Category Archives: Art

Do Halloween like it’s 1920

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I recently stumbled upon this fantastic vintage Halloween book filled with crafts, decoration ideas, DIY costumes, and more. The book is called Dennison’s Bogie Book for Halloween. It was written in 1920, but the activities and decorations inside can make … Continue reading →

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Clearance, or why did I save these in the first place

Posted on September 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler
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Short Story

Posted on September 7, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Perfect Job

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Baggage

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Baggage is a short, stop-animation film by Lucy Davidson about the sometimes complicated experience of being seen — when going through airport security. As a recent student of Aardman Academy, which is operated by its Academy Award-winning namesake animation studio, Davidson tapped into … Continue reading →

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The Poet Anticipated the Shortcomings of AI

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The author Rainer Maria Rilke anticipated the inevitable shortcomings in the use of AI in the arts. He articulated the  essential conditions for creativity in his only novel, reflecting on what it takes to compose a great poem, but also … Continue reading →

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“There is a great deal of art to creating something that seems artless.”

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

There is writing which resembles the mosaics of glass you see in stained-glass windows. Such windows are beautiful in themselves and let in the light in colored fragments, but you can’t expect to see through them. In the same way, … Continue reading →

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Bibliophiles can be so cold

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Minding Your Manners

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve just returned from an amazing three-week trip to Japan and was delighted and overwhelmed by so much that I encountered, including the fabulous graphic design work everywhere. Passing through Kyoto Station I spotted a clever ad campaign while heading … Continue reading →

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I can’t believe that NYC is #17

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

To paraphrase Tolstoy’s famous opening line: All happy cities are alike; each unhappy city is unhappy in its own way. Maybe that’s too clunky a way to introduce the 2025 Happy City Index, but I’m seriously jetlagged so it will … Continue reading →

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