This past week was a bit of a whirlwind, just like I was expecting it to be. There was lots of catch up on after being out sick for several days.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
1.
I had not one but two talks/workshops at TypeLab Asia, which concluded yesterday. On Friday, I presented a new talk about India Street Lettering that delved into the approaches I take for annotation and archive building, and how this collection catalyses different aspects of my practice. That was followed by a Devanagari TypeCooker drawing session the next day that I co-ran with Namrata.
Some results from the Devanagari TypeCooker workshop
Having lost the last week, I felt under a lot of pressure to prepare for these. Thankfully, I was able to ready all the material for both a day in advance, and that helped with nerves and getting on with life otherwise. Ultimately, I think the talk and workshop went better than I was expecting. I had a lot of fun delivering them, and some of the messages and comments I received afterwards were downright heartwarming.
I have done a lot of public-facing activities this year, more than I have ever done, to be honest. And while it has been an exhilarating experience putting each of them together, it has also taken a lot out of me. With TypeLab Asia over, I am hoping for a couple of months of quiet before I jump into organising type walks in Delhi.
2.
A client and I had a deadline at the end of this week to send some files over to the production vendor, and I am happy to report that everyone worked quite hard to make that happen. It is not often that clients are so responsive in a crunch situation and carry their weight so admirably.
3.
I tried and failed to make plans to see Harshay and Purneetha this week, and that was terribly demoralising. Hopefully, next week will fare better, and I will get to spend some time with them before I ship off to Spain. Amber and I, did however, spend a couple of fun evenings with my parents. Just sitting around and chatting, without any pressure. It was my Dad’s birthday last week, but we couldn’t really celebrate since he had a series of long meetings that he had to go some distance away for. That celebration will now have to wait for July.
It has taken us long enough, but Amber and I finally made plans for some days off in July to visit Mayank and Tanya. I cannot wait.
4.
The India Street Lettering zines are now sold out at both Champaca and The Bookshop Inc.
5.
In the run-up to my travel, I started putting together a solid reading list that should tide me over the long flights. This is what I have got so far: Ruben Pater’s Caps Lock and The Politics of Design, Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People, Julie Delporte’s Portrait of a Body, Luke Healy’s Self-Esteem and the End of the World, and Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom’s Palimpsest.