Equipment Spelunking with Robert Baxter
by Ben G Bear
Recently, I am finding myself more courageous with diving into broken machinery and feeling mentally willing to challenge myself to fix them. By no means am I good at doing so, but I’m finding joy in knowing that this isn’t a main characteristic of the Ben I knew from even a few years ago. I’m starting to really accept that I don’t have to know exactly what I’m doing throughout the process. The main thing is to stay curious, even when there are moments where control feels lost. This may sound obvious, but I guess some things are easier said than done. I think what really did it for me was when Diana and I were so lucky to get a visit from Robert Baxter.
By now, there are a good handful of folks who are aware of Robert’s ability to bring a number of machines back to life. A lot of machines. As he takes a look at your machine, he walks you through the machine’s components and gives a pretty thorough introduction to the things that makes the machine do what it needs to do. You are likely taking notes during this stage about maintenance specific to your machine.
I am writing this segment to say that the thing that I really learned during Robert’s visit with us wasn’t exactly the things that were written. For a while after Robert left, I found myself taking maintenance projects on with more ease and less anxiety of “what if I mess this up?”. I’m realizing now that it was the way Robert handled the tasks that were before us: He was calm, he felt at ease or simply chuckled it off when something failed. In contrast, I would have felt dismal if it were just me taking the project on. His process certainly comes with much experience, but his general way of going about it has seemed to have rubbed off on me in a way that has made my process better.
I also realized that I started accepting this way of being before Robert’s visit in separate hobbies of mine: making sourdough bread, fermenting koji rice and tempeh, and other forms of process-oriented creation that invites accepting spontaneity. It just took a friendly helping hand to get me there in the printing/bookmaking space. I have a lot to be thankful for from his help!
For so long the risograph printer and it’s cronies (booklet maker, paper cutter and collator) were a bit overwhelming to think about in terms of maintenance and problem solving. Day by day, things have gotten less intimidating, even though I still have so much more to learn from these machines. Yes, there may be a day where one of these baddies may defeat me and I have to hire a professional… but at least I can say I put up a fight.
As of today, Robert is still providing workshops and studio visits for those interested. He also is planning on doing online risograph maintenance sessions that go over a wide range of risograph printer generations. If you are looking for a starting point on risograph maintenance, you can check out his maintenance manual that he has for sale. Check it out here. Again, thank you so much Robert for your patience and guidance!
Late Summer Lull(aby)
Diana’s (still pregnant) and just past 37 weeks, which is considered full-term in some folks’ books. We’ll be taking our time after the little one arrives in the coming weeks to resurface as BearBearCub in late August. As their arrival date approaches it feels less surreal; new emotions and considerations start to orbit my thoughts. I remember reading an article in the New York Times about the chemical changes that occur when a human becomes a father. Whether it’s true or a placebo of having read the article, I am certainly having these feelings of “happiness, contentment and warmth” the article mentions.
The funny thing is that they generally are the emotions we already aim to evoke with BearBear; an output of ourselves or at least who we strive to be. A big part of why we created BearBear was to be able to spend more time together and find ways to output who we are as creatives, which at this point is 24/7… something I never imagined I’d be able to do with a partner and am forever grateful for. The cauldron of us is about to change, and we are ready more than ever. Thanks for your patience + love as we learn more about ourselves and the new cub.
My Latest Food Obsession
It wasn’t too long ago when Diana and I were in Shanghai and I haven’t yet mentioned the obsessions of those travels. I will write about just one trip-bite in this email.
Many of us are now familiar with xiao long bao, also known as the soup dumping, a Shanghainese invention. What I wasn’t aware of was it’s close relative, the mighty sheng jian bao. There are a couple key differences here. First, the dough on the outside is more similar in texture to a steamed bun, like a steamy cloud with a chewy bite. The second difference is, ohhhh yes, the most important. The steamy clouds are placed into a screamin’ hot wok, giving it a stormy sear of a bottom. The gift is a bite that gives a full textural experience. A crunchy, fluffy, chewy bite into the seas of a soupy pork interior. Yes, sheng jian bao. Yes.
On a more Wisconsin note, it has just been about a full 365 days since the mighty Grace Rother introduced us to juneberry trees. We took a stroll a few blocks from the Bindery where Grace pointed out a tree near an apartment building. On the tree were dark round berries somewhat larger than blueberries in size with a juicy bite and bonus almond flavored pit. How, I wondered, could this discovery have been absent through my 30 year snacking career for so long? Berry picking is one of my favorite summer gestures and it is likely the closest feeling I can get to being an actual bear.
Go find a juneberry tree before the birds do! Tippecanoe Park’s huckleberry behemoth is also starting to share its bounty.
On Diana’s Nightstand
The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett
A minimalism book that goes deeper than the aesthetic
There’s no such thing as bad weather (just bad prep)
Diana’s ‘pleasing’ antidote to prenatal anxiety
A few event announcements: We’re tabling at CAKE Chicago (Aug 24 + 25) and MILK Milwaukee (Oct 6) this year. Save the dates! Taylor’s book signing has been cancelled (but our pop-up at Lion’s Tooth is still on.) We've updated our events calendar <3
Catalpa trees in bloom,
Ben