Make the thing

I don’t have a manifesto. I keep forgetting to write it because I get busy making something or I realize it’s 10 pm and I’ve been reading a romance novel since dinner. If I did have a manifesto though it would go something like this…

Make that odd-ball thing you’ve been thinking about. Make it outta scraps from the recycle bin that you dyed in the sink with food coloring. Buy a sweater from the thrift store and reclaim the yarn to crochet a weird little guy. Cut out pics from magazines and paste them on a piece of poster board with a half-dried Elmer’s glue stick you found in the kitchen junk drawer. Bake a cake that lists to one side but tastes bonkers. Write a first draft of a poem on the back of the water bill envelope.

Then once you’re done, take photos of it all. Heck, take a few “during” pictures too because sometimes the messy middle is just as glorious. And then for the love of all that is good and right in this world, send a photo to me because I want to see all the amazingly strange and wonderful ways your brain works.

Once you’re done making the first thing, let the momentum of finishing it propel you straight into your next weird thing. Maybe it’s a variation of the first weird thing or maybe it’s something entirely new because no one is the boss of you and there’s no algorithm in your brain insisting you copy yourself. My new thing is to make a one page zine about making the thing I just made. (You can see zines for each of the pieces in In Search of Alchemy.) So try making a zine too so you can savor the process of making and finishing your thing.

Y’all, I’m tired. My soul is weary from the daily horrors. And the only thing keeping me going is gluing my weird little bits and bobs together and talking about them on this website and hoping one of you nerds sends me a pic of the thing you’ve dreamed up and sewed together yourself.

Make the thing. I’m begging you. You don’t have to join anything to do this. You can just do it right now. Today. If you want some encouragement, this post is it! Just take tonight and start making your thing instead of doom scrolling or watching more YouTube.

Speaking of YouTube, what’s solidified this for me is watching Ash Bentley’s videos. My favorite is probably “I implore you to make dumb art.” I mean they are all a lot of fun but this one is the embodiment of the spirit I’m talking about. But you aren’t allowed to watch it right now because right now or as soon as you get off of work and eat whatever leftover is in your fridge for dinner, you are going to start your project. Ash’s videos will be there this weekend while you are waiting for your glue to dry. Make the thing.

Here’s the thing I just finished:

What are you about to make? What have you recently made? I’d love to hear about it! Email me or start a conversation by leaving a comment on this post! If you’d like to keep up with what I’m working on, I’d love to have you as a newsletter subscriber. I include blog posts from here, cool things I find online, and pictures of my dogs. Sign up here.