#adamjk

[389]

photo credit: @laurarbenson @adamjk

[originallandlockedmariner]

[creationtvstation]

In our first watch party we take a look at Grace Duong's new podcast series called GRACED, Episode 2* The Fool Tarot Card with Adam JK – Creator of OK Tarot Deck, Leaping into the Unknown, Progress over Perfection, Trusting the Universe, and New Beginnings

[hayden-davis]

Vacation week ephemera, like @adamjk taught

[officialjanetweiss]

A card and @adamjk stickers for my therapist for our last session tomorrow 😭😭😭

[maurypovichofficial2]

just came across your mulan shang is bi post from your og tumblr and may I just say, still iconic as ever

https://ugly.tumblr.com/post/156328525166/adamjk-maurypovichofficial-idc-if-mulan-was

OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!! people swear this post is why Disney eliminated Shang because this post made it to buzzfeed which at the time Disney lurked around on

[books]

Writer Spotlight: Adam J. Kurtz

Happy New Release Tuesday, Booklr. We've got a very special treat for you today. To celebrate the launch of YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW), we asked writer, artist, and designer Adam J. Kurtz (@Adam JK) about his process, the new book, and what to do when change comes for you. Adam's illustrative work is rooted in honesty, humor, and a little darkness. His books have been translated into over a dozen languages. His offbeat creative work has been featured in NYLON, Adweek, Vice, and The New Yorker.

Read on for Adam's answers and a very special giveaway treat at the end ;)

~

Can you tell us a little bit about YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW)?

YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW) is a collection of art and essays around themes of change and personal transformation—basically, the way we navigate change and intentionally grow, either because life threw some shit our way and we have to adapt, or because we realize we want something more, or something different.

My goal was to make a book that feels like staying up late talking to a friend about life and purpose and wanting so much more, and your fear of fucking up, and why everything is so hard sometimes, and umm, is it normal if I slightly want to die sometimes and wondering what comes next.

But you know, it’s chill. I’m not an expert, I’m not a therapist, I’m trying to work it all out too, and I do that through my art. I needed to change some things, so I made my life into an ‘art project’ so I would be forced to actually do it. And surprise, it helps.

YAHFN combines essayistic musings with visual artwork. Can you tell us about your work process? How do text and image speak to each other across the pages?

I’m kind of most known for my shorter writing style and aphorisms. I boil down bigger emotions into a bite-size catchphrase, then print it on balloons, planners, and keychains as weirdly personal but highly accessible art. This book combines a lot of the shorter writing, the handwritten reminders, with longer, themed essays wherever I realized I had more to say this time. The book’s art is composed of a series of folding sequences photographed step-by-step. A sheet of paper transforms into a ribbon, or a star, or confetti. I wanted to represent the way we all start out as a blank slate and are bent, rolled, and torn by reality—until we eventually emerge transformed but no less whole.

What’s something that’s good to remember about being a human person when overwhelming change happens?

Comparison isn’t helpful, BUT I like remembering that everybody has experienced difficult, scary, complicated shit. Even me, before this. And if I was able to find my way through then, I can do it again. Life is hard, and yet so many of us are HERE and DOING IT and PRETTY okay, and that can and will be the case for you, too.

When it comes to mental health, the number one thing to remember is that just because it feels real doesn’t mean it is objectively real. If there’s a way to safely step outside of yourself, it can help. Get another opinion! Talk to someone else you can trust. And no offense, but science is real. Like, brain chemistry is a thing, and you can’t just ‘toughen up’ until mental illness goes away. So ask for what you need.

Who do you write for? Do you imagine speaking to a specific person/type of person/audience while writing?

Honestly, I kind of write for myself and then try to open it up to others. I’m not sitting down to write in the voice of whoever I want to connect with (I’m literally not smart enough). I just write the way I speak, and it’s just sort of honest and full of dad jokes and a little nerdy, and I hope that’s okay because too late, I’m already this person.

Over the years, through my other books, social media, and public speaking, I’ve heard from enough people who DO get me that it is helpful to hear something so close to their inner monologue communicate the same things they’re thinking or worrying or obsessing about. I’ve come to embrace that my power is in being comfortable opening up, putting something in simple words, pairing it with graspable visual metaphor (it’s paper and pencil, we get it!!), and sharing it.

How do you practice self-care when juggling the different creative processes of writing and making visual art, as well as being a person?

I just don’t!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, jk, but like, sometimes I am a real asshole to myself; I drink three coffees, and then I’m like, “wait, why is this happening to me,” as if I don’t exist in a physical body. It really comes down to balance in everything. Balance doesn’t mean I’m going to be exactly 50/50 on the scale. It just means that if I tip too far one way, I need to work to tip back. Most of the time, I’m too far in either direction, so there’s a lot of swinging.

The answers are easy: Drink water, get enough sleep, go for walks, wear clothing that is comfortable, sit up straight. It’s the questions that are more complicated. We’ll talk about it in the book.

What’s your favorite place to write? Why?

It seems like the answer is “anywhere that isn’t my desk,” based on where I wrote this book. I wrote the first draft of seven chapters on a 12-hour train ride from Oakland to Los Angeles while pretending to be a famous author who can afford to live off their books (lmao).

Later, I got a major reality check when we moved in with my husband’s parents. I wrote a lot of the book on their patio, and I did all the artwork from my sister-in-law’s childhood bedroom at a child-size desk I had to sit sideways at to fit. I did all the photography in a pop-up photo tent on the bed.

I guess my point is that you don’t need fancy shit to make your art, which is something I am always saying but really experienced in a super immediate way for this book.

There’s something incredibly touching and nourishing about YAHFN. What do you hope readers come away with?

It gets better because you get better. And if you’re not better yet, imagine your better self, then work backward to create actionable steps to get there. At least that’s what I’ve heard. In the meantime, here’s the book version of me sitting on your couch, drinking tea and talking about life and the universe and everything until we realize we haven’t checked our phones in a while and how the fuck is it 2 a.m. already?

What are you reading/writing about/making right now?

Beyond the book, YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW) is me creating a big obvious reminder for myself to keep going. So I’m pushing it in a few directions. I’m currently wrapping up a podcast series of the same name and preparing larger-scale artwork for a YAHFN art show in Honolulu that opens in November. It took so much work to get here, to this moment, now I want to stay for a little bit and see what happens.

Thanks for taking the time, Adam! YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW) is out today! If you'd like your very own copy, either head to your nearest book store or reblog this interview and tell us about a time you overcame a challenge—however big or small! Adam will select 10 winning responses from US-based participants. Each winner will receive a copy of YOU ARE HERE (FOR NOW).*

*Open to US residents only. You must also be at least 18 and the age of majority in your jurisdiction. The giveaway will begin at 10 a.m. EST on October 19, 2021, and will close at 10 a.m. EST on October 20, 2021. Our editorial team will reach out to winners via email to facilitate sending out copies. One entry per blog. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor: Tumblr Inc.

[artistalley]

💫 mixed feelings pin set 💫

i was really early to artist pins in like 2015 and really enjoyed making and collecting so many different pins. i still like pins as a form of self-expression and a fun thing to collect, and this "mixed feelings" set has some of my most popular from over the years, plus a new one because honestly IDK.

Have you followed @adamjk on Tumblr yet? Find more of their work available for purchase right here on Artist Alley. Don't forget to use code TUMBLR for 10% off your order.

[thingsorganizedneatly]

Everyone should buy Adam JK’s 2021 Unsolicited Advice Planner w/ Stickers!

Adam is my real life (& tumblr) friend! Genius artist & super-sweet guy. Buy all his books!!!!

[makesomethingawfuleveryday]

Check out @adamjk's "Highly Effective Book Swag for your Guaranteed Best-Seller” in The New Yorker for a slew of great promo ideas for your next book.   

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/highly-effective-book-swag-for-your-guaranteed-best-seller 

[originallandlockedmariner]

[creationtvstation]

All the highlights from 2 weeks diving into creative works around tarot card illustrations. Including a mini watch party of Grace Duong's new Podcast GRACED featuring an interview with AdamJK of OK Tarot.

Also featured in this episode is a NWS3 cohort's project Moodspace Journal.

[not-a-fever-dream]

You're not a bad person for comparing yourself to others. You're not a bad person for measuring where you are against where you're not. But you deserve better. Comparing yourself to others seems useful, and maybe feels good when you're "winning" but hurts even more when you're not. Either way, it's a false equivalency that doesn't yield any kind of practical metric.

You Are Here (For Now), Adam J. Kurtz

[haleyincarnate]

“rise and shine” by Adam Kurtz

[wallflowerin-bloom]

i’m watching this insta live and someone asked the guy if he had any positive words for people and he said buckle up bitches

[generalelective]

I had been working on the assumption that eventually everyone figures it out & goes on living the life they've created which is mostly true but as soon as you figure it out, something else changes so you figure that out too, & you keep going so it really doesn't stop & there isn't just 1 "it" to figure out which is ok & a little intimidating but i know we will be fine as long as we keep on creating & help each other along the way

by AdamJK