I asked AI to make this for me

Published about 5 hours ago • 1 min read

Dear Reader,

One thing I’m thinking about

Catherine and I have been trying something a little different with our evening routine. Instead of eating dinner on the couch with Netflix streaming away, we've been changing things up. Some nights that means working on sewing projects, reading, or doing a chore we would normally do on the weekend. It sounds small, but I can't tell you how nice it feels to sit with someone you love and just enjoy their company (even if you are both quietly working away).

If you want to try it: pick one evening this week, skip the default scroll or show, and just sit with something you’re making instead. Doesn’t have to be finished. Just slow.

The main thing

I printed four pulls of my jackrabbit motif for the piece I’m working on right now. Two came out about as close to perfect as I get. The other two have some noise in them – a little uneven inking, a spot that didn’t quite transfer clean.

Here’s what I actually do with the ones that aren’t “perfect”: I don’t toss them. I keep every print I pull, even the rough ones, and I sort them into two piles once a project’s done. The strongest 1-2 become the actual finished piece. Everything else becomes raw material – cut up into smaller pieces for cards, collaged into something new, or sold as seconds at a lower price for someone who just wants the image, not a flawless print.

If you’re sitting on a pile of “misprints” you’ve been meaning to deal with, that’s really all it takes: sort into keep-for-showing and keep-for-something-else. Almost nothing needs to go in the trash. The imperfect ones just have a different job than the perfect ones do.

Also lately

​New video’s up this week – it’s a bit different from my usual tutorials. I’ve been thinking a lot about AI and what actually gets lost when nothing takes time anymore, and I made something more reflective about it while working on work for my upcoming bookstore show. If that’s up your alley, I’d love for you to watch it.

Warmly,

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Block printing artist inspired by California's coastal and desert wildlife, building a creative business one carved block at a time — while working full-time as a book conservator. I share honest process, real lessons (including the ones that didn't go as planned), and behind-the-scenes updates from the studio, alongside new block printing videos every other week on YouTube.