I hope this email finds you hydrated.
Good morning! It’s rainy over here! Sounds like the perfect weather to scroll!
If you’re a new subscriber, check out my archive of old newsletters. Some twenty three tabs alumni include the guys of Perfectly Imperfect the newsletter, Lili Trifilio of Beach Bunny, Chicago Found Goods, a natural wine club, Brooklyn singer/songwriter Alisa Nappa, and illustrator Zena Kay.
The mini interview/artist feature has definitely been my favorite part of putting this newsletter together. It’s cool to get to know cool people, you know? I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Subscribe below if you haven’t already?
this song is dedicated to…
my friend whose ex returned a single black sock to them❤️
artist of the week: Edgar Gonzalez / ANDAFTERTHAT
Hi Edgar! What do you do, and what is ANDAFTERTHAT?
“Hey there! I do the MOST. Just kidding, I work as a financial clerk at a shipping warehouse during the day, and I do some design and writing on the side!
ANDAFTERTHAT is my creative agency/love letter to everything I love and my brand, but it is also a community project that focuses on putting resources into undocumented folks’ hands.”
How/why did you start designing merch?
“The story is a personal one, as the first shirt I ever did was in order to raise funds for my own brother's DACA application fees. I have always had a big interest in design and JAWNS, but I never thought I could actually do it. Until I just did.”
Tell me more about yourself!
“I was born in Mexico City. However, I'm based out of the Rio Grande Valley and have lived here for upwards of a decade. I'm no 'Ye, but I’m a college drop out. Currently work 40 hour work week to pay the bills.”
100% of your merch proceeds go towards a charitable cause. Where do the proceeds go and how do you choose?
“Yeah, all profits are relocated into the hands of undocumented folks directly through mutual aid (I put out a call every month or so on my Twitter @edgargonzelaz). No questions asked. I personally don’t feel like nonprofits are the best way to help sometimes, so all of our actions are direct peer to peer (The revolution will not be through a nonprofit!).”
Can you talk about your process from idea conception to printing?
“The way I go about creating the pieces is a complicated one. A lot of my work is influenced by music that I love. The very first tee, the "ICE MELTS" tee, is a straight reference to a New Order tee from 1983. So a lot of going through old blogs and looking at album art and old post punk show fliers. Once I find a design language that speaks to me, I think of the message I’m trying to put out, and I get to work on it. Usually I spend a couple of weeks looking at fonts and tweaking images until I’m content with something. Once the design is complete, I send that through to my boys at Palo Santo Prints who go ahead and print up a sample piece. If it’s up to my liking and it speaks to me, we run it.”
What are your passions/interests outside of design and supporting causes that are important to you?
“I just have always had a passion towards storytelling. That's my number one passion. And not to sound like the biggest asshole ever, but that’s how I try to approach my take on "design.” I try and tell a story with the tees. For example, the "NO IDOLS" tees feature an image of a confederate monument that was "defaced" in my hometown. And a striking quote by James Baldwin about history, because to me, that act right there is history. It is a History that musn’t be forgotten, but rather it must be changed.”
Any hopes/wishes/dreams/goals? :)
“Nike x ANDAFTERTHAT
New Balance x ANDAFTERTHAT
18 East x AAT
UNION x AAT
Oh, and a world without borders and suffering.”
Follow Edgar on Instagram at @edgargonzalez, on Twitter at @edgargonzelaz, and check out his catalog of great work on his website edgargonzelaz.com.
a leisurely scroll
#27: The pain/pleasure paradox Maybe Baby
Haley Nahman, formerly of Repeller (called Man Repeller at the time), has a fantastic newsletter called Maybe Baby. Very randomly, I found Haley through her friend, Chelsea, whose YouTube videos I watched in MIDDLE SCHOOL!!! Haley would randomly pop up in Chelsea’s videos and I thought she was sooo funny.
I really enjoyed this week of Maybe Baby. Haley somehow seamlessly connects “anti-natalism” with an octopus, and it made me kind of emotional!
Microsoft Thinks You’ve Been Missing Your Commute in Lockdown WSJ
“‘Virtual commutes’ on Teams aim to rebuild the boundaries between work and home life, and signify the tech firm’s move into corporate well-being.”
I used Microsoft Teams at an old job and, and all I can think about is how the emojis would blink.
hahahahasdgdsjfdsjk
💰
Every month I’ll be choosing an organization raise funds for. This month, I’ll be collecting donations for The Bail Project™.
“On any given night in America, there are nearly half a million people sitting in jail before trial simply because they can’t afford bail. The Bail Project™ National Revolving Bail Fund provides free bail assistance to low-income individuals who are legally presumed innocent, and whom a judge has deemed eligible for release before trial contingent on paying bail.
[Cash bail] criminalizes poverty and is a structural linchpin of mass incarceration and racial inequality. It affects entire communities, devastates families for generations, and guts the presumption of innocence.”
Here is a good video that explains America’s cash bail system, and here is The Bail Project™’s plan for reimagining pretrial justice. Swipe through this post as well!
Check out last month’s organization here.
Venmo me at @elisebang (email me if you prefer a different method) and at the end of every month, I’ll match up to $50.
et cetera
Phoebe Bridgers started a record label, and the website is soooo funny. “Texts” from Phoebe (like the one above) pop up every minute or so, there are folders at the bottom of the screen to explore (my favorite folder is “Action Items (Circle Back Organically)”) , a calendar where Phoebe is OOO most days, etc.
I would like every bowl, cup, and plate from this collection called Confetti.
This episode of the podcast How Long Gone, featuring Ana Andjelic, whose newsletter The Sociology of Business I love!
These checkered pants!
I got this little catchall dish/ash tray thing for a friend’s gift, but now I want one for myself!!!
My checkered rug obsession is not over and has manifested into this checkered pouf.
same time next week?
Thanks for reading :) I’m very excited for next week’s guest! Here is a hint: 🎾🪑
Is there anything you wanna see in a future newsie? Shoot me an email at eliseabang@gmail.com, Tweet me, or DM me on Instagram.
Talk to you next week! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
feeling incredibly validated you are a hlg head as well!