Kindred Spirits
Inspirations
(for the specific vibe of this website)
Daddies
- Joe Pera
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In the first episode of the televison show Joe Pera Talks With You, Joe comically believes he is obligated to sell his home because a For Sale sign has appeared on his lawn. In a plea not to buy his home, he says:
… it's got my best thinking spots -- the piano bench, the chair that faces the yard, and my side of the bed where I can look out the window and think about stuff like, 'What is the future of casual dining?'
Joe Pera is the prime inspiration for this website. His comedy is slow, gentle, thoughtful - well-researched even - and utterly unique.
- Joe Pera Talks You Back to Sleep - A full episode of his Adult Swim TV show, free on YouTube
- Slow and Steady - Joe Pera's comedy special, on YouTube
- Drifting Off with Joe Pera - Sleep podcast, playlist on YouTube, or wherever you prefer to listen
- joepera.com
- Bob Ross
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The dulcet, bearded painter with a permed afro has probably entered meme territory, but I so appreciate Bob Ross's gentle, encouraging approach to teaching. I was raised with the distorted view that talent and so-called genius are innate, but Bob Ross shows us that all you need is time, practice, and guidance, especially if you're creating solely for the joy of doing so.
- Bob Ross on Twitch - Typically weekend streams
TV/VHS (Twitch/YouTube)
- ipaintbirbs
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Liz is a natural science illustrator, but also has a sticker in their shop of a bird wearing sunglasses that says 'dingus'. One time on stream they were talking about cooking and said, "soup is jazz," and that was very validating because I also feel that way about making soup.
- Dashner Design & Restoration
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Quiet and informative furniture restoration, soothing and satisfying. Some of these creators subtly acknowledge and poke fun at how miserable the ecosystem of a YouTube or Twitch is, like this fella.
- EiffelArt
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Just soothing painting ala Bob Ross. Lovely impressionistic landscapes with a vivid use of colors akin to Studio Ghibli films or the recent entries in The Legend of Zelda.
Vidja Games
- Stardew Valley
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The gold standard of life/farm-sims, it just gets everything right and is so compelling. I return to it year after year. Recently I was stunned to realize that it was 'only' released in 2016 - it feels like it's been a part of my life for so much longer.
But that's disturbingly close to a decade already and we've been in a collective fugue state since then so - Animal Crossing
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What a dream it was to move into your own home in a small village when my sister and I first played this in the early aughts. The recent New Horizons sure came along at the right time, but do you ever feel like your memories are so tied to March of 2020 that you'll never look at it the same way again?
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom
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I've simply spent hundreds of hours wandering these worlds and doing none of the 'game' parts. Instead of linking to some official site, I offer a sort of musical fan fiction from Milieu:
Radio (Podcasts)
- The Empty Bowl
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"A meditative podcast about cereal." I love a bowl of cereal before bed (but not too close to bed).
- bowl.rest - Their official URL is great, but redirects to Spotify meh. Listen where you prefer.
- cerealously.net - Co-host Dan Goubert's cereal review blog
- Scary Stories to Tell On the Pod
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It might seem odd to have a scary story podcast listed here, but it's a cozy comedy podcast, with two hosts that have the same kind of dingus brain as me.
Scary Stories to Tell On the Pod at Forever Dog - The vibe of their network is grating and a bummer, listen where you prefer