Mary Sue Martin - 1945-2008

The name “Doodle Britches” was the name my mother-in-law Mary Sue Martin occasionally called people whose names she either didn’t know or couldn’t remember. Like, “Oh, you know, Doodle Britches over there. He’s got ants in his pants.” or “Doodle Britches at the post office. He’s such a nice gentleman.”

When I heard it for the first time, I realized what a special part of Mary Sue it was that could come up with such a fun expression. I don’t know if it was something she learned from family or friends, or if it was unique to her. I wish I did. I’ve still never heard it used by anybody else. Hearing it gave me a glimpse into something I hadn’t seen clearly before, a playful side of Mary Sue that didn’t always get a chance to shine.

There is a part of me that hopes there was a day when Meredith and I were first dating that Mary Sue watched as we drove away back to Fayetteville and said, “I hope Meredith and Doodle Britches calls when they get back.”

There are not many ways I feel I can honor her life to the extent it deserves. Hopefully this blog, in one small way or another, will reflect a small portion of the indomitable good will, hope, and faith that was central to Mary Sue’s character.

How many problems stand out to you in this picture? Here are a few things myself and a few friends noted recently.

I should have assumed this, but I hadn’t realized that there are actually two schools of thought. Those that believe trees are a renewable resource and those that don’t. I stand among the people who feel that while trees grow faster than, for instance, the time it takes for coal to form, it doesn’t necessarily make it something that renews itself in a “reasonable” timeframe.

What makes something renewed anyway? Does a tree or forest reach a “renewed” state once it is the same size, supports the same ecosystem, or is big enough to cut down again? I fear to most businesses who stand to profit off of the resource, if it’s renewed, it means good enough to harvest again, and has little to do with that life it sustains or could sustain again.

Besides the gripe I have with the company who asked some poor designer to tell the public that paper (paper!) is a renewable, natural resource, I feel like it’s deceitful and sad to try and say there is any merit in paper plates over any other disposable plate at all. The reason we’re still convinced papers plates are special is because of the very unspecialness of them. They are so unimportant they’re actually amazing. We can throw them away by the thousands!

If a customer does manage to make the mental connection between millions of paper plates, tissues, lumber, magazines and deforestation, loss of habitat, destroyed local ecosystems and handicapped neighboring ecosystems, this company has done a great job of paying lip service to trees and implying to the public that we should be aware and thankful that they are thinking about the value of trees for us. This way, they can destroy those trees, make millions of plates, say it’s made from the tremendous amount of PAPER at our disposal and not actually be lying, nor completely looking us straight in the eyes when saying it. They can also more easily get away with stamping the words “Nature” and “Green” on the label, and not actually mean anything by it. (Clue #2  that this company is only capitalizing on the sellability of “Green” and “Nature” is the fact that the plates were bleached white, as most paper plates are.)

While there is a good time and place for disposable dinnerware, paper plates as an earth friendly purchase is a joke, and there is never a time to sell goods to the public using falsities that are based on problematic notions to begin with. We should aggressively question companies who try manipulate us into thinking anything disposable could be environmentally friendly, paper or not. And any company or individual who tells you the time it takes for a clear-cut forest to return to normal is “reasonable” should take Environmental Science 101 again.

(I’m reminded of the Utah Phillips story in which he begins a speech to a room full of young people by telling them, “You’re about to be told one more time that you’re America’s most valuable natural resource — Have you seen what they do to valuable natural resources?“)

Here’s an example of the logic in action.

What do you think?

I go to a show every day. It’s the best show ever, so I’m pretty lucky. They always play what I want and the band lets me pass around their mp3′s like a bad flu. It’s the Hip Four with special guests The Pensations.

The Hip Four hail from various parts of the country. On the stage, Wallet keeps the crazy jungle beat going from the back pocket. ID Badge fulfills the vox and glamour needs from out front. Key Chain keeps the low-end steady and smooth from between belt-loops three and four in back (he prefers to stand near Wallet), and Cell Phone rides the lead front pocket like a bolt of lightning and a bat of hell.

Even with all that rock glory, I don’t think I can listen sometimes if I don’t think the Pensations will be there. Sometimes it’s Yellow BiC Brite Liner, Black PILOT Razor Point II (Japan), and Red PILOT Precise V5 – Extra Fine all at the same show. But even if it’s just two of them, it’s amazing. They all really know what they’re doing.

For those of you who also have Attention Deficit Disorder, you may already intuit that this is an extended and exaggerated version of the daily ritual of making sure I have the essentials I need with me before I leave the house for work. I realized at some point that the four things I always need – wallet, cell phone, keys, and ID Badge – are all located at my hip, more or less. Since I put my pens in my jeans pocket or shirt pocket, and they’re not entirely necessary all of the time, I gave them “special guest” status. 

Almost without fail, I leave the house for work in something approaching a frenzy. Even though I currently (knock on wood) have the ideal work schedule for this ADDer (3pm to 12am), I still manage to have Just One More Thing to do before I am officially running late. The abbreviated and usually internal celebration of the Hip Four with Special Guests The Pensations happens just before I run out the door. 

If you could hear my internal dialog around that moment, it would go something like this, “@&*#! (or: Jeepers!) Two minutes and I need to be gone! Okay. Kiss Meredith goodbye. Grab my bag. What do I want to listen to on the way to work? Drink the rest of your soy milk, dude. That’s perfectly good soy milk. Don’t leave it out! You’ll just have to put it away later. Crap. I’ll just wash it now. Wash, wash, wash. Wash, wash, wash. Okay, good enough. Where’s my bag? Got it. Okay. The stove is filthy! Kiss Meredith goodbye. She is totally annoyed by me running around the house and is thinking he probably doesn’t even remember that he already kissed me goodbye once already. Dogs! Everywhere! Lunch! Twins! Softball! There’s a cat hair on my tongue. Do I have any gas? One! Two! Three! Four! With special guests The Pensatiooooons! Woooooooo!”

At that point I’m quite probably past ready to go. I’ve achieved actual readiness long ago, but always feel like there’s something else that needs to be done. This is the feeling that would normally distract me long enough to forget, for example, my wallet. But I rarely forget those important items amidst the craziness of exiting the house with the help of that minor ritual.

You may think this is incredibly ridiculous, charming, or embarrassing, but trust me, it’s entirely necessary for many people with ADD/ADHD. These are the things that help us “keep up”, “stay on top”, or “perform to our potential”.

Yes, some of us pretend our wallets are awesome drummers. Don’t laugh. You’ve never seen a solo like my Wallet’s solo. 

I also have a technique I’m developing for remembering to take the grocery list and canvas bags to the grocery store but I’d have to show you and I’m still working on the yoga moves that will make it reality.

What are your helpful, if not a little odd, techniques for remembering, focusing, retaining, etc?

To any of my friends in Bowling Green, KY who happen to see this before the 20th, here’s an art to-do for you.

If you don’t know who Matt Long is, check out his website. I’ve been to numerous guest lectures and demos in the ceramics department at WKU and got a lot out all of them, even as someone who doesn’t know ceramics.

Matt Long will be lecturing and hosting demo sessions on the 20th and 21st of February.

Facebook for ADDers? It was only a matter of time before I came across this site. Strangely, I’d been looking for a while for something like this. Not exactly because I knew I’d join it but because, well surely it was out there. And it was, er, is.

ADHD World is the Facebook for ADDers not only in function but also very much in appearance. So the time it takes to learn to navigate and figure it out is low if you’re already familiar with Facebook and other social networking sites. It’s not as robust, advanced, or populated as Facebook but does contain many of the main, essential features. It being less complicated and gloriously ad free works very much in its favor.

I can’t seem to track down this number again but I recall seeing that there are currently some 700+ registered members at this time. Oh, wait, on the home page it lists 736 currently registered members. One of them being me as of last night. I believe the website was started just under a year ago. If the search tool is doing its job correctly, I appear to be the only member from Arkansas, or at least the only one who will (proudly) claim it.

There is a healthy handful of active members. They seem to be enjoying themselves and proud to be a part of this small, unique crowd. I was warmly greeted just this morning by a member who made me immediately feel more at home. One quick glimpse at her profile and I knew, I was truly among like-minded people. More specifically: slightly eccentric (whether they like it or not), spiritually active/curious folks, artists, preachers, mothers and fathers (some became members because of their ADD child), bloggers, etc.

Of course, a site like this can only help out the ADD community to a limited extent if it doesn’t offer some kind of group support. So I took a look at what all they had in the way of groups. Much like Facebook, there are numerous groups available to freely join in order to give and receive support addressing a specific need, like “Parents with ADHD”, “ADD Women”, “Alternatives for ADD/ADHD”.

I’m really excited about this site. I’m sure my interest level will wax and wane as I swing wildly across the internet from site to site and distraction to distraction, but that’s why the email alerts most networking sites send out are such a blessing in situations like this. I don’t have to worry about forgetting to check my email. So I’m looking forward to adding and making a few more friends beyond just this afternoon.

If you’re reading this and have ADHD or know someone who does, you should certainly go give the site a run through. And look me up!

Most books containing helpful instructions on dealing with ADD emphasis the need to exercise. They say it’s like a “tonic for your brain”, that regular exercise is one of the most powerful tools in the ADDer’s attempts to gain control. This is a problem, most of the time. I have become pretty good at stopping to exercising when I have the opportunity. I take approximately 20 minutes every day after work to exercise on the equipment my employers have provided us with. My machine of choice is the stationary bike, and often the treadmill, rarely the weights. I do not “workout”. I exercise. I am not a gym rat, per se. I am more of a gym butterfly.

In addition, I find it difficult to sustain the attention it takes to really get into the groove I suspect it is necessary to get into in order to really do some good to the gut and butt I believe I am developing as I get older. I simply don’t go long enough and far enough in my routine to do much good. In fact, today it dawned on me, that if my exercise “routine” were a real life experience, it would go something like this:

I coerce myself to walk slowly down a city block, stopping regularly to window shop. I realize that I’m late for something and pick up the pace, sure not to walk fast enough to look conspicuous. Then a very swift pickpocket swipes my wallet and I’m off like a maniac cheetah and I’m going to get that &%@*! pickpocket if it’s the last thing I do. I’m fast!

However, after only one and a half more city blocks, I am reduced to a whining trot, more upset at having to chase the pickpocket, than at the loss of my wallet. Soon, I am window shopping again, only on slightly rubbery legs. Then I am late again. Run! But wait, I’m so late it doesn’t matter anymore. Just walk. Ooh, music store. 

That is my exercise routine, ADD to the core, down to a 15 to 20 minute combination of unplanned, disorganized spurts of energy. The final 5 minutes on the machine is spent wondering which machine I should move to next. When I am done not-ever-deciding which one comes next, I realize that I must actually be done with exercising, put the iPod on pause and leave the room, probably leaving something behind.

I will be working now to improve upon this. I realize the benefits exercise brings. I want the tonic. Oh, I want the tonic. And I’m going to get that tonic if it’s the last thing I do. Tomorrow, first thing after work.

When Greg Moore and I first started the itty-bitty design firm Block, Street and Building in 2003, naturally we wasted no time working up a logo. I found these the other day while rummaging through old computer files and thought I’d pass them along. It is interesting to see them now. The long green version, some of you will already know, is what we stuck with and I’m glad we did. 

That was Greg’s great work. In fact, Greg’s design skills are what shaped the unique look of BSB until we closed the doors in 2006. Since then, I’ve been haphazardly rearranging, undoing and altogether hacking away at what we worked so hard to create over those three years. If you’ve been reading the BSB blog over the last several years, you’ve seen a great many changes in the layout and the over all look, most of them excused as experiments, but honestly, if you must know, I just get fidgety and tend to pick at things, including blogs.

Anyway, as you may have noticed, Block, Street & Building really doesn’t even have a logo anymore, since it really isn’t a thing anymore. The blog is still around, but life has changed and my schedule has changed and I no longer contribute to it like I used to. I know someday I’ll get hare up my butt (that’s the saying right?) to revamp the BSB logo, just because I want to. I’ll probably show it to you here first!

For now, welcome to my new blog, Doodle Britches! I plan on using this blog as a way to keep up on my design chatter with like-minded folks. And be sure that things will change around here every so often. Like I was just saying, I tend to tinker with my blogs probably a little more than I aught to. So bare with me. This one has a little way to go before it’s “ready”. Coming soon: Where the name Doodle Britches came from, life as a designer in a reaaaally small town, First Security Bank’s logo – WTF is it?, new Arkansas design firms, and more.

Painting by Greg Moore

For those of you in-the-know, you are already aware of Fayettevillian Greg’s Moore’s artwork. For those of you who don’t, or have not kept up with his recent work, it’s fantastic. To get up to speed, go see his exhibition at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. It’s quite amazing. See more of Greg’s work here.

Of course there is also his myspace page.

I always love finding a good collection of political posters to peruse, on the internet or in print.

This collection at the Nonist (a frequent stop of mine) from the book The Poster Art of Tom Ungerer is a great sample of work. A flip through just was is represented here will probably turn up something you’re already familiar with, at least vaguely, if the iconic style itself doesn’t ring a bell. I see vestiges of the style in some modern art cartoons (cartoons nobody sees) and 15 minutes flipping through the history of Threadless will reveal the lasting impression, as well. Some of it also reminds me of the illustrations of Kenneth Patchen. I’d love to see the whole book someday. For now, my thanks to the Nonist (RIP), for the peaks and the link to Tomi Ungerer’s webpage.

There’s a lot coming up at the WKU Art Department but this one is this week so I’ll just get it out there real quick like. I won’t be able to make it but I highly encourage all to attend. Elissa Cox is coming for a double-whammy visit. First she’ll be the focus of an informal (open to students and others) Q&A during the Studio-Portfolio class. This should go from 3:30 to 4:30 in room 454 of the Fine Arts Center. Afterwards, from 5 – 6pm she’ll be providing an open lecture in room 156. All are welcome to it as well.

Regardless if you’re going to be there, be sure to visit Elissa’s website.