Random – Brett Chalupa's Journal

24-Hours in NYC

What’s a book-loving vegan to do with limited time in the city?

Now that Becky and I have been fully vaccinated for over a month and it’s safer to travel to more densely populated places, we hung up our hiking boots for the weekend and planned a quick trip to New York City. We’d both been there plenty of times before, but it’d been a while, and we wanted visit my good friend Dan who lives in Manhattan. Here’s what we got up to this past weekend in the big city!

“The Possessed” by Glass Candy

I can’t stop listening to this song, so I thought I’d share it.

The music released by Johnny Jewel and company on their Italians Do It Better label continues to enthrall me.

What I Enjoyed, September 2017

September saw a pretty big shift for me from focusing on film to graphic novels. I’m still interested in film, but creating stories through comics feels a lot more attainable on a daily basis than making films with a cast and crew beyond just myself. I’m going to write more about this shift in the near future. With that shift came a bit less time watching film and a lot more time drawing.

Here’s what I enjoyed last month.

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Blade Runner Blues

Reading Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep? while listening to the Blade Runner soundtrack has been a real beautiful thing. I’m nearing the end of the book, but that doesn’t mean I can’t read it again. I’ll just have to watch Blade Runner again when I finish the book.

Glif (2017 Version) Review

How the latest version of the tripod mount for phones holds up.

I use my phone with a tripod a fair amount for shooting video and photos. I’m still pretty amazed by how solid the cameras are on modern phones. The spring-loaded tripod mount I have been using for the last six months, pictured below, never felt that secure.

The rubber feet have started to break away, and I never felt confident using it. It was less than $10, so I got what I paid for. Sure, it works, but I want a little more confidence that my phone is being held securely.

I decided to order the latest version of the Glif, a more expensive tripod mount for phones. It’s around $30 with shipping, and it is well designed.

It uses a spring, like the other mount, but it also uses a locking mechanism (the gray lever) to secure the phone in place even more. Plus, it has three different tripod mounting areas, supporting both vertical and horizontal orientations, as well as attaching other accessories. It’s a nice centerpiece for a little frankenphone rig.

While the Glif is made of plastic, it feels sturdy and durable. The holes are made of metal, so I doubt the threads will strip away with normal use. The mouth of the Glif opens up pretty wide, wide enough to fit larger phones. But it’s a bit too narrow for a small tablet, like an iPad Mini.

My phone felt secure, and it didn’t move at all when shaking it around while enclosed in the Glif.

My two gripes are:

I wish that the packaging didn’t contain styrofoam. If it was all paper, the sleeve and encasement could be recycled.
Studio Neat, the manufacturers of the Glif, sell accessories like a hand grip and a wrist lanyard. They look great, but they contain leather, so I won’t be buying them. It’s a bummer because the use of leather is completely unnecessary to the function of the products.

I’m happy with the Glif. It was worth the upgrade for the peace of mind. It’s a great example of a simple and effective product.

The Joy of the Blank on Blank Series

Quoted Studio has been creating animations for old interviews with various writers, directors, actors, musicians and other artists. It’s one of my favorite video series to get lost in. They’re really fantastically made, with pleasant animations and great sound design.

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Prioritizing Creating Over Consuming

Musings on creating before consuming and what it leads to.

I want to make things. That has been clear to me for most of my life. For years I wasn’t happy with my creative output, which led me to wonder what I was doing wrong.

About a year ago I stumbled across the thought of What if I prioritize creating over consuming? That question has been my guide when deciding what I spend my free time doing.

Do I want to read this book or write a novel?

Do I want to read this comic or draw a comic?

Do I want to watch this TV show or write a script for my own show?

Do I want to play this game or make on my own game?

Posing the question as consume this or create that makes it easy to decide. If my goal is to create more stuff, then the answer is obvious.

Priority means doing one thing before the other. That means creating something before consuming. Before reading at night, I make sure to have written, even if it is only for ten minutes. Writing something is more important to me than reading the next chapter in a book. And, most days, I have the time to create and consume, which is a win-win.

The challenge is that creating is almost always more challenging than consuming. For example, watching a TV show is easy. It requires little effort beyond sitting and staring. On the other hand, writing a script for a TV show is difficult. It requires learning the format and structure of a TV script. It requires imagining the characters, settings, and plot. It requires actually writing the damn thing.

I’d rather have written a script for a show that’ll probably never get made than watch a TV show. The feeling of creating is incredibly rewarding. When I got lost in what I am creating, it’s a surreal experience. I can picture the places and the characters. I can see the future. I can see the past. It’s surreal.

What I am talking about is prioritizing, not replacing. I am not advocating foregoing consumption any art or entertainment. Books, movies, TV shows, games, podcasts—they can be incredibly inspiring, entertaining, and educating. More often than not, something I consume gets my brain working in a way that gets me thinking and influences what I create.

It’s about creating before consuming.

Over the last three months, I have gotten a handle on prioritizing creating over consuming. Now begins the journey of trying to create things that people actually like.

About Ideas

Thoughts on ideas and how one stumbles across them.

Two days ago I spent my free time—walking, doing the dishes, prepping food—trying my damnedest to conjure up an idea for a short film. The thought of “I want to make a short film one day” crept into my mind, but without a concept, I couldn’t visualize what it would look like.

I looked for an idea in the leaves on the sidewalk, the houses that lined the streets, and the minutiae around my apartment. Nothing. That same night, I brushed my teeth and stepped into the shower. In that instant an idea popped right into my head. It wasn’t a concept that would make sense as a short film, but it was an interesting and inspiring idea. An idea worth exploring.

That’s how ideas work: when you try to conjure one up, they’re elusive. When you least expect it, they show up out of nowhere. It’s a special feeling, and it’s exhilarating when one shows up.

An idea has no inherit value though. Ideas don’t get you very far. Ideas are sparks that need to be used to light larger flames that can burn for more than just an instant. Taking an idea and fleshing it out is a wonderful feeling, but for the times when all you want is a new idea, it’s best to think about anything but.