2018–19 Newsbook

I've always documented news stories in my sketchbook, mostly just news about the environment. But as I've worked in newspaper design the past few years I've become ardent about my documentation. I love the news. I love understanding political timelines, contexts, and spotting hypocrisies. It's become a creative obsession for me, so this year I started a news book wholly dedicated to my interpretation of the political, environmental, and social happenings of 2018 and 2019. I cut up newspapers I get from all over the country, TIME, magazines, and any other relevant publication that I feel is necessary to nail the context. I still trip out that newsrooms literally publish entire books every single day of the year, jam packed with all sorts of perfectly edited content.

Maybe the craziness of 2018 isn't unique in it's anxiety — maybe every year from now until humans self-destruct will be disorientingly divided. I've been watching the Handmaid's Tale lately and my psyche is unnerved and disturbed: I see the show everywhere, in every crevice of modern society. This book helps me make sense of the discomfort and answer my screaming WHY?!?s.

Title page to my news sketchbook

Trumpy tweety

Gatefold cover to a climate change section

Unfolded climate change section

Detail shot of 2 additional flaps for climate change

Inside pages

My pile of newspapers and publications that I still need to read through (left) and my stack of stories clipped together, organized by topic (right). I've never appreciated paperclips as much as I do with this project.

My holy workspace as I lay out the Parkland shooting spread

'Nothing real can be threatened'

I started this piece the day after Beyoncé dropped Lemonade ("My grandma said, 'Nothing real can be threatened'")—inspired by true love and genuine friendship. And although this still feels very unfinished (art would never be shared if we all waited until it felt "done"), I'm sharing it now as I'm inspired by the inevitability of progress, equality, and righteousness for all.

As the polls close for the controversial Senate seat in Alabama, and with the strong likelihood that it'll go to a(nother) man that I believe to be scary, gross, and 3 steps backwards in time [*EDIT: Roy Moore lost to Doug Jones by 20,000 votes!]...we have to sustain faith in the universe and in the people. It's said that a wildfire acts as a phenomenally progressive force in nature because it creates a rich bed for new growth; it feels like we're consumed by wildfire (metaphorically with politics and also IRL) but bullshit is always self-destructive! ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

10x14" collage with hand-lettering and scalloped edges. I found the floral corners from the 1940s at the Austin Photo, Book, & Paper Festival for 50¢ 

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