A UFO Would Stress Out A Bear
Somebody Write This Book
Hi! Hello! I’m Kirk Reedstrom and this is the Somebody Write This Book newsletter where I send monthly(ish), occasionally(often) absurd creative prompts to your inbox. You probably signed up for this on my website or on Twitter. If you’d like to unsubscribe, just click that link at the bottom of the newsletter. One click, all done, goodbye and sayonara.
A Prompt:
To be fair, a UFO would probably stress me out, too. In theory, I love a weird looking alien, and spacey creatures have always been an interest since I first saw Calvin (of and Hobbes) as Spaceman Spiff (or maybe Titan A.E.). We actually have a family story about how when my great uncle, Dewey, was in college at UT, he created a working UFO and accidentally instigated a town panic. Way to go, Dewey. Anyway, let’s draw a squiggle and turn it into an alien.
Here’s my squiggle:
Here’s my character:
That red squid guy has, surprisingly, become a regular appearance when I draw squiggle characters now. Maybe it’s that the squiggle reminds me of Dr. Zoidberg, or that I’m getting a little too repetitive in my squiggle shapes, but it has been fun to see this little weirdo pop up from time to time. “Oh! You again. Welcome back.” If you watch the process video, you might notice that my synthesizer game has improved a bit. After my book news went public, I treated myself to an Arturia Minilab 3, and it is super fun. I can’t wait to play with it more.
Back to the squiggle. If you want to keep flying with this ufo story, here are a couple questions to ask yourself:
Where does the bear live?
Where is the alien from?
What does the alien want from the bear?
How do you react to stress and how is that different/similar from the bear’s reaction to this other-worldly creature?
What is the bear’s favorite hobby?
What is the alien’s favorite hobby?
What does the bear learn from the alien, and vice versa?
Try setting a timer for 23 minutes and free write a little story that’s about 100-200 words from the perspective of the bear or the alien. You can go over or under that word count. You can write for a longer or shorter amount of time. Stories aren’t your thing? Try writing a poem or four panel comic. There aren’t any rules here.
Three Neat Things:
Squiggle Party! A Doodle Experience:
In January, the RW Norton Art Gallery asked if I had ideas for a family-friendly summer exhibit, and I jumped at the chance to pitch Squiggle Party! A Doodle Experience. It’s an interactive exhibit based on this newsletter that’s filled with prompts, and plenty of my own squiggle characters. The show opens June 1 with a reception from 5-7PM, and will stay on display through August 6. If you’re in my area, I hope you can make it!
I also took this chance to try out filming a video of myself talking:
This Guy Again?:
That’s right. It’s another neat thing about me. Sorry! Earlier this month, I spoke with ClearView Church about my creative practice, and drew weird monsters with the congregation. Thank you to John Hawkins for inviting me, and hello to the ClearView members who are new subscribers to the newsletter! If you’d like to hear me gab about creativity, you can watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/live/HWZ4cpk6DyE?feature=share&t=3774
If you would like to have me talk to your organization (In person or virtual), send me an email!
Music:
Gabriel Kahane, one of my favorite composers, recently collaborated with Sylvan Esso on string arrangements for a live recording of some songs from their most recent album. The videos went live last week, and they are jaw-droppingly good.
Thanks for reading. If you’re hankering for more prompts, you can read the archives here. If you really enjoyed it, forward this email to a friend or arch nemesis.
If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time (Hello friend or nemesis!), you can subscribe here.
-Kirk
www.kirkreedstrom.com