Jordan Swartz-The Rad Times #23

I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, I’m more of a “the time is always now” type of person, but every year on January 1 I read Woody Guthrie’s New Years Rulin’s. Like his lyrics, Woody’s list is hopeful but not self serious, aspirational but not self-deprecating, and it’s all tinged with a knowing laugh. He wants to grow as a person and artist, support those around him and himself, and stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. It’s a reminder at the beginning of each new year to wake up and fight.

Thanks for hanging!
Be good to each other.

I’m not sure of the exact date but January marks two years of full time freelance. In 2025, I worked on a large range of projects. I completed the identity and brand system for two boutique motels, along with their wayfinding and signage, print and operating collateral, and a full apparel/merch line for each. I also made the identity and brand system for a number of hospitality concepts, including a pizza place, taco stand, and an ice cream shop. With a bunch of other fun websites, t shirts, posters, badges, and other projects thrown in. I love making things and give a sincere thank you to all who have trusted and supported me.

There is a few prints for sale in my store (use the discount code TheRadTimes for 20% off.) It’s a small group of photos from my travels over the last year. A couple of which were made last month in Westport, WA., I was there as the artist-in-residence at LOGE Camps. The work made there is part of an ongoing series called King Tide, about the PNW and human impact on nature.

99 Percent Invisible is the podcast that got me into podcasts, which is where I first heard Avery Trufelman. She was a long time contributor for 99PI before spinning off her own show, Articles of Interest. Dubbed by her “a show about what we wear” I was particularly interested in the most recent season, Gear. Workwear and “classics” make up the majority of my wardrobe, while I knew fashion was influenced by the military, I didn’t realize just how far that influence stretched. Over seven episodes, Trufelman takes the listener through early American military styling and design and into the present day gorpification of fashion.

I’ve seen Eyes Wide Shut a few times and I gain something new with each viewing. I recently read Heather Perry’s essay “please stop making 'female' versions of things” before going to see a screening in Glasgow. I love Perry’s writing style and her essay shares thoughts I’ve had but could never articulate as directly or eloquently. Do yourself a favor; read Perry’s article, rewatch Eyes Wide Shut, and then go read whatever other essays about it that you can find. Something new reveals itself with each rewatch and each new essay I read.

I’m a fan of anyone who customizes their world and the objects around them, Lomond Campbell is one of those people. I first watched this video to see his renovated modernist home, but I stayed for the custom built instruments and conceptual synthesizers. His Muonophone detects harmless radiation from cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmosphere, generating notes in response. LUP is a custom tape loop instrument that passes the tape near a rotating magnetic disc causing the 10 second loop to disintegrate over time. His instruments and builds are inventive and play creatively inside a known space.

Design process is one of my favorite things. The final design that a client and/or customer sees often has a broad foundation with numerous iterations before it. I’ve been in a number of meetings where a client suggests something and I have to find a democratic way to say, “it’s been tried and it didn’t work.” This article discusses the design of the Sqirl cookbook cover and it does a good job giving a surface overview of what can and does go into designing a book.