Sew a Needle Pulling Thread
Issue 83 is not woven together
Dear Sweet Children of Mine,
Happy Tuesday. Today, I visited with a new-old friend, Arthur, whom I met a couple of years ago while in a writing course. Arthur lives in Austin, Texas. His name isn’t Arthur. It’s Andrew, but I met him as Arthur because he wrote under a pseudonym. Halfway through our friendship, he reverted to his God-given name, Andrew. Sorry, Charlie. You’re Arthur to me.
What’s this track doing here?
I wanted to title Issue 83, Sew a Needle Pulling Thread for almost no reason. To give it legitimacy, I added this track for your enjoyment. Don’t worry, it won’t get stuck in your head ;)
Reminder: You’re Hot
Your phone likely has a hotspot.
A hotspot is your private wifi and you’re advised to use it when in public. As I type these words, I’m in Starbucks with other folks who believe this is their office, using my hotspot, not their wifi. Why? Because some people make it their life’s work to steal your soul and they’ll do it more effectively if they share a wifi signal with you.
Using your own private Idaho, I mean, wifi, will make it a bit harder on them.
If you’re unsure if you’re hot, look in the mirror, you are. (Then ask Google how to locate your hotspot.)
Dye Together
This wonderful shop in Los Angeles, Suay Sew Shop, is doing something about fast fashion by upcycling post-consumer waste and giving garments a second chance.
One way they’re making a difference for you and me is by offering a community dye bath with six new colors each month. Send them your stained, dingy, and just plain ugly clothes, towels, sheets, curtains, etc., and they’ll come back to you, in the colors you chose, entirely new.
May’s colors are inspired by wine, with dyes like sediment, tannin, and rosé tie dye. I have my eye on bio blue. Don’t like this month’s colors, wait until next month.
The process takes some time. Certainly, it’s easier to buy new, and sometimes cheaper. But, Suay is a small, scrappy, and super cool company that I want to support.
Don’t live in Los Angeles? Neither do I. You can mail them your items! And shop online. Here’s how it works.
PS: All dyes work on cotton. This month, two dyes work on synthetics and cotton: bio blue and sediment. Hello, outdoor furniture refresh!
PPS: Suay means beautiful in Thai.
Redesign the Sign
Do you remember the first time you saw the “Drive like your kids live here” sign? I do. I thought it had legs. Nice message. Effective. Lands. I get it. If my kids were playing around here, would I drive like the maniac I am? No.
Why? The message touched us enough to think, “Hey that’s clever. I get what they’re doing.” For years we’d only seen the sign, “Slow Children at Play” (which we’d chuckle at because it sounds like the children were slow).
Drive like your kids live here has a point of view. It’s direct. It asks the viewer to adhere to the agreement, which creates a bond between the messenger and the receiver.
Did you know, Drive Like Your Kids Live Here is a movement? I sure didn’t.
The message has legs, but the sign is no longer surprising. It’s rote. Some assholes even speed up when they see them (obvi not me).
Let’s take a closer look at the message:
Here’s what works:
– It starts with a verb. Action!
– There are no “to” verbs (the fewer “to” verbs, the crisper the sentence).
– The message is clean. Clear. I have no further questions, your honor.
– It’s only six words.
Here’s what doesn’t:
– The novelty has worn off.
– The emphasis is on the wrong words. YOUR or YOUR KIDS are the operative words.
– Other things.
Such is everything in life, knowing when to keep a message and when to mix it up is an art, not a damn science. Some messages don’t need to change. Some do. The only trick I have in telling the two apart is to sense the energy of your audience. Feel into it. What’s their experience of you?
PS: Don’t even get me started on the Keep Calm, Carry On shit.
Note to Self
Watch Finding Joe.
One of my clients recommended this 2011 short film on Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey. It’s on my list. Maybe it’s on yours?
My relationship had a bit of a tough day today. It happens, though it’s never fun. It’s reality and reality is okay (and okay to share).
As is, M&M eating brocolli.
Yours truly, madly, deeply, Simone
slow children at play😂 never thought of that. I hope tomorrow(today?) is better and thanks for sharing your musings etc. :)
M&M is meme-worthy <3