I'm on Substack
Welcome to the Inaugural Post!
I lay some of this out on the About Page, but for a variety of reasons, it’s finally time to try my hand at Substack. Above all, the platform gives me a canvas to interact with & grow the incredible community that’s rallied behind ArtButMakeItSports. I tend to ring-fence my social media presence to just memes, but I’ve been told I should be spreading my wings, and now feels like the right time to take the plunge. So, some things I’m cooking up:
A weekly newsletter with various segments
You’re reading the first version of this!
Conversations with photographers
TBD if this takes the form of a podcast, video, transcribed interviews, or a blend of each. At the core, I want to explore the stories behind the photographs I use in my posts, as told by the photographers. Subscribers will get insight into the first guest/topic after the paywall.
Real-time content creation
The Chat functionality allows for me to solicit requests; you send in the sports image and I turn them into art. I do a lite version of this on Twitter already, but Substack has a bit more 1:1 interaction.
Exclusive memes for Subscribers
As you’ll see below, I’m going to start to save some content to post exclusively on Substack. I’ll also be providing context on how I found/why I choose the particular piece of art used.
As this is all still in its infancy, feel free to reach out with suggestions - Twitter, Instagram DMs, comment section here, email (lj@artbutmakeitsports.com), etc etc. And as always, thanks for the support!
-LJ
Art/Sports I’m Into
This will be a weekly segment featuring something from art and/or sports that I dig
Artle.uk
I can’t remember how I discovered it, but artle.uk became part of my daily routine immediately after playing for the first time. Think of it as a kind of WordleButMakeItArt - each day, you’re given four visible tiles of an overall piece of art, with the rest of it hidden. With each wrong guess, more tiles are revealed, and you’re prompted to guess again. If you guess the right artist, but the wrong work, Artle tells you. This continues for six rounds, at which point the full image is revealed if you still haven’t gotten it.
I can’t embed the puzzles and have them play out, but see if you can guess these with just the first four boxes (answers below)
Puzzles definitely range in difficulty, as some are intuitive from the jump while others seem impossible regardless of how much is revealed. The best are the ones in between; where you might pick up on the the artist based on their style (the one on the right above is a good example). Regardless of how they play out, it ends up being a fun way to keep your art-mind sharp and learn about art/artists you may never have seen/heard of before.
The Splash, David Hockney // The Vitruvian Man, da Vinci // No. 5, Jackson Pollock
Artist of the Week
This will be a weekly segment featuring an artist who’s work I enjoy
Billy Kheel
Image via ShoutoutLA
It’s hard to do Billy Kheel justice in the digital sphere, as the hundreds of felt pieces he layers through sewing dance like de Kooning brushstrokes when witnessed in person. But even online, it’s easy to see what makes Kheel’s work special. It packages talent, scale, humor, and awe - and especially with the athletic pieces that he does, captures the essence of why we fell in love with Sports. That taste of nostalgia is infectious, and leaves the viewer craving a chance to see what subject he tackles next. Do yourself a favor and fall into a wormhole on his instagram page.
And, if all that isn’t reason enough, I had a chance to meet him, and he’s legitimately the nicest, most genuine person I’ve crossed paths with.
Video via the artist (disclaimer - I commissioned this piece and it hangs proudly in my apartment)
What I’m Watching
The DI Women's Volleyball Tournament
Regional Finals are all-day Saturday, with four straight matches. If you’ve never watched College Volleyball, there is no better time than now to get into the sport.
The NBA In-Season Tournament Finals
It’s….kinda good?!? Pacers v. Lakers in the Finals Saturday. Friend of the program
has a great breakdown of the tournament so far on her Substack.
Football Sunday
Bills v. Chiefs and Eagles v. Cowboys. Massive Playoff implications. Strong.
Meme, Look Ahead
Tua brought his musical prowess to Monday’s ManningCast - Subscribe below to see the viral moment as Art and a peak ahead to what’s next!
