7 Things I loved this August

A habit tracking game, a sauna ritual, and ugly drawings

Welcome to my roundup of things I loved over the past month! If you’re not interested in 7 Things, you can specifically toggle off these emails in your account settings.

Life has been much better since last month’s roundup! August was all about rediscovery, relaxation, and getting my creative energy back. I celebrated my first wedding anniversary, dove back into dance classes, and even rode a bike twice. I am a total beginner at biking so this is a big deal!

I’m eagerly anticipating crisp and cozy fall, but we still have some summer left to enjoy. Perhaps my list can inspire you in the coming weeks! Here are the seven things I loved in August:

1. I headed to theaters to watch Didi, a funny and angsty coming-of-age film about a Taiwanese-American skater teen in the Bay Area. The prevalence of 2000s internet culture (Smarterchild on AIM, Myspace top 8) and emo pop music (Motion City Soundtrack, Paramore) was painfully accurate. As music supervisor Toko Nagata says, “most people don’t actually move past their high school and college music tastes¹…that kind of music is just such a comfort.” Check out director Sean Wang’s movie playlist inspiration for nostalgic feels:

2. I’ve tried many habit tracking methods before, but none as cute as the Finch app! It’s an adorable phone game where you send your pet bird on daily adventures as you complete goals throughout the day. Points gained from completing goals can be used to buy clothes, furniture, and flights to new destinations.
   
   The dopamine hit I used to get from checking email or social media in the morning is now funneled toward Finch, where I am reminded of daily maintenance tasks along with creative habits like drawing. All goals are customizable; you can enter anything you want at whatever cadence. I also love the breathing exercises in the app, which I actually do (so I can buy my bird a yummy onigiri to hold while she visits Tokyo, heh).

   

   Look how my bird has grown! Both in size and in wardrobe

3. Goodreads alternative Storygraph continues to impress. They recently introduced shareable roundup graphics, like my August reading data below. I’m especially tickled by the calendar view, which shows when you start and finish each book. And since we’re talking about books: the best books I read this month were Piglet by Lottie Hazell and Having and Being Had by Eula Biss.

   

4. I got to check out Bathhouse and Othership, both new spas in Manhattan within two blocks of each other. Bathhouse is a large, darkly lit space where you can hang out all day dipping in and out of hot tubs, cold plunges, and sauna rooms. Othership has guided classes to lead you through breathwork in the sauna followed by two arduous minutes in an ice bath.
   
   What most intrigued me was that both spas incorporated the German sauna ritual aufguss, where sauna masters pour water over snowballs infused with essential oils and then whip towels around to circulate hot, fragrant steam into everyone’s faces. I was fascinated to learn afterwards that there are competitions in Europe for this ritual, judged based on towel waving techniques, fragrances, heat distribution, and storytelling!

5. Love how these postcards I illustrated for my sister’s bar crowdfunding campaign came out! They are inspired by the bar’s signature Space Spam frozen cocktail (yes, the drink comes in a Spam can).

   

6. I love watching artist Sandi Hester’s videos, and I’m sure many of you do too. Her video on values is incredible—it unlocked so many insights, and I am really beginning to understand the phrase “value does all the work, color gets all the credit.” I love her tip to squint to roughly see the values, which I’ve been doing more often while sketching outside.

7. This blog post on “ugly” drawings from Korea is…my entire aesthetic. There are nods to Matisse, Hockney, and a dash of David Shrigley, but it’s also deeply rooted in the rich tradition of cartoon characters, children’s books, and folk art with its focus on simplified forms and energetic linework. Asian consumers seem to love playful illustration, especially in their stationery and branding.² I’m sure some of these styles might be a trend, but I believe honest drawings made by hand will always be appreciated.

   

   Browsing the postcards at Poset, one of my favorite shops in Seoul

☁️ Enjoyed this post? Want to weigh in or share a recommendation? Comments are open for you to chime in!

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Thank you for all the love on last week’s sketchbook post! Here is a top level report of the quiz results:

• Over 300 readers took the quiz! 64% were evenly split between Royal Talens and Midori MD sketchbooks, 20% were Nina Cosford, and 16% were Odd Orange.

• A whopping 50% of readers refused to choose an art material—you want to use them all! Maximalists are very welcome here ☺️

• During the weekend, a third of readers like to read and journal at home. The next popular option was taking an art workshop.

• When starting the day, a third of readers like to sketch and brainstorm concepts. The rest are evenly split between reviewing goals, drawing observationally, and playing with color.

• Only 9% of readers bring their best outfits on vacation. The majority at 37% like to travel light.

If you haven’t taken the quiz yet, give it a whirl!

1. On the contrary I’ve seen many people’s music tastes expand since their formative years, including mine, but I still believe the music you loved as a teen will always stir up emotions.

2. Not to say that consumers from other cultures don’t—there are plenty of illustrators with simple, playful styles in the US & UK, for example! But the aesthetic is far more pervasive in countries like Korea and Japan.