The Loyalty Card
"You have to love this thing, man! You have to love it and breathe it. It's your morning coffee. It's your food." — Roy Hargrove (via Tom Misch, Geography)
Dusting off the old HP printer/scanner from my tia’s garage I suddenly had a better way to preserve cool pieces I’ve collected over the last few months. One of my many nerdy obsessions over the years has been graphic design. Stickers, patches, matchbooks, old ads (like really old. From the 50s and 60s all the way to present day). It’s one artist’s vision, approved by a team, released into the world. Sometimes it becomes a cultural movement. I think that’s cool.
One of my favorite pickups is a loyalty card given to customers that frequent The Highland Cafe (I went to the Glassell Park location). Their logo, taking inspiration from a certain gas station chain, with its bold colors and the creative design (including some luchadores and Godzilla holding a coffee) is super sick. It’s the fine details that both the creator and the receiver (me) can appreciate. That’s the kind of stuff I’m drawn too.
Life really knows how and when to test you. The journey to find yourself is sometimes met with opportunities to support those around you. Grieving family members, friends battling stage 4 cancer (consider supporting here), folks who need help moving. When everything felt like too much, I needed something to ground me. I picked up John Williams’ Stoner and found that life left me another opportunity to learn. The book is about a man whose life wasn’t remarkable or extraordinary, but mattered because he was present for all the ups and (the many) downs.
When your life feels overwhelming, feels fragile, when you have people you love that are hurting, that’s life telling you to pay attention. Look around. Appreciate the details. The way your family tells stories. The way your friend laughs even in a hospital bed. The way a loyalty card has a little Godzilla holding a coffee. Holding on to those details are what life is all about.
Some of my favorite artists are the ones who pay attention to those details. One of my favorite graphic designers is Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co. Upon discovery I was really taken aback that someone figured out how to make a living just making cool stuff. Aaron’s love and passion for design is apparent in his work, his personal style, and in how he talks about his own influences. There’s a great 2-part mini doc on Aaron where he talks about one of his favorite hobbies: 'junking,' as he calls it. A hobby as old as time, Aaron’s take on thrifting is unique in that he approaches every find from a design perspective first. It’s led me to do the same whenever I go thrifting. My photos app is an endless album of cool designs I’ve found.
Like Aaron, I collect things I'm drawn to. Not to hoard them, but to preserve moments of creative expression that bring me joy.
Laura Kampf is another great artist. She calls herself a 'janitor.’ Making functional art out of whatever resources she comes across, mostly recycled materials. She’ll build a table or a shelf and it’s not just useful, it’s BEAUTIFUL. She pays attention to the screws, the grain of the wood, the way light hits metal. There’s a fantastic video where she makes her own carry on luggage out of a milk crate that I absolutely love.
And then there are the local businesses. The ones that put a Godzilla on their loyalty card. The ones that hand-stamp their coffee bags. The ones that care about the DETAILS when they didn’t have to.
Those are the people I’m drawn to. The ones who notice. The ones who care.
That’s what I’m trying to do with Con Ganas, and in my own life too. Pay attention. I scan the business card before it fades.
I’m not trying to save everything. I can’t. But I can NOTICE. I can say: this mattered. Someone cared about this. This design was intentional. This moment was worth preserving.
That’s what junking is. That’s what Laura Kampf does when she builds something. That’s what Stoner is about—a whole life defined by paying attention to the unremarkable.
And I think that’s all we can do, really. Show up. For ourselves and others. Pay attention. Notice the details. Because that’s how we stay present. That's how we honor what's temporary.
Music
Flea just released his solo album Honora! Had to kick off this issue’s playlist with “A Plea.” So many jazz influences in this, love to hear his trumpet playing in a lot of the album.
I’d like to preface this playlist by saying that it’s meant to be contemplative not sad 😆. Just music to make you think about the little things. Also shout out to the homie Acid Rescues who just put out new tracks! Andrew has been making some dope music that are perfect for your summer playlists.
Dope Stuff
I’m still regretting not bringing my copy of Aaron’s book to the trade show I met him at. I had gone for work to the Impressions Expo in Long Beach for a few days and heard he was on the show floor. An absolute pleasure meeting him. His book is a love letter to design and finding your voice. It sits on an easy to reach shelf by my desk so inspiration is a quick reach away.
A jackpot find at The Last Bookstore in Studio City. In the New Arrivals section in the back, I don’t even think they’d put a price sticker on it yet. These two books are a goldmine of vintage advertisements. I’m such a sucker for good branding. I like to think this is like Don Draper’s archives. As I keep thinking of cool merch and campaigns for Con Ganas, I have a lot of pretty dope references to look to.
A couple of great reads I’ve completed in the last month. They’ve gotten a lot of use as you can see. In my journey of self discover with a head full of questions, Harvest of Empire had all the answers I needed. Starting from Spains conquering of Latin America all the way to the pandemic, this is a wealth of important information and perspective. It explains the struggle that latinos have been through from the beginning. The origins of the stereotypes, the amount of cultural and economic contribution we’ve had on the whole world. It’s one of those books that should be taught in schools.
Stoner I could talk about ad nauseam. Everyone on BookTok kept saying it was their favorite book. I’m usually a skeptic when things get too much hype (very punk rock rebel of me 😆) but I thought, “I’ll give it a shot.” I’m glad a put away my pride and skepticism because this is such a profound story. Without giving anything away, it’s a story about William Stoner finding himself and his purpose while a rather unremarkable life passes him by. Very introspective. Very good.
So yeah. Love it and breathe it. Pay attention. Show up. That’s all we can do.
See you in the next one, primos.