#FrankensteinFriday

Newsletter + On This Day

I just found out Frankenstein has its own “day” and it’s today. Who knew?

Honestly, I don’t know why I’m surprised. These days everyone and everything seems to have their own “official” day. Not sure who—if anyone—decides this stuff, but if you want one, Oprah’s GIF will be more than happy to make your dreams come true.

Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite horror stories and film franchises.

I mean, who doesn’t love a mad scientist, a monster with a heart of gold, and a bride who’s not thrilled with her relationship options?

Okay…so the Bride wasn’t in the original story or movie…but still.

According to National Day Calendar:

“The novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley…tells the story of a young scientist, Victor Frankenstein. While she published the first edition of Frankenstein in 1818 anonymously, the first 500 copies sold out. However, the public believed her husband, Percy Shelley, to be the author. Then in 1823, Mary Shelley published a new edition under her name. Another edition in 1831 included Shelley's explanation about how the story came to be. This version is the one modern readers are the most familiar with today.”

Frankenstein is more than a tale of a monster and his maker—it’s about persistence, reinvention, and the often-messy process of creation. Like Frankenstein’s creature, pieced together from discarded (and dug-up) parts, Shelley’s novel evolved through multiple editions, each one growing stronger.

As a creator working mostly with found photos and stories, I relate to Shelley’s process. Creating (and curating) my work can feel like putting together a jigsaw puzzle made out of scraps that aren’t made to fit together.

Rarely do I get it “right” the first time, but that’s part of the process.
However many times it takes, the spark usually comes…in a flash.

In my studio, I often feel like Dr. Frankenstein—a little mad, a lot nervous, experimenting and hoping for lightning to strike. And when it does, I hope my creations and curations will be received better than his creature.

So here’s to Frankenstein Friday—a chance to embrace our inner mad scientists and allow ourselves the freedom to try, try again.

Results may vary, but with enough heart--and sparks of lightning—I hope we all feel free to create work we’re proud to call our own.

Thanks for reading!
Clint

P.S. Last year, I, with the help of fellow queer creatives, created the Queer Halloween collection. Here are a few of my personal favorites from that collaboration:

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NEWS + VIEWS

• Elon Musk Gets Reminder From The DOJ That Paying People To Vote Is A Crime Punishable By Up To 5 Years In Prison (Vanity Fair)

• Grandmother Spends 2 Weeks Painting Portrait of Her Granddaughter. Then Her ‘Act of Love’ Goes Viral (People)

• Majority Of Voters View Anti-Transgender Ads As ‘mean-spirited’ (The Hill)

• Ben Shapiro vs. 25 Kamala Harris Voters (Jubilee)

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ON THIS DAY = OCTOBER 25

BIRTHDAYS

• 1864 = John Francis Dodge = American co-founder of the Dodge Company

• 1866 = Thomas Armat = American co-inventor of the Edison Vita movie projector

• 1881 = Pablo Picasso = Spanish painter and sculptor

• 1894 = Claude Cahun = French photographer and sculptor

• 1912 = Minnie Pearl = American entertainer and philanthropist

• 1942 = Gloria Katz = American screenwriter and producer

• 1944 = James Carville = American lawyer and political consultant

• 1946 = Miss Major Griffin-Gracy = American author and trans rights organizer

• 1961 = Chad Smith = American drummer

• 1969 = Samantha Bee = Canadian-American comedian and television host

• 1970 = Adam Goldberg = American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

• 1970 = Adam Pascal = American actor and singer

• 1984 = Katy Perry = American singer-songwriter

• 1989 = Mia Wasikowska = Australian actor

CELEBRATIONS

• LGBTQ History Month

• National Frankenstein Friday

EVENTS

• 1930 = TWA begins a 30 hour trip as the first scheduled air service between NY City and Los Angeles, CA.

• 1974 = Bob Marley and the Wailers release “No Woman, No Cry.”

• 1978 = Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis’ film debut, is released in theaters.

• 1982 = Northern Ireland repeals its sodomy laws.

• 1985 = In response to the AIDS crisis (and against closeted then-mayor Ed Koch’s recommendation), New York State urges local NYC health officials to padlock gay baths and sex clubs. Less than a month later, on Novermber 7, Mineshaft is shuttered, followed by Plato’s Retreat, a straight swingers’ club.

• 2006 = The Supreme Court of New Jersey rules in a 4–3 decision that the state constitution guarantees same-sex couples all the legal benefits of marriage, but does not explicitly legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

• 2001 = Microsoft releases Windows XP.

• 2011 = Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court rules in favor of two women seeking a legal civil marriage. It found that “sexual orientation should not serve as a pretext for excluding families from the legal protection that marriage represents.”

• 2018 = First art produced by artificial intelligence sells for $432,500 at auction.

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PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
Pablo Picasso

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