Forget the noun, & do the verb
Hello there :)
Welcome to issue eighty four of Manufacturing Serendipity, a loosely connected, somewhat rambling collection of the unexpected things I’ve recently encountered.
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Part I: Things I’ve been thinking about…
I’ve set myself a challenge — every day for one hundred days I will write a short story. At the time of writing this, I’m on day ten, and have written ten stories.
I’m mentioning this here for two reasons: firstly to keep me accountable (I’ve told you lovely lot about this, so now I need to stick with it!); and secondly to share a handful of things that I’ve noticed so far:
I’ve had more story ideas in the past 10 days, than I’ve had in the past 10 months. Why? I think it’s probably because I’m getting a daily creative “workout”.
Having lots of ideas feels great, but can be distracting. Thinking about all the stories I could possibly write, is not the same thing as actually writing a story.
Constraints are sometimes helpful. For this challenge I’ve set myself the constraint that each story must begin with the same opening line. Right now, I’m finding this a help, rather than a hindrance, but that might change — I’ll let you know :)
It’s been a great reminder that I’m definitely the type of person who just needs to write their way into a story, and figure it out along the way. So far, most of the stories I’ve written, are very different to the stories I initially thought I was intending to write. Forget the noun, and do the verb is great advice, and so far, it’s serving me well.
Almost without exception, whenever I’m in the middle of writing the story I enter the dark swamp of despair and wonder why the hell I’m trying to do this thing, but then I somehow figure it out. (Again, hopefully that continues to happen, huh?).
Serendipitous finds
Could Competitive Excel become the next big Esport?
David Pierce covers the Microsoft Excel World Championship (yes, it’s a thing, and it’s held in Las Vegas):
“Competitive Excel has been around for years, but only in a hobbyist way. Most of the people in this room full of actuaries, analysts, accountants, and investors play Excel the way I play Scrabble or do the crossword — exercising your brain using tools you understand. But last year’s competition became a viral hit on ESPN and YouTube, and this year, the organizers are trying to capitalize. After all, someone points out to me, poker is basically just math, and it’s all over TV. Why not spreadsheets? Excel is a tool. It’s a game. Now it hopes to become a sport.”
Climate Zones: How will your city feel in the future?
This is a great piece from the team at the Pudding.
“Climate scientists say that we’re headed for more than a two degree rise in the earth’s temperatures; but for most people, that’s not really helpful in providing a tangible vision of our future.
Perhaps that’s because we’re more familiar with weather: the daily, short-term forecasts that make you pack an extra sweater or wear your rain boots. Climate, on the other hand, describes average weather systems over long periods of time.”
The truth is, our cities won’t just be getting hotter, they will resemble the distinctive climates of completely different places.
80 iconic piano intros, played from memory
This is really, really, lovely. If that’s your jam, you’ll love Bennett’s follow-up - a further 90 intros. (Dad, if you’re reading this, you should definitely watch the follow-up because it includes your favourite song in the whole wide world ever.)
Wisdom Kaye creates looks inspired by the internet’s most and least favourite fonts.
Gay Is the Thing with Feathers
This is a gorgeous long read:
“A long century ago in Britain, where I live, it was well-to-do women who were enamored with feathers, strutting and displaying with wings or even entire dead birds in their Victorian and Edwardian high fashions. Their feather frenzy propelled certain species around the world to the brink of extinction, and England’s exclusively male club of ornithologists did nothing. An all-female group of proto-conservationists stepped up, forming what is now the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to halt the “murderous millinery” killing off—all for the sake of hats—of hummingbirds, condors, and everything in between. The RSPB recently celebrated the centenary of its 1921 Plumage Act, which prohibits the import of exotic feathers and remains a monumental piece of conservation legislation.
But throughout history, humans have always used feathers to performative ends, and that certainly didn’t end in 1921. Sources and production have changed; in the West, at least, connotations have changed too: while feathered garments and accessories were once appeals to high status, since the late twentieth century they have first and foremost marked the look of camp. How did feathers in the Global North shift from serving aesthetic sensibilities of cisgender women to suiting those of queer men?”
The Redemption, a series of portraits by Tawny Chatmon
“In The Redemption, photography-based artist Tawny Chatmon celebrates the beauty of Black hair through a series of arresting portraits superimposed with 24 karat gold flourishes. Each photograph features a solemn child who’s dressed in hand-painted ornate, gilt garments that are inspired by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s Golden Phase. “These portraits are meant to act as a counter-narrative and redemptive measure to uplift and elevate Black hair, tradition, and culture freeing us from negative stereotypes,” Chatmon says in a statement. “An intent, not to be confused with seeking validation, but rather an unyielding affirmation of Black beauty.”
Part II: Books I’m Reading Right Now
All Fours, Miranda July — A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey. This triumphant, obsessive, weird, hot, rollercoaster of a novel with a perimenopausal protagonist is absolutely delicious.
I am Taurus, Stephen Palmer — Palmer traces the belief-systems, myths, rituals, and history of the constellation of Taurus from the 19,000 year old cave paintings in Lascaux, to Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Spain, (and elsewhere) through to the present day. Fascinating.
Part III: Things I’ve Been Watching
Black Barbie (Netflix) — this documentary film from writer-director Lagueria Davis, reveals the origin story of Black Barbie. It’s told largely through interviews with three Black women: Beulah Mae Mitchell (Davis’s aunt, an early employee at Mattel); Kitty Black Perkins (Mattel’s first Black designer); and Stacey McBride-Irby (Mattel’s second Black designer, who Black Perkins hired, and mentored). The documentary is divided into three acts: what it was like before Black dolls, what it was like with them, and what has changed since the presence of Black Barbie.
It’s a celebration of the incredible impact these women have had, but at the same time doesn’t shy away from posing hard questions. Barbie is considered the most diverse doll line on the market — there are Barbies with a range of skin tones, hair types, body types, and disabilities; but the children interviewed by the documentary film-makers are all quick to identify the white-skinned, blond-haired, blue-eyed, non-disabled doll as being the “real Barbie”.
True Detective Season 4: Night Country (Sky Atlantic, Now TV, or purchase) — despite its flaws, I loved the first season of True Detective. I have never watched Seasons 2 and 3 (and probably won’t); it was my love of Jodie Foster that prompted me to purchase this season. Set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, just as the sun sets, and the 60 days of polar night begin; our detectives (Jodie Foster and Kali Reis) investigate the disappearance of a group of scientists from a nearby research station.
Various criticisms have been thrown at this season (some are valid, some are less so), but skip the reviews and watch it for yourself. It’s a wild ride.
Part IV: What I’ve been up to…
Thinking about writing stories, actually writing stories, meeting friends for drinks, failing at adulting.
What’s next?
I am excited about:
Going away for a long weekend with my Mum
Meeting up Areej
Writing more stories
Season 3 of The Bear
Moar shameless self-promotion
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That’s all from me for now :)
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Big love,
Hannah x
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