Hi! My name is Jan-Paul and this is where I share all the things that inspire me.

💎 Song Sung Blue

Possibly the most romantic film I’ve ever seen. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson (Oscar nominated!) are incredible. It’s based on an incredible true story about two down-on-their-luck musicians who form a Neil Diamond tribute band.

I watched the documentary after seeing the movie, and it was fascinating to compare the two. That final scene (of the documentary) brought tears to my eyes. Eddie Vedder is such a good human.

🦜 Listers

A documentary about two brothers who spent a year traveling across the U.S. in a minivan to spot as many bird species as possible.

It’s in the style of How To with John Wilson mixed with Casey Neistat and a ’90s aesthetic.

Passionate, obsessive people from weird subcultures… very much my jam.

🔬 Detail.design

For designers and developers who believe the small things are the big things.

Detail · Where craft lives

A curated study of the tiny design decisions that make products feel right. Each detail includes why it works, where you've seen it, and how to recreate it. For designers and developers who believe the small things are the big things.

🎧 Spite

A dignified music player (with a great name) that plays your MP3 collection like it’s 2006.

Spite

Origin Story Sometimes it’d be nice to go back. Before the internet poisoned our politics and stranded us in silos built by black box algorithms. Now more than ever, Adorno’s dictum rings true: we’re given “the freedom to choose what is always the same.” So I decided

🏷️ Vintage Luggage Labels from Tokyo to Buenos Aires

A beautiful collection of vintage hotel luggage labels from around the world. Pure graphic design candy if you’re into travel ephemera and mid-century typography. (And they’re all stickers too!)

(via Simplebits)

💌 Robin’s Postcards

A lovely personal site packed with thoughtful little design details — including a feature that lets you send Robin a digital postcard. Quiet, playful web craft.

postcards | iamrobin

robins own little space on the internet

(via Chris)

🥰 Wes Cook and The McDonald’s Mural

Back in 2024 I watched this wonderful talk by Cabel Sasser and loved it. He now wrote a follow-up about the effort to save that awesome Wes Cook mural.

A great story about preservation, weird art, and caring deeply about very specific things.

Wes Cook and the Centralia McDonald's Mural

A personal story about discovering a mural in a McDonald's, an unknown artist named Wes Cook, trying to save the mural, and a conference talk about it all.

(also via Chris)

🧂 A website to destroy all websites

A thoughtful, well designed, and slightly salty piece about the state of the modern web and a call to build a better, more human internet.

If you care about craft, independence, and the soul of the web, this one is worth your time.

A Website To End All Websites | Henry From Online

How to win the war for the soul of the internet, and build the Web We Want.

That’s it for this edition of Inspired By

I appreciate you, love
— Jan-Paul