{"id":2116,"date":"2018-07-18T17:01:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T17:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/?p=2116"},"modified":"2018-07-18T17:20:36","modified_gmt":"2018-07-18T17:20:36","slug":"this-is-alexander-barrett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/this-is-alexander-barrett\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is… Alexander Barrett"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Colorful<\/a>We’ve loved working with traveler\/writer Alexander Barrett since the beginning. From our beloved Portland<\/a> to Shanghai<\/a> and soon San Francisco,<\/a> Alex’s eye for the unique little details in the cities he features continues to be spot on and enjoyable. Years ago, 2015 to be exact, we interviewed Alex for the release of\u00a0<\/a><\/em>This is Shanghai<\/a>,\u00a0and this week we decided to catch up with him and revisit those questions for a update.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\"\"\n

\u00a01. Where are you *right now* and what is the most important thing to know about what\u2019s going on around you there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right now, I’m in my apartment in San Francisco, looking out over the city. I’ve lived here just long enough to think that the new Salesforce tower is ruining the skyline. Oof that thing. Today was “Sunday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Streets” on Valencia in the Mission. They close the street to traffic and line it with musicians, dancers, and tables dedicated to local non-profits. I just watched a bunch of hippies play Jefferson Airplane covers to a small group of dancing children. “When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you dies…” It was the first time I really listened to those lyrics. The kids really responded to them.<\/p>\n

2. I know it\u2019s crass to ask, but when you aren\u2019t making charming illustrated books about places you\u2019re getting to know, what exactly do you do for a living?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a job. I’ve had the job for three years. I still don’t know exactly what it is. But I go there and I do stuff. When it started, I was a copywriter working on branding for YouTube. Then I convinced some higher ups to let me buy a Risograph Printer. Now I mostly print fun stuff and show other people how to print fun stuff.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

3. What\u2019s your favorite book that you\u2019ve read this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read Tamara Shopsin’s Arbitrary<\/em> and Stupid Goal<\/em> a few months ago. I really like the format of her books. It’s not unlike the way I’ve structured mine. Very staccato. But her chapters bounce all over the place through time, topic, and location. Such a wonderful experience.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

4. What\u2019s next for you? And finally, the question on everyone\u2019s mind: Where will you live next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve lived in San Francisco for three years, which is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in a long time. I think I’ll stick around for a while. I won’t be in this city forever, but they have nice baked goods here. For the time being, I’m going to be in this apartment and explore the way I make things.<\/p>\n

Looking back, the process of making these three books feels so similar. But looking at the final products, I think I’ve gotten better at it. I think This is San Francisco<\/em><\/a> is the best and most complete project I’ve ever made. That feels good.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\n
\n
Learn more about Alexander and follow his work at www.alexanderbarrett.com<\/a>\u00a0and check out all three of his city books<\/a>.<\/div>\n
If you’re in Portland this month, snag a free copy of the 1st edition\u00a0This is Portland<\/em>s at “little free libraries” all over town! More on the blog<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’ve loved working with traveler\/writer Alexander Barrett since the beginning. From our beloved Portland to Shanghai and soon San Francisco, Alex’s eye for the unique little details in the cities he features continues to be spot on and enjoyable. Years ago, 2015 to be exact, we interviewed Alex for the release of\u00a0This is Shanghai,\u00a0and this… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[137,11,134],"class_list":["post-2116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogifesto","tag-authors","tag-interviews","tag-this-is-portland"],"my_excerpt":"\"Colorful<\/a>We've loved working with traveler\/writer Alexander Barrett since the beginning. From our beloved Portland<\/a> to Shanghai<\/a> and soon San Francisco,<\/a> Alex's eye for the unique little details in the cities he features continues to be spot on and enjoyable. Years ago, 2015 to be exact, we interviewed Alex for the release of\u00a0<\/a><\/em>This is Shanghai<\/a>,\u00a0and this week we decided to catch up with him and revisit those questions for a update.<\/em>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n\u00a01. Where are you *right now* and what is the most important thing to know about what\u2019s going on around you there?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nRight now, I'm in my apartment in San Francisco, looking out over the city. I've lived here just long enough to think that the new Salesforce tower is ruining the skyline. Oof that thing. Today was \"Sunday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Streets\" on Valencia in the Mission. They close the street to traffic and line it with musicians, dancers, and tables dedicated to local non-profits. I just watched a bunch of hippies play Jefferson Airplane covers to a small group of dancing children. \"When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you dies...\" It was the first time I really listened to those lyrics. The kids really responded to them.\r\n\r\n2. I know it\u2019s crass to ask, but when you aren\u2019t making charming illustrated books about places you\u2019re getting to know, what exactly do you do for a living?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI have a job. I've had the job for three years. I still don't know exactly what it is. But I go there and I do stuff. When it started, I was a copywriter working on branding for YouTube. Then I convinced some higher ups to let me buy a Risograph Printer. Now I mostly print fun stuff and show other people how to print fun stuff.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n3. What\u2019s your favorite book that you\u2019ve read this year?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI read Tamara Shopsin's Arbitrary<\/em> and Stupid Goal<\/em> a few months ago. I really like the format of her books. It's not unlike the way I've structured mine. Very staccato. But her chapters bounce all over the place through time, topic, and location. Such a wonderful experience.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n4. What\u2019s next for you? And finally, the question on everyone\u2019s mind: Where will you live next?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI've lived in San Francisco for three years, which is the longest I've lived anywhere in a long time. I think I'll stick around for a while. I won't be in this city forever, but they have nice baked goods here. For the time being, I'm going to be in this apartment and explore the way I make things.\r\n\r\nLooking back, the process of making these three books feels so similar. But looking at the final products, I think I've gotten better at it. I think This is San Francisco<\/em><\/a> is the best and most complete project I've ever made. That feels good.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n--\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
Learn more about Alexander and follow his work at www.alexanderbarrett.com<\/a>\u00a0and check out all three of his city books<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n
If you're in Portland this month, snag a free copy of the 1st edition\u00a0This is Portland<\/em>s at \"little free libraries\" all over town! More on the blog<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","my_excerpt_rendered":"

\"Colorful<\/a>We’ve loved working with traveler\/writer Alexander Barrett since the beginning. From our beloved Portland<\/a> to Shanghai<\/a> and soon San Francisco,<\/a> Alex’s eye for the unique little details in the cities he features continues to be spot on and enjoyable. Years ago, 2015 to be exact, we interviewed Alex for the release of\u00a0<\/a><\/em>This is Shanghai<\/a>,\u00a0and this week we decided to catch up with him and revisit those questions for a update.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\"\"\n

\u00a01. Where are you *right now* and what is the most important thing to know about what\u2019s going on around you there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right now, I’m in my apartment in San Francisco, looking out over the city. I’ve lived here just long enough to think that the new Salesforce tower is ruining the skyline. Oof that thing. Today was “Sunday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Streets” on Valencia in the Mission. They close the street to traffic and line it with musicians, dancers, and tables dedicated to local non-profits. I just watched a bunch of hippies play Jefferson Airplane covers to a small group of dancing children. “When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you dies…” It was the first time I really listened to those lyrics. The kids really responded to them.<\/p>\n

2. I know it\u2019s crass to ask, but when you aren\u2019t making charming illustrated books about places you\u2019re getting to know, what exactly do you do for a living?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a job. I’ve had the job for three years. I still don’t know exactly what it is. But I go there and I do stuff. When it started, I was a copywriter working on branding for YouTube. Then I convinced some higher ups to let me buy a Risograph Printer. Now I mostly print fun stuff and show other people how to print fun stuff.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

3. What\u2019s your favorite book that you\u2019ve read this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read Tamara Shopsin’s Arbitrary<\/em> and Stupid Goal<\/em> a few months ago. I really like the format of her books. It’s not unlike the way I’ve structured mine. Very staccato. But her chapters bounce all over the place through time, topic, and location. Such a wonderful experience.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

4. What\u2019s next for you? And finally, the question on everyone\u2019s mind: Where will you live next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve lived in San Francisco for three years, which is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in a long time. I think I’ll stick around for a while. I won’t be in this city forever, but they have nice baked goods here. For the time being, I’m going to be in this apartment and explore the way I make things.<\/p>\n

Looking back, the process of making these three books feels so similar. But looking at the final products, I think I’ve gotten better at it. I think This is San Francisco<\/em><\/a> is the best and most complete project I’ve ever made. That feels good.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\n
\n
Learn more about Alexander and follow his work at www.alexanderbarrett.com<\/a>\u00a0and check out all three of his city books<\/a>.<\/div>\n
If you’re in Portland this month, snag a free copy of the 1st edition\u00a0This is Portland<\/em>s at “little free libraries” all over town! More on the blog<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2116"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2125,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116\/revisions\/2125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}