Original post from 1/3/23:
TL;DR: a new Instagram series from Keir (that’s mirrored on the Dubious Ventures blog)! Oh boy! Oh no!
This might sound shocking, but I like to show off my creativity. I put my art and design work on the walls everywhere I live or work or spend time.
It may also seem self-centered (and it is!), but it’s a good reminder to myself that I’ve Done This Before. That I can create, that I can make compelling art (or music, or design, or whatever), that I can Do Big Things.
It’s important, especially during a creative block, or a lucrative but boring paying project or, like now, a long stretch of job rejections and zero freelance work at all, when it feels like I’ve blown up my entire creative career.
So I’m putting stuff on the wall in 2023. Specifically, an “autobiography of creativity” to keep myself accountable in public, so I’m not just griping about the design biz or creative fads or baseball or music or whatever’s convulsing the cesspit of social media these days.
As threatened, then, here comes “Canon Fodder,” a weekly autobiographical continuum of creativity by Yours Truly. Big blips from way back in the 20th century up until now, posted on Mondays, so I can fend off the Sunday Scaries.
It’ll blast through 2 decades in 3 months (then 2 more in 9), it’ll probably have too much band stuff and not enough agency work, it’ll have gaping holes, glaring errors and very tenuous connections to conventional ideas of “creativity.”
I hate Instagram and everything about it, but for better and worse all my friends’ and family’s eyeballs are there, and if they’re still following after all my ridiculous oversharing from 2011-2021…well…they’ll get to strap in for more (or head for the hills).
Compiling this series (which I did in November 2022) has reminded me that my creativity has always been valuable (even when it’s bad, I learn lessons!), and far broader than my 18-year pro design résumé would indicate.
It’ll be messy and embarrassing and occasionally good—but it was fun and compelling for me to make, so it won’t be bullshit for viewers. I’ll be back next week to kick it off—at a private account, sure, but it’ll probably show up here eventually. As always, thanks for the indulgence.
Canon Fodder-related links, as mentioned in the weekly posts
2023-12-26 Bryn DuBois – Hulled Between Wind and Water EP (2020) on Bandcamp; Good Jobs First research report design (2021-2023); MLB City Maps (2013); Band Setlist Dataviz Map (2019).
2023-12-18 Keir DuBois – Lost Songs for Lost Singers EP on Bandcamp, plus release announcement and album cover design notes.
2023-12-11 The Nua Gazetteer, Volume 1: Announcement, Project Page, Notes, Digital Release, Physical Release.
2023-12-04 “Because it Builds Character” series: Photoshop/Heroforge, Midjourney, and Baldur’s Gate 3.
2023-11-27 My Band Rocks: An Audiobiography podcast on Bandcamp.
2023-11-20 (no links)
2023-11-13 Keirtography map projects: SBCC Campuses, IDSA+designExplorr, COLIGO: “The City,” Iron Curtain Europe, Florida National Parks, Wilmington Welcome.
2023-11-06 Keir DuBois – Shipping EP & My Band Rocks: Episode 12, all on Bandcamp.
2023-10-30 Creating “The Gameboard,” Custom Fantasy Maps, Game Board 2022, The Wayfarer’s Guide to Aeos, Fictional Toponymy
2023-10-23 Makin’ Marks, Brand Identity Style Guides, Good Jobs First Database Trackers
2023-10-16 Trade Show Booth Design, ASR Brand Design, Startup Mashup, SBHS Sports Medicine, SB Foodbank Publication Design.
2023-10-09 50+2, March Mapness, Homeworlds, Found Islands, and Hashed Out: Starving the Instabeast.
2023-10-02 Tour DuBois blogging: 2018, 2019, 2020-2021, and Data Visualization.
2023-09-25 Keir’s Speaking Gigs, Typography for Dataviz, Creative Side Hustles for Geospatial, Rambling Man Podcast, Chronicles of Creating Podcast.
2023-09-18 Tight Ship Design website and Ship’s Log (via Wayback Machine), Tight Ship-tagged posts on this site, The Partnership Podcast (via Apple Podcasts).
2023-09-11 Baseball Stadiums I Have Known (2004-2016), Baseball Stadiums I Have Known (Since 2021), and Decades Upon Decades of Baseball Tour Errata.
2023-09-04 Oniracom Brand Identity Design.
2023-08-28 AIGA Cartogram of Chapters, Get Out the Vote Posters, and New Orleans Print History Tour.
2023-08-21 Keir DuBois – Rotten Miracles EP & My Band Rocks: Episode 11, all on Bandcamp.
2023-08-14 Design A Song: A Truly Dubious Venture, ”Design A Song” Spotify playlist, and Hashed Out: Starving the Instabeast, 2013-2021.
2023-08-07 Selected Oniracom projects: Santa Barbara Bowl Menus, Lagoon District Map, and Foodbank of Santa Barbara County Annual Report.
2023-07-31 Keir By Bike blogging and Keir By Bike/Tour DuBois Data Visualization
2023-07-24 AIGA Santa Barbara Event Recaps, AIGA SB Event History Map, and AIGA SB Event Branding by Keir DuBois, 2015-2018.
2023-07-17 The Weapon of Young Gods novel by Keir DuBois: portfolio page on this site and purchase link on Amazon.
2023-07-10 (no links)
2023-07-03 Honey White – Corridan EP, Radblaster – Hecho En Naranjastan EP, & My Band Rocks: Episode 10, all on Bandcamp.
2023-06-26 VSI Research Reports Publication and Design
2023-06-19 Low Tide – The Weapon of Young Gods & My Band Rocks: Episode 9, both on Bandcamp.
2023-06-12 “Ten Years on the Vanity App: 2011-2021” and other Nostalgia Wall stuff.
2023-06-05 Honey White – Some Reassembly Required & My Band Rocks: Episode 6 as well as Deluge and Drought & My Band Rocks: Episode 8, all on Bandcamp. Plus Honey White on the All Music Archive.
2023-05-29 Gifted Education Communicator publication design (2007-2012) and “The Designer-Wordsmith-Rockstar” essay (2010)
2023-05-22 Dubious Ventures Gonzo-Blogging, 2007-2011
2023-05-15 Honey White – How Far is the Fall & My Band Rocks: Episode 7, both on Bandcamp.
2023-05-08 (no links)
2023-05-01 Youtube playlists for Honey White: Live at UCSB (2003), Live on Musical Café (2003), Live at the Wildcat (2004).
2023-04-24 Honey White – My Band Rocks EP & My Band Rocks: Episode 5, both on Bandcamp.
2023-04-17 Keir’s Santa Barbara Independent columns 2001-2003.
2023-04-10 The Mojo Wire – You’re On Your Own & My Band Rocks: Episode 4, both on Bandcamp.
2023-04-03 (no links)
2023-03-27 The Mojo Wire – Seaside Hamlet Skids & My Band Rocks: Episode 3, both on Bandcamp.
2023-03-20 (no links)
2023-03-13 The Mojo Wire – Rocket Fuel Malt Liquor & My Band Rocks: Episode 2, both on Bandcamp.
2023-03-06 The Mojo Wire – Battery Acid Blues & My Band Rocks: Episode 1, both on Bandcamp.
2023-02-27 Keir’s Daily Nexus “Artsweek” columns 1996-1998
2023-02-20 (no links)
2023-02-13 Tom Denton Tells All (1994)
2023-02-06 (no links)
2023-01-30 (no links)
2023-01-23 (no links)
2023-01-16 (no links)
2023-01-09 (no links)
