Make Something Cool Every Day
A study in creativity. From January until October 2012 I tried to do exactly as the title suggests. However I chose the year to do this when I was also working on a Master's Thesis, planning a wedding and getting married, and moving from Vermont to Wisconsin to London to Colombia. This made the project even more interesting and challenging in my expectations and results. For example, I thought I would be able to finish the entire year, but that just wasn't possible. In the end, some days' works are a success and some days are not. Just like life, I s'pose.
A study in creativity. From January until October 2012 I tried to do exactly as the title suggests. However I chose the year to do this when I was also working on a Master's Thesis, planning a wedding and getting married, and moving from Vermont to Wisconsin to London to Colombia. This made the project even more interesting and challenging in my expectations and results. For example, I thought I would be able to finish the entire year, but that just wasn't possible. In the end, some days' works are a success and some days are not. Just like life, I s'pose.
01-01-12: The other 99 percent.
01-02-12: Rotten fruit.

01-03-12: Pressed flowers.
01-04-12: Pressed flower.
01-05-12: Oppressed flour.
Notes: Sam's idea.
Also King Arthur Flour is
not affiliated with Kim Jong-un.
Notes: Sam's idea.
Also King Arthur Flour is
not affiliated with Kim Jong-un.

01-06-12: Toast with raspberry jam.

01-07-12: Salad.
01-08-12: Panorama of the dirt farm.

01-09-12: Lego man watches Glee.
01-10-12: Lego man and Buddha go on vacation.


01-11-12: Bangs, before and after.

01-12-12: Beer bottle as Harry Potter.

01-13-12: Mitten as Harry Potter.

01-14-12: iPod as Harry Potter.

01-15-12: Harry Potter as Harry Potter.

01-16-12: Cookies with a chocolate chip drop shadow.

01-17-12: Urban Outfitters in Burlington, VT.

01-18-12: Sculpey bracelet for Lily.

01-19-12: Bananas.

01-20-12: Fresh bread.

01-21-12: Poem.

01-22-12: Paper-cut letters.

01-23-12: Sculpey snake.

01-24-12: George Carlin's Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV.

01-25-12: The Mitt and The Newt.

01-26-12: The meeting of two spiders.
(I imagine it's like meeting a supermodel -
they look all plasticky and fake up close.)
(I imagine it's like meeting a supermodel -
they look all plasticky and fake up close.)

01-27-12: Patterns.

01-28-12: Coffee lovers' mug.

01-29-12: Tea lovers' mug.

01-30-12: Cough E.

01-31-12: Winter sky.


02-01-12: Broken cereal bowl.

02-02-12: Lily made of paper.

02-03-12: Lily made of Post It note.

02-04-12: Lily made of tissue.


02-05-12: Watering, before and after.

02-06-12: Poem from a romance novel.

02-07-12: Leaning Tower of Pisa watches Glee.

02-08-12: Blooms!

02-09-12: Homophones.

02-10-12: Chocolate cake.

02-11-12: The return of Michelangelo.

02-12-12: Why journalism is dead.

02-13-12: A rose by any other name.

02-14-12: Watercolor and letterpress.

02-15-12: Curious George.

02-16-12: Snow in Bryce Canyon, UT.

02-17-12: Colors in Bryce Canyon, UT.

02-18-12: Traffic light in a curry house.
Notes: Dani's idea.
Made of tamarind sauce,
mango pudding, and mint sauce.
Notes: Dani's idea.
Made of tamarind sauce,
mango pudding, and mint sauce.

02-19-12: William Steig illustration and my AT&T phone.

02-20-12: Paper-cut thank you card for Dani.

02-21-12: Identity crisis.

02-22-12: William Steig illustration, my phone, and a friend.

02-23-12: William Steig illustration, Marge Simpson, and George the Rose.

02-24-12: Tiny bird.

02-25-12: Patterns.

02-26-12: Under the weather.

02-27-12: American Gothic fingertips.

02-28-12: Storm trooper watches Glee.

02-29-12: Leap day.

03-01-12: Chin face.

03-02-12: Spanish tongue-twister on a Post-it note.

03-03-12: German tongue-twister on a Post-it note.

03-04-12: French tongue-twister on a Post-it note.

03-05-12: Inspiration - cool tights.

03-06-12: Can you see the face?

03-07-12: Paper-cut dancing Jesse Lonergan.

03-08-12: Inspiration - tea packaging.

03-09-12: Miniature fruit tarts made with plums, strawberries, kiwi, and grapes.

03-10-12: Truffles!

03-11-12: Crow's feet.

03-12-12: Potato stamp bird.

03-13-12: Potato stamp lion.

03-14-12: Platypi hug the earth.

03-15-12: Cockney slang in cut-out letters.

03-16-12: Someone stole my mail.

03-17-12: Don't forget.

03-18-12: CAPS LOCK IS FUNNY.

03-19-12: A thought on carpooling.

03-20-12: Sans serif fonts are the friendly fonts.



03-21-12: Inspiration - frozen pizza (not really).

03-22-12: Drama.

03-23-12: Paper-cut clothes line.

03-24-12: An actual hand-written letter to be sent in the mail.

03-25-12: The bipolar bear.

03-26-12: Unique.

03-27-12: Noodle wuz here.

03-28-12: Sheep impostor.

03-29-12: Have you tried my recipe for corned beef and cribbage?

03-30-12: Sheep impostor.

03-31-12: Frida Kahlo quote in watercolor.

04-01-12: Whitney Houston lyrics in watercolor.

04-02-12: Enchilada dinner.

04-03-12: Excerpt from How to Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.

04-04-12: Goodbye, Dylan.

04-05-12: Daily dose.

04-06-12: Google's existential crisis.

04-07-12: Postcard.

04-08-12: Easter egg.

04-09-12: A silly slogan rethought.

04-10-12: Wine tasting.

04-11-12: Rubber stamp message on paper bag.

04-12-12: The spelling error was a genuine contingency.

04-13-12: Inspiration - Thank you card.

04-14-12: Birthday card for a friend.(Getting better with the rubber stamps!)

04-15-12: Spring time!

04-16-12: Fuck off.

04-17-12: Chalk dust.

04-18-12: Doodles.

04-19-12: Doodles.

04-20-12: Patterns.

04-21-12: I only eat candy.


04-22-12: Thesis done.

04-23-12: Two hearts.

04-24-12: Mac face.

04-25-12: Mac face.

04-26-12: Hopeful.

04-27-12: Things that make me feel like a giant - baby pinecone.

04-28-12: Things that make me feel like a giant - miniature orange.

04-29-12: Ready for summer.

04-30-12: Face.

05-01-12: Salt-n-Pepa.

05-02-12: Enough with the flow charts.

05-03-12: The same could be applied to a bottle of gin.

05-04-12: Result!

05-05-12: I can't stop reading Game of Thrones.

05-06-12: Things that make me feel like a giant - cocktail sword.

05-07-12: Card for Grandma.

05-08-12: Card for Mom.

05-09-12: Pho bo.

05-10-12: Parents! in Boston, MA.

05-11-12: Diploma designed by Eleanor Davis.

05-12-12: Sex tips yet to be published in Cosmopolitan.

05-13-12: Sex tips yet to be published in Cosmopolitan.

05-14-12: Sex tips yet to be published in Cosmopolitan.

05-15-12: Sex tips yet to be published in Cosmopolitan.

05-16-12: Thank you!

05-17-12: Thank you!

05-18-12: Thank you card made with photograph.

05-19-12: Thanks.

05-20-12: Thank you.

05-21-12: Thank you.

05-22-12: Things that make me feel like a giant - barbell.

05-23-12: New project!

05-24-12: New project taking shape.

05-25-12: Inspiration - David Shrigley.

05-26-12: Hard rocks.

05-27-12: Sorry, lav is inop.

05-28-12: Overexposure in Alabama.

05-29-12: Brother!

05-30-12: Sailboat.

05-31-12: Wedding!

06-01-12: Inspiration - gradients.

06-02-12: Patterns.

06-03-12: Angry birds.

06-04-12: My translation of a Neruda poem.

06-05-12: Project continues.

06-06-12: It's a Kindle.

06-07-12: Mole constellation - Dog.

06-08-12: Natural reds.

06-09-12: Every great sword needs a name. (Some call him Enoz, but I call him Buzzkill.)

06-10-12: Wall says.

06-11-12: Floor says.

06-12-12: Screen printing.

06-13-12: Card made with a photograph.

06-14-12: Literal light switch.

06-15-12: Literal light switch.

06-16-12: Things that make me feel like a giant - cocktail umbrella.

06-17-12: Little sprouts! All grown up.


06-18-12: Summer do.

06-19-12: Supporting documents for my visa.

06-20-12: Pinkie from Brighton Rock.

06-21-12: Two birds eye one stone warily.

06-22-12: Inspiration - Jon Klassen.

06-23-12: Poetry with my left hand.


06-24-12: Card made out of a photograph (front and back).




06-25-12: Envelope.

06-26-12: Mac 'n' cheese.


06-27-12: Paper-cut project - almost done!

06-28-12: Sculpey pendant.

06-29-12: Sculpey pendant.

06-30-12: Forest for the trees (made of mascara).

07-01-12: Fruit monster.

07-02-12: Surf's up.

07-03-12: View through the fence - New York City.

07-04-12: Dumplings in Chinatown.

07-05-12: Pairs in Manhattan -
red/red, black/black, purple/purple, orange/orange, yellow/yellow.
red/red, black/black, purple/purple, orange/orange, yellow/yellow.

07-06-12: A new visa!

07-07-12: Giraffe.

07-08-12: Elephant.

07-09-12: Shark.

07-10-12: Sam.

07-11-12: Welcome to Wisconsin. You can't beat it with a cheese stick.

07-12-12: The Cock Ness Monster.

07-13-12: The Cock Less Monster.

07-14-12: Ain't that America.

07-15-12: Summertime cocktails.

07-16-12: Canoe on the Connecticut River.

07-17-12: Sunburned leg.

07-18-12: Dad's old records.

07-19-12: Work in progress.

07-20-12: Work progressing.

07-21-12: Learning Spanish. Otra vez.

07-22-12: Saul Goodman.

07-23-12: American Splenda.

07-24-12: Splenda in the Grass.

07-25-12: Dill, onion and cheddar bread.

07-26-12: Meet me in Wyoming - be there or be square.

07-27-12: Dill bread in action - with tomato, basil and chickpea soup.

07-28-12: Origami bird, made in spite of the indecipherable instructions.

07-29-12: Wilco.

07-30-12: Screenprint.

07-31-12: Peeling.

08-01-12: Washington - it's not always raining here.

08-02-12: Thumbnailing.

08-03-12: Inspiration - Smuttynose packaging.

08-04-12: Oreo-lympics.

08-05-12: Breakfast of Champions.

08-06-12: Summer oranges.

08-07-12: Summer salad.

08-08-12: Take it. A piece of my heart.

08-09-12: Balloon watching in White River Junction, VT.






08-10-12: Clothes line card (front, back, inside, outside, and detail).

08-11-12: Carrot cake.

08-12-12: Rhode Island.

08-13-12: Textures - seaweed in Portland, ME.

08-14-12: Sky and sea - Portland, ME.

08-15-12: Ta Da! We ate all the lobster. Sketch by Billage.

08-16-12: Better wrapping paper.

08-17-12: Garage Sale.

08-18-12: Last day of work.

08-19-12: Going extinct.

08-20-12: Tetris.

08-21-12: Goodbye, Switchback.

08-22-12: The farm! in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin.

08-23-12: Ain't that America.

08-24-12: Cool stuff my dad makes - a mosquito.

08-25-12: My first paper cutting project from 2001.

08-26-12: Cool stuff my dad makes - it's going to be a turtle.

08-27-12: Sunset at a farm offering outdoor wood-fired pizza - Waumandee, WI

08-28-12: Happy pretzels.

08-29-12: Sad cactus.

08-30-12: Hummingbird migration.

08-31-12: Patterns.

09-01-12: Another Wisconsin sunset.

09-02-12: The human letter A.

09-03-12: The human letter B.

09-04-12: The human letter C.

09-05-12: The human letter D.

09-06-12: The human letter E.

09-07-12: The human letter F.

09-08-12: The human (lowercase) letter G.

09-09-12: The humans letter H.

09-10-12: The human letter I.

09-11-12: The human letter J.

09-12-12: The human letter K.

09-13-12: The human letter L.

09-14-12: The human letter M.

09-15-12: The human letter N.

09-16-12: The hand letter O.

09-17-12: The human letter P.

09-18-12: The human (lowercase) letter q.

09-19-12: The human letter R.

09-20-12: The human letter S.

09-21-12: The human letter T.

09-22-12: The human letter U.

09-23-12: The human letter V.

09-24-12: The human letter W.

09-25-12: The human letter X.

09-26-12: The human letter Y.

09-28-12: The human letter Z.

09-29-12: The human number 1.

09-30-12: The human number 2.

10-01-12: The human number 3.