I build software with AI all day. The stuff below is what I reach for when I'm not building. Pottery wheels. Watercolors. National park passes. Library cards. Things that pay attention back.
We are humans who build AI so we can keep doing the things humans were always meant to do — paint, pot, create, love, play.
↘ The tools my grandparents would recognize. Some of them would still use.
Pottery · ~$320
Quiet, table-top, doesn't pretend to be more than it is. Best entry to throwing without a studio.
Digital art · $12.99 once
Buy it once, never pay again. The best $13 in software. iPad becomes a sketchbook that doesn't run out of pages.
Painting · $35-80
Travel-friendly. The half-pan tin will outlive your laptop. Painting at the kitchen table without a studio setup.
Sewing · ~$200
Beginner-friendly enough to learn on, capable enough to grow into. My grandmother would approve.
↘ Quiet tools. The opposite of the dopamine apps.
Note-taking · Free
Plain markdown files on your disk that you actually own. Beats Notion if you care about owning your thinking.
Reading · $9.99/mo
Saves articles, books, tweets, podcasts in one place. Highlights resurface in your daily review. Best reading habit I've built.
Newsletter · Free
Maria Popova has been writing about books, art, and being alive for nearly 20 years. Slow internet at its best.
Writing · $2.99/mo
Beautiful, distraction-free, prose-first. For when Obsidian is too much and Apple Notes is not enough.
↘ Subscriptions, memberships, and a free thing more people should use.
Music · $11.99/mo
The single most reliable mood lever. Daylist + Discover Weekly is enough.
Movies · $19/yr
Movie tracking + a community that hasn't been ruined by AI yet. The closest thing to a 2010 internet.
Parks · $80/yr
Every national park, every monument, all year. The best $80 the federal government will ever take from you.
Books + more · Free
Libby for ebooks/audiobooks, hoopla for streaming, Kanopy for arthouse films. The most underused tool in modern life.
↘ Hot girl walk essentials. ADHD-tested.
Tracking · Free tier
The free tier is plenty. Every walk is a small win. ADHD brain loves the data.
The kit · ~$50 total
Sun off your face, water in your hand. The whole hot girl walk economy in two items.
Apparel · $58
Lined, pocketed, and they don't ride up. The shorts you wear when you mean it.
Limited drops. Made to last. The first three: a yellow trucker hat with the sun mark, a “Bring yours.” tee, and a vibe-coded hoodie. Drops when they're ready, not before.
Coming soon
Yellow brim, sun mark, embroidered.
Coming soon
Cream + black. Loose fit.
Coming soon
Heavy cotton. Black + sun.
When you're ready to build, I'm here. Until then — go pot something.