Field Notes
6/25/26
Field Note No. 002
What AI Couldn't Teach Me About Light.
I have been painting Jello cakes for a few years now, all from glossy, impossibly perfect images that I have spent countless hours AI generating. The paintings end up exactly as I want them to look. Problem solved, right? However, I needed to know how light ACTUALLY works on and THROUGH an object like Jello.
Thus, the agar agar experiments began. First, I found some cool Jello molds from the thrift store. Then a gorgeous crystal platter. The barrier of entry being under $10 was more than I could say no to. Eventually, I invested in some agar agar, food dye, and more molds. But the thrift store continues to be the best place to find the perfect molds.
What surprised me was that the real object looked totally different from the AI generated images. I knew the AI images were impossibly beautiful, but I didn't realize how much more like delicious food the AI images looked than the REAL concoctions I was making in the real world. Granted, whipped cream works wonders. But the sharp edges of the agar agar and the radioactive Red 40 color made them look more like resin than food.
For the record, the desserts were not made to be eaten: they were just flavorless agar agar, food dye, and tap water. BUT, they were all edible materials used in molds crafted for food. I had a lot of fun making something IMPRACTICAL, USELESS, and IMPERMANENT. I saw things I would have never expected: reflected light changing hue, shadows changing from warm to cool, and real "food" appearing completely artificial. The way the light bounces in and on itself, almost infinitely through the crystal clear Jello had me drooling....not for food, but for the beauty of it.
And I think that is where this lives: impossibly red and green but REAL. Faker than the fake yet EDIBLE. I love it, I hate it, I cannot stop staring.
6/24/26
Field Note No. 001
Why I started reading classics again
Who else has a love-hate relationship with their phone? I love having access to inspiring podcasts, beautiful images, and answers to any question at the speed of typing. But. I hate how sucked into my phone I get. One reel from a friend becomes 45 minutes of scrolling, and it crushes my soul.
Years ago I went vegan, and I learned a concept called "Don't cut it out, crowd it out." The idea was not to completely cut out what you want to avoid, but to "crowd it out" with the sorts of things you would rather have. For instance, instead of completely cutting out meat, try falafel burgers. Next thing you know, you realize you like falafel burgers more than actual burgers (perhaps). Boom, crowded out. After using countless apps and gadgets to try to minimize my time on my phone, I remembered this concept. Instead of trying to cut out my phone usage, I decided to "crowd it out" with activities I'd rather be doing.
*Cue cute classic books* Now I an obsessed with reading these cute little classic books. I found them at 5 Below, a chain variety store that sells most of its stock at $5 or less. I went on a journey trying to find affordable copies of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Pride and Prejudice, etc. I finally found these beautiful adaptations at 5 Below and bought them all, even multiple copies of each (for gifting, of course).
It brings me back to being a kid, and being allowed to collect beautiful objects. The past 20 years I have moved 15 times. It's almost impossible to keep a collection of books when you pack up that much. But now that I own my own home, I feel that urge to collect coming back. And I am allowing myself the luxury of time curled up with a good book, because I am not wasting as much time sucked into my phone. 45 minutes scrolling can become 45 minutes of focus into the world of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Now, instead of scrolling on my phone, I try to reach for one of these little guys. I read Pride and Prejudice in a week. I read Jane Eyre in 3 days. Now I am on Frankenstein. Because I love my phone, I have been supplementing the physical copy with the audio books and the Kindle versions. I am trying to make READING the goal, not just the reading of the PHYSICAL book. However, the physical books are their own catalyst and draw for me. I'd much rather hold this beautiful, tactile, clothbound, gilt object than my cold, hard, paralyzingly-infinite-possibility iPhone.
My attention span is having a field day, and my fingers couldn't be happier being allowed to delight over the analog pages of the printed page. My bookshelf is also conveniently becoming more beautiful and interesting as I add these little trophies to the stacks.