Scribe

Yeah.

Camp Lane.

Yeah. Tools of the trade. I've been consuming a lot of the movies of Sidney Lumet, who I've always called Sidney lame, but apparently it's Lumet. I'm a big fan of his films, but I'm kind of going into the ones that people don't see. So I recently just watched the Dybbuk, which is a filmed for TV play, like an old Yiddish play that he did, which was really interesting and good. And I also watched the Wiz for the first time recently, which is a wild movie and, you know, babies hanging from the sky and little star outfits with which was.

It is shockingly wild. And like, the images, like, some parts of it, it's just so imaginative and cool. And then some parts of it are just so strange that you wonder how they ever filmed anything like that and got it on the big screen. But yeah, so I've been watching those. I've been reading a collection of essays on EB White, which has been interesting because I love his writing, but I've never read any criticism on him. And the criticism's kind of harsh for someone who like. And I think he's kind of one of the great American essayists. And people are like, eh, you know, he's too light hearted. And I'm like, but that's the charm. So that's been good too. And I've been Listening to this new artist called Penelope Scott. And she is apparently some TikTok star. I'm not on TikTok, so I listen to her music on Spotify. But she's a college student, like a political science student who does music in her spare time. And she has these great sort of songs about, like, you know, the things that young people are angry about, like Elon Musk and respectability, politics and all these things. And she's this really incredible lyricist and she kind of produces and mixes all of her own music. So highly recommend her music.

Oh, and also I am. See, I'm clearly a newcomer because I'm like, oh, yeah, I have to keep talking. Here I am writing with a Bauhaus blackwing on an appointed notebook that I got in one of those, like, for Christmas, CW pencils. Does those Christmas, like gift boxes. And one of my friends sent me the Eco one and it came with this really cool green appointed notebook that I've liked.

I love that book. It's really beautiful and like, very kind of makes you feel like you're living on a house, like in a house, like in the middle of nowhere.

It was really good.

No. It's a good title though.

This is a fresh point to me. I don't know if it's a fresh point to everyone, but I recently discovered the website notebooktherapy.com and they have like Korean and Japanese stationery and these really cute notebooks. What happened was I bought a panda planner this year thinking I'm gonna use a structured planner. And like two months in, I was like, this is not working at all. So I figured out I needed to get like a blank notebook for a bullet journal again, which I don't know why I didn't know that after using a bullet journal for five years, but I thought maybe something new. It didn't work. But I went to the site and these really cute designs and they're kind of baren fig shaped and kind of baren fig, like paper. Like you can write with fountain pen and stuff. But one caveat, which is I don't know if it's just the notebook I got or if it's all of them, but sometimes the dots don't line up perfectly and that's so annoying. But beyond that one little thing, it's. It's a cool notebook and they have like, really kind of cool, like notebook accessories and stuff. So definitely check them out.

Right? Like, I should have some pretty ones on your desk to be happy.

Yes. That was it for me.

Good. You know, I didn't mean to check up on you.

And music's fun. I feel so strange about. About music. Because I haven't been playing guitar. Whenever I think I should write a song, I'm like, oh, but songwriting is like what other people do. Like, like real musicians. So. So, you know, music. Music is strange.

Okay, I will write that down.

That's a great title for a book.

You never know.

That's wild.

I did not. I did go to the library the day before Independent Books Store Day, which was nice because now the. My local library is open, so you can go inside and browse, which is new.

Very cool.

I don't. I just use the one on my laptop. But I look at them and they're like. They have some really cool designs.

A lot of commitment?

So, hi again.

Yeah. First of all, I don't think I've thanked anyone for being on this podcast yet, but I am very honored to be on the podcast, and this has been very fun so far. And I cannot believe it's been a year and change since Voldemort. And that definitely was the last place I went to before not going anywhere for a year and change. But about me. I'm living in Southern California now, and I'm a writer and artist, and I like to write about comics and film and television and books, and I like to draw cartoons about, like, little things that happen in my life. Oh. And how. How I came to it. I guess it's one of those things where, like, I've. I've always been a person with a lot of opinions about things, and I'm also a person who consumes a lot of media. And I think, like, in college, you know, you write an essay and your professor is forced to read it. They are paid to read it. And that was always cool, but I didn't really. Cultural critics existed in modern days beyond just writing reviews, which I think is fine. But I like to do. I like to extend beyond that. But I love reading like, literary criticism, like Umberto Eco and Barthes. So after college I was just like, I guess I should start writing some things about things. And slowly people started reading it, which was kind of cool.

Yeah, well, I guess, like to start off like, I think comics are great and that there's a lot of amazing work out there. It's mixed because it's actually. When we say comics, we're talking about multiple industries. Right. We're talking about superhero monthly comics and like kids graphic novels and like those artsy, Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novels. And in general, like, I feel like the people I meet tend to be nice. It is also like a lot of men. And that has created a lot of problems over time. But the work itself, I think, like, there's no, there's no. For me, there's no better work than reading something or watching something and then writing about it in what I think is a complex way and then talking to people about the work in a complex way. So for me, it's just kind of. It's really fun and it's a way of kind of delving deeper into the stories that people find important.

Yeah. I mean, I think it doesn't engage the same parts of the brain as prose in the same way that like, reading Wodehouse isn't the same thing as Reading Borges. Right. Like we, we engage with different works on different levels. And like, there's the same thing with like, let's say looking at a painting versus listening to a song. Right. I think this is kind of the part where I'm like when I. When I get to not quote C.S. lewis, but I get to invoke him in his. He has this great book called An Experiment in Criticism that I talk about all the time. But he talks about judging a reader's quality not by what they read, but by how they read. Like, there are always people who are going to be like skimming Shakespeare and then there's going to be people writing dissertations on Calvin and Hobbes. Right. And it's about kind of, it's what you put in. Right. And especially in education. And I studied children's literature and I'd like to think I know a lot about the field, but you know, who knows? But for me it's about kind of directing. Like if you want a child to engage with a work, ask them questions about how does the color work in this comic? Right. Or what do you like about this? And then what is the artist doing in this moment to kind of, to hide an emotion or why do we think that this character is moving faster on this page than in this page? Right. And it's no different from any kind of analysis or interaction with art or with the world in general. Right. It's about kind of breaking the elements of heart and seeing how the clock ticks.

I think a small percentage of the time it's like something like brilliant will happen in life and I'll be like, oh yeah, that's going to be a comic. Right? And then most of the time though, it's like me Saturday morning thinking what kind of funny thing happened this week? Or what slightly interesting thing happened? And it's, it's interesting because with the Diary comic format. It's four panels, so it's not a huge amount of space. And there's some really funny things that will not fit in that four panels. And there are certain things that aren't as funny in real life, but when you condense it into the four page comic format, it becomes funnier. So it's kind of like putting together a puzzle and seeing what actually fits and then kind of going ahead with that. Awesome.

That's interesting. I mean, I storyboard, but like, I am also like the world's. I'm the world's least patient artist. And you'll see especially the earlier comics, they're super crooked. And because I. I don't like using a ruler because I'm just like, you know, I just want to get it done. And like, the panels are all different shapes. Now. I try to be a little more neat, but the one thing that I kind of do have to do is storyboard because the gags and stuff and like the layouts are so visual. So I tend to kind of have the idea. I lay out where the words and the images are going to be because they have like, they have a dynamic. Right? Like, you don't want to have like too many words on one side because it's going to kind of unbalance the entire thing. So it's kind of. You kind of all have to do it at once. And actually Nick Susanis, who's this great comic scholar whose dissertation was published and called Unflattening, and he talks a lot about thinking through images, which I am not in general. I'm not that person in general. I think through words. But with this particular exercise of doing a diary comic, I do kind of think in images. And it's been really fun to see how that turns out. Like, how I would create something that I would never create if I was just sitting down and writing it.

Yeah, I think with all of my work, it's about kind of drawing attention to something that other people might not be looking at. So, like, with criticism, it's like, well, I saw this movie and I saw something that nobody else Saw. So here's my opinion, and hopefully, you know, next time someone watches a movie again, they're like, oh, that kind of makes sense. Or they're like, oh, that makes no sense at all. But, you know, new thinking. Right. And with, like, my diary comic, it's about, oh, little moments in life. And same thing with poetry. Right? It's about, like, poetry, to me, is something that is. So it's about focus, and it's about looking at something very intently. And so to me, I think all of my work is about drawing my attention and. Or other people's attention, if I am so lucky to have readers of whatever I'm doing to something that they may not see on their own.

That's very nice of you to say, because a lot of times I just think of a dilettante, like, you know, master of none. Right. But as for creating and sharing, I think the big one for me is not taking yourself or your work too seriously. I always joke that I'm a lowercase W writer and a lowercase A artist. Nothing that I'm making do I think is a masterpiece. I'm like, this is not my masterpiece. This is not the essay that's going to change the world. This is just some of my thoughts or this is some of my drawings. And having that, like, weight not on my shoulders, I think is just like, well, I think this thing is pretty good for me, probably. And so maybe other people will read it. And if they do, then they do. And if they don't, then. Then I work harder and try to improve. Right. I think not having it. And I think with a lot of artists, and for me, when I was younger, too, having this, like, pressure that, like, this has to be perfect and that, like, I have to contribute something to, like, the artistic society is, like, that's really draining and it's very scary. As opposed to, like, hey, I'm just a person, you know, with a website and sometimes I post some drawings on Saturday or whatever, and then I can, you know, do whatever I want and see if it resonates with people.

All the roles, like, with my diary comic, I draw it by hand and Then I scan it in. And with writing, with poetry, for sure, I always start my drafts with pencil on paper, and then I do some revision on paper, and then I move it to the computer. But. And with some essays, I think it depends on the shape of the essay. I'd say, like 70% of my essays are typed up on the. On the laptop. But if I'm doing a personal essay or if I'm trying to do something a little more concentrated, if that makes sense, try to write what I'm doing longhand. And the same thing happens when I'm doing a, like, complex revision. I'll print out my article or whatever, and I'll copy it. I out all by hand with, like, a pencil, because it slows you down. And it really makes, like, when you're typing sometimes, because typing is so simple, a lot of the times, like, you can just type junk, and you're just like, yeah, you know, I'm writing. But when you're writing by hand, like, it's effort, right? It's like, well, does it. Do I really want this sentence? Because if I do, like, I'd have to spend the next few, you know, half a minute or whatever or a minute writing it out. Like, and especially when you're, like, at the end of your thing, you're like, oh, do I really need this last sentence here? And you're much more aware of, like, the language you use and how it sounds when you're forced to write it out. So. So, yeah, I love. I love doing as much of my work as possible analog

I like. I like pencils with erasers, which, like, kind of sucks because a lot of pencil. A lot of great pencils don't have erasers because I usually cannot be bothered to have an. Like, I'm not, like, a very organized person if you can't tell by now. And so I'll just, you know, have a pencil at the bottom of my bag.

So I like pencils with erasers. I like, you know, firm lead, as dark as possible. Like, I love the Tennessee reds. I know everyone does. I like a good vintage Ticonderoga. Those are nice. And recently I came across. I bought, like, this box of vintage pencils on Etsy, and I found this Eagle Black Warrior, which I've never tried before. And it's like, two And a half, which I think is really funny. Never heard of a two and a half pencil before. But I love it. And it really maintains a point, which means I don't have to sharpen as much, which is very convenient. So those are kind of the pencils on my mind right now.

I really like postcards lately. I don't know why. I'm just having, like, a postcard vibe. Like, I mean, you're supposed to use them when you write to your senators and stuff, because then they don't have to screen them for anthrax. But somehow it, like, feels chiller and easier to, like, jot off a quick postcard to a friend as opposed to, like, I'm gonna sit down and write a letter with a capital L. Right? So it's like, oh, you know, happy birthday, or, oh, we should talk more often or something. And also, the fun thing about postcards is there are a lot of, like, independent artists who just, like, sell, like, you know, packs of postcards on their website, so you can, like, find all these cool things. And, you know, I mean, I feel like when we say postcards, a lot of times people are like, you know, picture of the Washington Monument, like, terribly framed photograph of the Washington Monument with, like, really bad, like, clip art. But. But, like, there are some, like, really awesome artists to support. And then, like, you get cool postcards. And then you can put them on your wall, like a little print.

It'd be cool, though. I'd get your postcard.

Gosh, that is. That's a big question.

I'm like. Like, my instinct is to go with, like. I mean, have empathy for people, but that's not. That's not a useful thing to say, because that doesn't help people have empathy. I think I would want to do some cool, like, sort of project that, like, I don't know, like, seeing people. My brain first goes into people's text messages. Like, text messages that talk about, like, love and relationships and, like, familial relationships and just. And, like, pictures of people just to remind people that, like, you know, other people have lives. And. And I think this is the big subway thing, is sometimes you're sitting on a subway and you look around and all of a sudden you're like, like, oh, everybody in here is living their own rich and complex life, and it gets really overwhelming.

Is that what it's called?

Yeah, like, something that would echo that, too. And, like, we all need this in public spaces, too, is to, like, you know, remind people to not be rude to the person next to you.

Be kind. Exactly. That would be my. My instinctive answer. I don't know if I have a deeper one than that.

I don't know why that, like, caught me off so much. Well, my own stuff. Like, I have, you know, a monthly newsletter called Putting It Together, which is a monthly essay about a piece of media that I've consumed lately. And my most recent one was about the podcast 99% invisible. And then I have hard copies of my diary comic on sale in my Etsy shop, which is a couple zines as well.

I did not. What do you.

What?

That is shocking and surprising. Like, I am it. That's not the move that I would

Okay.

Yeah, I am on Twitter and Instagram Exploding Arrow. My website is just tiffanybab. That's B A B b dot com. And you can pretty much find everything through the. Oh, my Etsy shop is called All About Me Comics. So if you just put that into the Little Etsy search bar. It'll come up.

Yeah.

That was very impressive.