Sloth and Manatee

I have this piece of toast.

I mean- you probably have a piece of toast also, but mine is over ten years old. I think it’s twelve, now. I keep it in a little box.

So twelve or so years ago, me and my friend Bridgett and my friend Alex were doing a table at a comics/zines convention, and by the end of day one we were pretty punchy. So, we began shouting “TOAST!” at passersby. You might try it! It is very satisfying.

That night I took a piece of white bread, which I don’t know why I had white bread, and made a piece of toast and then I scanned it. On my scanner. I also don’t know why I scanned it, it got pretty smooshed. It came out like this:

My friend Bridgett gave the toast eyeballs:

For several years after this incident we would bring the Toast to our con tables and people would come to marvel at it. There were buttons made, even. It was an attraction.

Toast is one of those things you get when you combine two things. Before you combine them, you have a toaster, and you have some bread. Put them together (the right way) and you get toast.

There’s a transformation that takes place, a journey, and this is why we make art.

The prolific author Brandon Sanderson gives a great talk about transformation and art (brought to my attention by my friend Milly), and why this process is at the core of why he so objects to generative AI.

This is one of my favorite talks about this subject. We make stuff, we attempt stuff, because the process changes us. The art that results is evidence of that journey, that a journey was had. We look at the art to marvel at the evidence of the journey, and we share in the experience the artist had because they put something down to record that a journey happened. This makes all of our lives bigger.

As Octavia Butler said, “God is change.”

Toast is a reminder of the journey.

Sloth and Manatee Page

Speaking of whom, here is the exciting news! Sloth and (Moon)atee is now in book form and available everywhere, especially BookShop! Hang out with the conversational rocks and band of tardigrades and penguin and octopus and Listening Aardvark!

Brainwaves

Best of Brainwaves Volume One: The Fountain of Stuff

Best of Brainwaves Volume Two: Mom, Dad, I'm a Cat

License Cartoons from CartoonStock

Art!

Print Shop

BunnyFrogCatSnake

Things Of The Week

People plus their vehicles, a truly splendid photo collection that will delight you

Okay! That's enough nonsense for now.

May you make some crackin’ good toast, may you say a satisfyingly-silly word over and over, won't you be my neighbor? - Betsy