Plan\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrawberry fussed over the letter all breakfast, offering ideas and plans. Red Leaf kept quiet, offering commentary and suggestions, mostly letting her wife ramble. Both love Halloween and trick or treating, but Strawberry was by far more social and outgoing. This was her territory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Do you want a coffee?” Red offered and made enough for several mugs despite Strawberry declining — and true to expectation — the shopping-list-crafting mermaid absentmindedly drank the dryad’s in a single gulp. Red Leaf refilled their mugs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGathering Costumes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I am so excited!” Strawberry later beamed as she settled into their scooter’s sidecar. She adjusted her helmet strap, fidgeting in the water-filled compartment. She checked her list needlessly, having already memorized it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scooter dutifully put-put-put-put-putted as they left Autumn’s Lost Wood, the forest surrounding their cottage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor about an hour, the mermaid and dryad browsed the latest costumes in The Illusionist’s Bureau. “Should I be a photo booth?” Red Leaf asked, holding up a wooden box. “I think it even\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e—” pressing a button, she set off a bright flash. A whirling sound followed, and from a small slit near her hip, Red Leaf’s costume issued a photo of a confused dryad and laughing mermaid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I’m going to be soup and sand witches!” Strawberry beamed. An illusion generating ring transformed the water bubble surrounding her fish tail into a bowl filled with broth, noodles, and cartoonishly large vegetables. She held a shirt up to her chest featuring a drawing of a tentacle sandwich and a conical hat above her head.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCostumes, along with novelty spider rings, cobwebs, orange and black streamers, and seven dozen or so paper mache bats, ghosts, and cats were purchased. The shopkeep wrapped and bagged the accoutrements and set them aside to ship to their cottage. “You’ll come too? This weekend?” Red Leaf asked as she wrote the address on the bill of sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Yes! You must!” Strawberry insisted of the shopkeep, adding a treasure chest to the counter. The fairy clerk promised he would and rang up the extra order. “I don’t mean to brag but we are going to have the best candy,” Strawberry promised, her voice dipping into a conspiratorial whisper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCandy Acquisitions \u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe couple’s next stop was to The Coffin Maker’s Cupboard, a grocery store in Peyroux, the tiny village nearby. A smiling, if mildly exasperated, Red Leaf pushed a shopping cart behind Strawberry, who flicked her tail slowly, propelling her water bubble. “Three dozen chocolate goblins, twenty bags of slime coins, how many bottles of cat whisker licorice?” the mermaid asked before answering her own question. “Ten cases of pumpkin juice, oh Leafie! Ectoplasm is on sale!”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Should we get dinner to make at home while we are out here or do you want to go to the diner?” Red Leaf asked, picking up a bottle of swamp stock they would need tomorrow night either way. She looked up to see Strawberry deciding between two flavors of lollipops. “Let’s get both, love.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“But is it too much?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Yes,” Red Leaf chimed happily. “We will grab a bite at Creepy Crepes and review our plan, what do you think?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Yes, please” the mermaid said, blushing in mild embarrassment at the large pile of treats. Her love of the holiday matched her love of spoiling friends and neighbors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlong with the candy, they procured printed treat bags and globes that would, when bounced, brighten with light and follow the bouncer. They found sticker packs and jack-o-lantern candles, faux vampire fangs, and lightly enchanted rings that detect and enhance costumes. Strawberry invited the store’s cashier, the monster bagging their groceries, and everyone in line behind them to come trick or treat that weekend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“You won’t be able to miss it!” she promised “We are in Autumn’s Lost Wood!”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Diner\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRed Leaf later watched her wife drink the chocolate bat sprinkle milkshake later as they finished their meal. Bright and energetic, Strawberry encapsulated joy in abundance. “Leafie this is so good! Try it!” Not for the first time, not even for the first time today, Red Leaf silently marveled at her wife’s luminous spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dryad took a sip of the milkshake, “Definitely having one of these,” and raised a hand to call a ghostly waiter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrawberry beamed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Cottage\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cozy, moss and lichen covered log structure with stone accents, it is picturesque in normal times and downright frightening tonight. Illusions covered windows, making them appear broken and full of spiderwebs. Ghosts pop up and zoom about, teasing and delighting and terrifying. Cobwebs stretch from surface to ground, the perfect backdrop for things hiding and lurking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJack-o-lanterns with faces delighted, scary and scared, line the path to the cottage itself. The autumnal smells of cinnamon and burning leaves and waxy candles in pumpkins fill the air, drawing you in, singing the songs of Halloween, lost places, moonlight spells, pacts made in the dark. Secrets. Wishes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA giggling mermaid, dressed as a bowl of witchy soup, awaits you at the cottage porch. She is flanked by a smiling photo booth dryad, taking pictures of all the trick or treaters posing in their costumes. Strawberry hands patrons a token bag while Red Leaf loads up offered buckets, pillowcases, pails. Candy,  of course, and spells, magic scrolls, more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll are invited to partake of cups of cider, hot chocolate, cold root beer, to explore the cottage and the surrounding forest. To dance and sing. To carve up a pumpkin companion — it comes to life after the last knife slice! Floats and follows, bobbing in the air, howling and laughing and merry-making.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrick or treat!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42628126277693,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/netherworld-post-office_our-turn-pass-out-candy_v01.jpg?v=1778728950"},{"product_id":"favorite-type-of-undead","title":"What Are Your Favorite Types of Undead?","description":"\u003cp\u003eDo you have preferences on how they are made, how intelligent they are?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe context for this range of questions can range from legends and lore, to enemies in dungeons, to friends you meet in a graveyard before heading to the local diner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis survey began collecting data in October 2025, paused while the site was on pause, and has resumed. A complete set of data, initial and updated, will be published in the summer of 2026.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42644707541053,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/skeleton-rib-apron-med.jpg?v=1778729035"},{"product_id":"assorted-halloween-mailings-2025","title":"Assorted Halloween Mailings (2025)","description":"\u003ch2\u003e'Tis the Haunting Season!\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have been mailing and receiving spooky mail for many years now, and researching how to build this blog has been an incredible skulking pleasure down memory lane.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the perfect reminder about the plastic pumpkin pail full of mail to finish sending out, letters and cards to reply to. Things to draw, envelopes to sticker!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMe to you,\u003c\/strong\u003e hallowed reader… \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eand me to haunted self…\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore time is needed to be spent at a desk, pen and scissors in hand, with pretty paper, washi tape, an ordganized box (…unorganized pile) of stickers, a mug of coffee or apple cider, a spooky cartoon playing in the background, something to say, memory to share, conversation to start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\"Did you know...?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\"Do you remember...?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\"How do you feel about...?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\"A weird thing happened to me on the way to the graveyard...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe world is busy, I am fully aware.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am growing increasingly convinced one of the reasons life is so busy is because time is ensnared, by undesireable demands on attention, by mechanizations that steal concentration without consideration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is October 26, as of writing, in the year 2025.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd as of writing, I have 14 letters to respond to and 5 cards I promised to mail in August, 2 in September, and 4 in October. This is so common in my letter writing! There is never the time!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAnd, my fellows, I hope you will join me in this sentiment: It is \u003cstrong\u003etime\u003c\/strong\u003e to \u003cstrong\u003emake time. \u003c\/strong\u003eTo call it back, to take possession, to thrill and enjoy.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eThe one caveat, I demand of \u003cstrong\u003emyself\u003c\/strong\u003e (and recommend you \u003cstrong\u003ecopy\u003c\/strong\u003e for \u003cstrong\u003eyourselves):\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo guilt.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOr negative feelings.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAllow none of these to gain a foothold.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a multiverse of actors and their activities that prey upon guilt over \"lost time\" or \"misspent days and nights\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI will not allow them into my studio. I will not tolerate them in my life. When a regret is found, it will be dismantled and disposed of.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hope, for you, the same.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-03.jpg?v=1761514137\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-02.jpg?v=1761514137\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-05.jpg?v=1761514137\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-01.jpg?v=1761514137\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-06.jpg?v=1761514137\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-08.jpg?v=1761514137\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-04.jpg?v=1761514137\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-07.jpg?v=1761514138\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-09.jpg?v=1761518529\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-13.jpg?v=1761518563\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-12.jpg?v=1761518563\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-10.jpg?v=1761518549\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42664126677053,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/halloween-mail-11.jpg?v=1778728661"},{"product_id":"icy-hands-of-wintery-doom","title":"Icy Hands of Wintery Doom","description":"\u003cp\u003eFutura inserted a peppermint stick into the candy keyhole and turned it, locking his front door. An elven wizard, Futura defies tradition and lives in a gingerbread house, a confectionary architecture style typically favored by witches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is perhaps the only non-wizardry thing about Futura, who otherwise keeps the traditions attributed to magical scholars deep in his heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA snowball hit Futura on the back and the sound of howling laughter filled the surrounding forest. “Good morning, master wizard,” a voice rang out, its owner having vanished before the ensuing volley of retaliatory magic was inevitably cast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e“I will get you yet, Mushroom!” Futura snarled as he dusted the snow from his cloak. He glowered as he headed into the forest for the day’s work: researching wintertaste fungus.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike many wizards, Futura spends much of his time researching extremely nuanced aspects of the area surrounding his home, measuring enchantments and their effects on the local environs and developing new ways said magic could be harvested.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd like many adventurers living near a wizard, Mushroom, a forest gnome, spends much of his time tormenting Futura.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat evening, upon returning home, Futura brewed a pot of onyxcrush coffee and laid out the notes he had taken. One pot of coffee, two cubes of precisely measured sugar, one small pitcher of icecloud cream, one spoon, one saucer, one cup, one journal, one inkwell. Futura is so regimented his clock chimes all retired years ago, there is simply no need to announce the time when routines do not waver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wizard sat down in the study’s sole chair and poured one of the three cups of coffee he would drink and began to review his notes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e“Mushroom.” Futura glowered. He set his research aside and started pacing the room. “The gnome must be dealt with, these distractions are mounting.”\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a small cubby on the south wall, Futura withdrew a scroll and cast an Illusion of One Whom is Known spell, summoning an image of his feisty forest foe. The scroll, its magic spent, burned to ash-less smoke. In another room, a ledger automatically catalogued the scroll’s use and ordered a replacement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt wasn’t until the logs in the fireplace popped that Futura realized he had been staring at the illusion’s summer-warm brown eyes. Futura caught himself smiling with a startle. Annoyed, he waved his hands frantically through the illusion, dissolving it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe eyes faded last.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe next morning, on schedule, twelve minutes after sunrise, Futura turned the peppermint key into the candy keyhole and locked his gingerbread front door and, on schedule, Mushroom threw snowballs — but they went through Futura cleanly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“What is this?” Mushroom called out merrily.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e“YOUR DOOM!” Futura cried out, bringing down an entire cloud’s worth of snow onto the gnome. The “Futura” at the door flickered then vanished. An illusion.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMushroom, howling with laughter, climbed out of the pile and slowly got to his feet — just as Futura himself was knocked down with a snowball hurled from another, unseen, party. Mushroom laughed louder than before, grabbing onto a tree to steady himself. Unfortunately for Futura’s dignity, Mushroom’s belly laughs shook the tree so hard a batch of snow fell on him, and at this, Mushroom guffawed so deeply he fell over into the snow, rolling around on his back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“What was that?!” Futura demanded!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e“Your \u003c\/em\u003edoom, apparently, master wizard,” Mushroom giggled as he began making a snowball.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“That was the good miss Strawberry, and undoubtedly her wife, Red Leaf, not far behind. We best prepare a counter attack if we are to survive and drink cocoa later,” he gasped, mirthfully and breathlessly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“On the same side?” Futura involuntarily brightened at the idea of participating in a snow war. For the first time, ever, his notes and work were forgotten, left to wait in his satchel and scroll tubes. “Together?” he asked tentatively, his voice a half-octave higher, cracking in anticipation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNone of this had been planned! In fact, this is the very opposite of his plans! You can’t just have an unscheduled moment of spontaneity!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMushroom winked and handed him a snowball. “It’s a date!”\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFutura paused a moment, watching Mushroom run in the direction of the unseen Strawberry and Red Leaf. “Date?” he repeated, with a soft smile and a softer tone. His reverie was short lived.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We best run! They will have a fortified snowbank nearby, we must catch them before they reach it!” Mushroom called back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDirect action, now clear, Futura adjusted his winter cloak and reviewed his prepared spells, mentally sorting them into a list ordered by situational novelty.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42966105620541,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/winter-doom.jpg?v=1769764584"},{"product_id":"one-way-mail","title":"One Way Mail","description":"\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eI pass this Princess Peach mural regularly and I love Super Mario Brothers (specifically: the oldest cartoons and games).\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePossibly the best way to increase mail supply is to simply make more mail. I love receiving mail, it is amazing and delightful — but more than anything — I like making it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think about them like blog posts or social media posts. And sometimes they start off that way then become mail or vice versa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis digs deep into my philosophy of art in totality: i\u003c\/strong\u003et does not need to be big or complicated or expensive, and I’m not convinced that it is better if that path is pursued.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wanted more color in my life, I wanted to watch an old cartoon, I've been thinking about Super Mario lately, the second movie (of this iteration) is coming out soon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/mushroom.jpg?v=1773877022\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsking the hard hitting questions: Do you think the powerup mushrooms have different tastes?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMail art. Art mail.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSmall and direct. Specific or general.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFrom me to you without expectation of reciprocation (or anything else).\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/old-ghost-yells-at-cloud.jpg?v=1773876028\" alt=\"Old Ghost Yells at Lakitu Cloud\" style=\"margin-bottom: 16px; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOld Ghost Yells at Lakitu Cloud\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMade because I wanted to make something and I wanted you to have it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt might be something that we both like, that I like and maybe you will to, and\/or literally just something I wanted to make and you, friend, recipient, were somewhat randomly chosen to receive it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI honestly do not know if the recipient of this letter and I have ever discussed Super Mario before. Or video games. I'm \u003cem\u003esure \u003c\/em\u003ewe have talked about old cartoons, this being one of my favorite topics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/bowser.jpg?v=1773877550\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eI wrote a post script on the actual letter, \u003cem\u003e\"Have I mailed you this topic before? I kinda feel like I have.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is at least a 50% chance this is a repeated message, similar stickers, same ideas. It is so easy to self-edit. Collapse desire into thinking \"oh I don't want to bother you with this 3 AM ramble.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere's the thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere's the \u003cstrong\u003egreat\u003c\/strong\u003e thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy friend, receiving this letter, can easily, silently, glance at it and shred it. Read or unread. I'll never know. I'm not going to follow up. This isn't a test, there aren't grades, no one is getting paid, there will never be an audit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy friend, receiving this letter, can easily put it on a shelf or in a box or drawer after enjoying it and re-read it again in a week, on my birthday, on March 10 (MAR10) in 10 years. \"Ha! Oh yeah. The #2 Mario Letter.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the reasons, maybe the \u003cstrong\u003emain\u003c\/strong\u003e reason, I love mail is to have a thought, make something, combine things made by others, collage, sticker, doodle, delight, tape tape tape sticker stamp postage zoom boom gloom... into the mailbox.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/princess-peach.jpg?v=1773878346\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOne way mail solves the problem of \"I don't know what to say.\"\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat's going on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat are you reading. What are you watching. What is in your YouTube queue. Funny joke. Commercial on TV. Commercial you randomly remembered. Holiday, popular or private. Holiday that isn't a holiday but should be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeat sticker. Neat activity book. Paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo reason at all, the singular and uncomplicated impetus: \"I want to make mail.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/super-mario-mail.jpg?v=1773887825\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43049609396285,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/princess-peach-mural.jpg?v=1773876328"},{"product_id":"what-does-a-gelatinous-cube-taste-like","title":"What Does a Gelatinous Cube Taste Like?","description":"\u003cp\u003eA long-standing and much-famous dungeon crawler, gelatinous cubes are an integral part of many fantasy settings and tales told around an inn’s fire. Ah, but should they be on the inn’s menu? Would you serve them at home? Would you sneak a bite mid adventure?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eData collection began in May 2026 and initial findings will be published in the summer of 2026.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43181839581245,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/gelatinous-cube-survey.jpg?v=1779003617"},{"product_id":"i-think-you-should-buy-a-plastic-pumpkin-pail","title":"I Think You Should Buy a Plastic Pumpkin Pail","description":"\u003cp\u003eI think you should buy a cheap plastic pumpkin jack-o-lantern pail this Halloween season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think you should keep it on your desk, by your bed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think you should put the book you're reading into it before you go to sleep, or before you rush to work, or the grocery store, or to handle whatever chores the day has set before you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFill it with zines. Candy corn. Letters in progress, received.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think you should fill it with sparkly lights, the kind that cost about a cup of coffee. Turn them on when you're feeling: \"I love this pail but I wish it were a pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern with a candle. Unfortunately, it is April. Or June. Or some other non-October month.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eI think you should fill it with notes.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Yesterday was was difficult because of Reasons,” with a doodle and some rambles. “Today was fantastic because of Other Reasons.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe drawing doesn’t have to be a particular quality. The notes do not have to make sense. They do not even need to finish-\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43194121322557,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/pumpkin-pail-candy-corn.jpg?v=1778910124"},{"product_id":"now-we-are-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown","title":"Now We Are the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThere is an idea, tantalizing in luminoscity, that a Halloween celebration can be made perfect.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am of the opinion that, Halloween as a holiday, is itself perfect, and thus the celebrations already are — big and small, commercial or homebrewd, with countless friends and lovers or alone with a book and blanket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalloween is one of the great pleasures in my life. Both the holiday as well as the spirit, which I celebrate year-long. A celebration built from a lifetime of memories, experiments, successes and failures, themselves built from materials developed by countless hands and claws, minds on sleepless nights, ghosts, haunted places, plans, mistakes, mishaps, happenstances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBecause it is so important to me, I am always tempted to create the \u003cem\u003e\"Perfect Halloween.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFull of activity and energy, somehow with the exact combination of far-flung famous haunted house as well as neighborhood haunts. Great feasts and costume parties, intimate gatherings and dumb suppers with friends and loved ones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiving back more energy than I put in to ensure everyone is having, for themselves, the Perfect Holiday.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/great-pumpkin-charlie-brown--02.jpg?v=1778928256\" alt=\"\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA concept as exhausting as it is impossible. Not because of the all-too-mortal limits of time, or the equally always-too-small limits of budget. It is because Halloween, at the core, can be perfect simply by existing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat feeling in my stomach when I see the first black and orange display case at the grocery store. The delight when the television commercials start skewing a bit more fun and sinister. The day the air turns crisp for the first time of the year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe February day I am writing a letter to someone and draw a jack-o-lantern on an envelope, the July afternoon when I am idly deciding what to watch while I work \u003cem\u003e(The Simpsons \u003c\/em\u003eTreehouse of Horror S9 E4 is my personal favorite… specifically, the Easy Bake Coven segment.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOctober is an all-to-short 31 days, roughly 8.49315% of the year, give or take a bit.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think of it like dessert, the rest of the year is a meal \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e— wonderful and filling and full of conversation and laughter. October is when the coffee is served and the big dishes are cleared, the treats are brought out, the fires are burning a bit lower, the night lurks a bit darker, and the well-earned exhaustion retreats a bit, for a few more rounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike Linus, I go out into the pumpkin patch year after year to await the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, absorbing the privilege and secrets of the moon’s glow. Through this, I become a Great Pumpkin. In treats and cards, in action, in art. In just how I live my life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalloween, by common practice, is a single day on the calendar. Sometimes there is a bit of community stretching, an extra night or possibly a weekend, maybe even a week. An all-too brief period of time for all but the spooky fellows whom extend it far longer for themselves, sometimes all year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the narrowness of this window, it is natural — almost inevitable — to have too long a list of decorations, parties, events, readings, movies, everything, to handle in time. Whenever this feels like pressure, whenever I am caught in the throws of missing out or not doing enough, I return to the pumpkin patch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery year’s October is different.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThere is always too much, maybe there \u003cstrong\u003eshould\u003c\/strong\u003e always be too much, because \u003cstrong\u003ethis\u003c\/strong\u003e keeps the energy alive and vibrant and flowing.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor that matter, the flow of Halloween within the year changes, similarly so!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery few days, every new haunted activity is different! Traditions build and crash, echo and contradict. More than a part, this actually is the holiday magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBig or small, full of activity or full of quiet reading and television, with a hundred friends or spent alone under a blanket, be it October 31 or May 18, I wish to you all (and to myself) a very happy Halloween.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/great-pumpkin-charlie-brown--03.jpg?v=1778928616\" alt=\"\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43194842415165,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/great-pumpkin-charlie-brown--01.jpg?v=1778928294"},{"product_id":"sending-mail-requires-letting-go-of-perfection","title":"Sending Mail Inspires (Requires) Letting Go of Perfection","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwo cards for two friends in two states, both written in early May, both sitting on my desk for about three weeks, both waiting for a Halloween zine I keep tinkering with before even beginning. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have a quiet afternoon and these cards are staring at me, \"Hey. We should be in the mail, my good Mx. Postage Ghost.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYeah, yeah, yeah.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut the zine!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/uber-beats.jpg?v=1779220948\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNo! Mail now! \u003cstrong\u003eAnd!\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eFollow up later!\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImmediately after taking this photo, I wrapped up the glued-down bits with thick packing tape (to help the mail process easier) and headed down to the post box. They will be speeding across the system with tomorrow's pickup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a push for perfection, and if not \u003cem\u003eperfection\u003c\/em\u003e, then \u003cstrong\u003ecompletion\u003c\/strong\u003e. An air of \"it must be perfect, lest it be dissrespectful.\" An aura of \"If this is not my Everything, then it shows I am Nothing.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's so pervasive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/ghost-imperfect.png?v=1779222069\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy (and I emphasize, direction-only, pressure-none) goal is to make more mail. Celebrate silly and small art more often, for myself and shared with others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI'm making a zine about Halloween. I have a few people I want to send it to. I both need to find time to draw it, as well as, let go of this idea there is a deadline or expectation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eI come back, again and again, to old B-horror movies.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kind with production schedules measured in weeks, if not days. Budgets built in the style of \"how utterly cheap can we make this, what can we re-use or cut together?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"float: none;\" alt=\"Attack of the Crab Monster (1957)\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/attack-crab.png?v=1779223108\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch6 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAttack of the Crab Monster (1957)\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy romantic ideal of them is obviously through the lens of \"I explicitly love their limitations, I love them \u003cem\u003ebecause\u003c\/em\u003e and not \u003cem\u003ein spite\u003c\/em\u003e of their limitations.\" That's how I think about mail, when I let go of the impulse to seek perfection, timeliness, a schedule, an ideal, when I forgo expectation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are cards to \u003cem\u003efriends.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople who are going to say, somewhere on the positive spectrum of emotion, \"Hey neat, card from atticus.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am going to eat dinner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDay dream about old monster movies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMake more mail.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43208741093437,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/letting-go.jpg?v=1779220892"},{"product_id":"becoming-an-audience","title":"Becoming an Audience","description":"\u003ch6\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis is an admittedly extremely self-indulgent blog post.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have a memory of being a kid at the Renaissance festival. Maybe my first. There were knights and wenches, kings and queens, fairies and dragons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAnd jesters on stage.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was fascinated with the stage jesters and musicians, completely captivated. After the show, tipping them whatever cash I had saved up, I asked a million questions about their performance, their lives, and was treated with the inspiration:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\"You, too, can do this someday!\"\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/eternal-sunshine.jpg?v=1779680559\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have been watching \u003cem\u003eEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind\u003c\/em\u003e on repeat for several days as a meditation exercise. Long paralleled with countless life situations by many bloggers, it feels like a useful bit of architecture to figure out a question ringing my bells.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\"So, self, my love: Do you want to be the production artist or the creative manager?\"\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe speed in which this is answered ought be countered with the fullness of one's fridge, and a history of how long it has been that full or empty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is a deceptive question. It deserves thought and consideration. The quick answer is \"You can be both!\" and there is a lot of necessity:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf you are an artist without a process, you risk dissolving into a mess or soulless interpretation of ideas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf you are an art manager without yourself creating, you may doom yourself into frustration and stagnation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/diner-academia-moon.jpg?v=1779681310\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout a year and a half before writing this post, I began the final stages of re-orienting my life around a more nocturnal schedule.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was seeking the peace and quiet of the long night, the cooler temperatures, the softer hours, the ease of accessing liminal spaces. I needed to find distance between myself and the loudness of much of modern life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have begun taking my \u003cem\u003eTo Read\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTo Watch\u003c\/em\u003e piles seriously. How common is it to have years, literal decades, of movie and show recommendations from friends? \u003cem\u003e\"You have got to watch... you should read...\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is a beautiful, subtle way of saying, \"I am thinking of you, I love you\" and when we do complete these offered side quests, it is an equally lovely \"I am thinking of you, too, I love you, too.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eIt is also a useful measuring tool of how much art one is consuming versus making.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eSupporting the arts starts in one's own heart.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch6 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eIn my case, I can see, immediately, the balance has been off for a very long time.\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/josie-pussycats.jpg?v=1779681977\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love movies, which I have only an audience-level understanding of. The production of every movie ever made feels something akin to a miracle. I feel like a common refrain to a \u003cem\u003ebehind-the-scenes \u003c\/em\u003efeature falls into the line of:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\"This script existed in development hell for 200,000 years. It took another 50,000 years to secure the funding, and by the time we got to filming, everyone initially cast had gone on to become literal stars in the sky, they no longer had time for our project.\"\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis slightly mild exaggeration makes me feel better about the series of paintings I have had in mind for awhile, at least.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI have no idea how a movie is made.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI love not having any idea of how a movie is made.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis is why I turn to movies when I find myself at a crossroads in my artistic career.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe mystery is necessary and welcome.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/promotion.png?v=1779682772\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNot for the first time, a back office client offered to bring me into their management program. This is the heart of the purpose of this blog post: \u003cstrong\u003eproduction\u003c\/strong\u003e versus \u003cstrong\u003emanagement.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I ask my friends with generational wealth supporting their artistic career, the answer is direct and simple (and because they are friends, without malice, though with a notable lack of relatability): \u003cem\u003e\"Oh, stay the artist path, obviously.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I ask my past self, who has chewed the tablecloth out of hunger in lean years, the answer is very different.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eThere is no wrong, nor correct, answer, aside from \"What has the greatest chance of building a satisfying life?\"\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eI made my choice (art: drawing, painting, writing) and hope I will not regret it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a more chilling, underlying, often undiscussed repercussion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe life of the creative manager, or any sort of main-focus-that-pays-the-bills however it manifests, offers the very pertinent: \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHave an idea, immediately begin executing, minimal (if any) consideration to the supply cost. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eI have been in this position a few times and it is arguably magnificent on some level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/diner-academia-bank.jpg?v=1779683353\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs I tackle my television shows to watch list, my movies to watch list, as I consume books at a rate not seen since cheap bookstores ruled physical malls, I find myself at an old crossroads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInfinite desire to make \u003cem\u003eeverything\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExploding inspiration\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConstrained resources\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe necessity to pick and choose projects.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAt first, the answer seemed \u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003esimple\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGo back to art school! Yes, of course!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat hallowed workshop of new tools and machinery! The meeting hall of like-minds, where techniques are shared! Experiments exalted!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eI asked my producer to look into it for me:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/go-back-to-art-school.jpg?v=1779681148\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAnd immediately realized another path is in order.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am calling it \"diner academia\" because a few times a month, I grab all of my notebooks and shove them into a bag. I walk down the street to the local all-night diner, lay out my studies, order up coffee and potatoes, and Think and Dream.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe effects have been immediate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy constraining myself to narrow production, the river of inspiration is plunging deeper. I do not want to make more complex work -- I explicitly enjoy the cheesy, lighthearted, silly things I have done in the past -- but the number of characters I want to write about is steadily growing. Backstories are coming easier. Connections between them are less opaque.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am quickly realizing I had biases against certain types of art, certain mediums and genres. I've been a snob without realizing it, and breaking this down, I have come to enjoy movies I would have turned my nose up to prior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eI have long feared I would eventually have to choose between \u003cstrong\u003email\u003c\/strong\u003e or \u003cstrong\u003estories and comics.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/diner-confession.png?v=1779713456\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e(Quick note: This was drawn about 2 years ago or so)\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eno longer\u003c\/strong\u003e feels the case. I \u003cstrong\u003edo not,\u003c\/strong\u003e in fact, love newspapers more than mail. What I love is newspapers and mail as a \u003cstrong\u003esingular, connected focus.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/netherworldpost.com\/collections\/netherworld-tourism-bureau\" title=\"Netherworld Tourism Bureau\"\u003eNetherworld of my stories\u003c\/a\u003e is the pin that binds everything together. The monsters, ghosts, witches, mermaids and more communicate with each other directly with mail and broadly with newspapers -- this is the heart of my artistic focus, the exploration of all three, together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eHalloween creatures + newspapers + mail.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cost is accepting the boundaries of the three and how they play together. I am a creature of free will, if I want to build a special widget or offer a one-time whatevers, that is always possible, but as an acknowledged \"this is a limited time, probably one-run item.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe (immense) benefit is becoming an audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I want a thing to exist, rather than run off and figure out the production details, spend a few weeks at my desk sketching it out, spend a few months learning how it is produced, calculating the costs... I go look to see if another artist is building in this realm already.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNotebooks and planners are a prime example.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/steno.jpg?v=1779714450\" alt=\"I'm really getting into steno notebooks lately.\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI used to make and sell them, and had \u003cem\u003etremendous\u003c\/em\u003e fun doing so. However, unless your production scale is significant \u003cstrong\u003eand\u003c\/strong\u003e unless you are binding in-house (preferably printing as well), it is \u003cem\u003eexceptionally\u003c\/em\u003e difficult for these to be a product. And even when you hit these two (or three) levels, production issues similarly creep up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI would love to make and sell notebooks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhen I was producing and selling them years ago, my studio was literally 4x the size it is now.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConversely, my studio costs are \u003cem\u003esignificantly\u003c\/em\u003e less now, given I have scaled operations down to stories, newspapers, and mail ephemera. This freedom is allowing me to become far, far more experimental.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003eThis is not sponsored. The only connection I have with Field Notes is as a customer. In addition, nearly 20 years ago, Jim Coudal gave me a private portfolio review. His kindness and generosity were matched singularly with the wisdom he offered.\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd because I no longer make notebooks, I have gone out to explore the world made by others. I (like so many others) \u003cstrong\u003elove\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca title=\"Field Notes brand notebooks\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/fieldnotesbrand.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eField Notes\u003c\/a\u003e!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003eThis is not sponsored. The only connection I have with Atlas Stationers is as a customer.\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/atlas-stationers.jpg?v=1779717272\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eI bought my first Field Notes notebooks at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.atlasstationers.com\/\" title=\"Atlas Stationers in Chicago\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAtlas Stationers!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis final segment is going to sound... off-kilter a bit, because it is. I accept that\u003cem\u003e (laugh)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtlas Stationers is a legendary stationery shop in Chicago.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe first time I went was not long after moving to the city, when I began experimenting with stationery as an art studio project.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI had \"go back to Atlas, browse and experiment\" on my to-do list for \u003cstrong\u003efifteen years. \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI either shuffled it forward \"remind me next week\" or frustratedly \"remind me in three months\" for \u003cem\u003efifteen literal years. \u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eNot\u003c\/span\u003e an exaggeration. 1-5-years.\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe train ride to get there, from my studio, takes less time than writing, finding images from my photo\/illustration library, proofing, and posting this blog post. (Okay, admittedly, this line is an exaggeration, but not a significant one.)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis experience is \u003cstrong\u003edirectly\u003c\/strong\u003e connected to the new direction I am headed in.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven the above heavily photoshopped image is part of this. One of the foundational experiences to a graphic design career is \"grab Photoshop and mess around with filters and layers until you make something that you like.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have historically taken photo edits for blog posts and similar seriously. Find best photo \/ adjust for lighting \/ \u003cem\u003etinker tinker tinker tinker\u003c\/em\u003e \/ okay now it is ready.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow? Find image in b-roll, spend 30 seconds to 3 minutes making look neat with additional visual texture, \u003cem\u003e\"ah ha I like this, it reminds me of [genre \/ era] design that I am currently interesting in. Move on.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eI always found artistic constraint \u003cstrong\u003erepugnant.\u003c\/strong\u003e Now I am seeing it as a mechanism somewhere between \u003cstrong\u003esafety valve\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003esalvation\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy letting go of an incessant \u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eneed\u003c\/span\u003e to be in charge, to be the main event, be the spotlight focus -- by becoming more of an audience, by embracing narrow paths to focus -- I am finding myself experiencing far more, digging far deeper, meeting fresh faces, finding love for new things and finding new love for existing things.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI do not regret the path that got me to where I am now. I will forever hunger for the ability to do everything always everywhere, in the same way I hunger for a metabolism that would thrive exclusively on coffee, potatoes and jalapeños for meals, and lemons and limes for dessert.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am finding this new path to be exactly what I need.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am growing more, faster, broader as an artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am having more fun than I thought possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMay we all support the arts, in our hearts for our own work, and with our coins and attention in the work of others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIn the spirit of it, please send me YOUR blog posts about YOUR journeys in art of any kind.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease invite me into your overtly self indulgant wonders and experiments and mistakes and learnings and findings and rambles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat are you making?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat are you failing at?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere are you succeeding?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat are you dreaming about?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat are you getting back into, after a pause?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat are you plunging into with \u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eartistic\u003c\/span\u003e recklessness? (But with proper physical protection... I love and support personal protective equipment! Ventilation, stretching, gloves, aprons! More more more!)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/diner-academia-haunting-rights.jpg?v=1779717809\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Netherworld Post Office","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43215237939261,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/files\/ren-fair.jpg?v=1779680282"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/7499\/1677\/collections\/fpo.jpg?v=1778777409","url":"https:\/\/netherworldpost.com\/collections\/stories-comics-essays-surveys-more.oembed","provider":"Netherworld Post Office","version":"1.0","type":"link"}