How Hippos Work
I’ve been struggling to write here lately. A combination of thinking too hard about what to write combined with a normally thriving silliness dulled by the horrors of every day life. So, in an effort to breakthrough whatever block this is I’m posting a few old drawings and odds and ends. Bear with me.
I feel so lucky to have lived in NYC before the Internet arrived. From 1993, when I moved there, until roughly 1998, I was not online. I used payphones. I would go to record stores or live shows to hear new music. What a time to be in my 20s. I was out and about and doing things, creating things. Running around with a Hi-8 camera being silly. Obsessively visiting a Photo Booth in an east village junk shop on Ave A that ran on tokens (2 for $5?).
When I wasn’t bothering the nice ladies that ran the junk shop for tokens I was hitting up these odd business card machines scattered across the city. They were small kiosks (I swear I ran across them in more than one bar) where you could design and print your own business card. For five or ten dollars you could choose from a limited number of very basic graphics and design templates, and then fill in your info. When you were finished the machine would print out a stack of ten or so business cards and you were ready to be employed! I love finding ways to subvert structure, this is a realization that has only come lately, back then I just got the biggest kick printing up ridiculous business cards. Here are a few…
And one more drawing before I hit the road.
Stay silly.
Camus said "accepting the absurdity of everything around us is one step, a necessary experience: it should not become a dead end. It arouses a revolt that can become fruitful."
Stay silly, Ted. We need it now more than ever. <3
Ted, those business cards are amazing. I’m fully behind bringing vending machines back that do simple things well.