Finds of the Week

Every Friday we share our “finds” of the week, including the best designer-recommended tools; our interview subjects’ dream studios; and some cultural happenings that you need to know about.?

Discover...

? Something new and cool for the pencil obsessives?

? Ariana Gupta’s Sunshiney Oasis

? A Must See: The Outsiders now on Broadway

1. Product Recommendation: Something new and cool for the pencil obsessives (count us as one!).

Derek Rippe has rolled out an entire library of toy characteristics. What does that mean? Well, after working at Nickelodeon where he led the creative development for kids’ toys, he switched over to designing dog toys at his company BARK . And on the side, he makes cosmetic packaging for Trixie Mattell of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame. (He was also shortlisted for Licensing Global's "The Influentials" list in 2022.) Safe to say he’s got some great design recs. Here he shares his favorite go-to pencil:

“I picked this pencil up in a general store in San Francisco about 15 years ago, and it’s been my go-to instrument ever since,” Rippe says. “My team and I are constantly generating new characters and constructions throughout the day, and I probably use it more than any other item. It’s perfect for sketching and scribbling, and I love the way it fits in my hand. A mechanical pencil aficionado since childhood, I also appreciate how durable it is. Especially when I’ve discovered someone’s been gnawing on it.”

For more of Rippe’s product great product recs, read the full piece here.

2. Dream Studio: Ariana Gupta’s Sunshiney Oasis

As a designer and filmmaker from Mumbai, India, Ariana Gupta has learned the importance of pushing creative and social boundaries to redefine what is possible. (She delivered a Ted Talk at age 17, written and illustrated a children’s book, and has won awards for her student films. And she’s only 22!). But in order to do all of that, you obviously have to have big dreams. Here, she shares what her dream studio looks like:?

“I often think about my dream studio, and I imagine it to be a large loft with sunshine pouring through the tall windows. My cats are sitting on the window sill. There are more than three large bookshelves full of books and magazines that I’ve collected over the years. There is a small nook with a light and camera setup for photography. Another corner is dedicated to my screen printing setup and is just a space to be messy, cut things up and make mistakes.”

Read our full interview with Gupta here.

3. Creative Factor Rec: The Outsiders now on Broadway

Our Editor Matt McCue recently went to see a new Broadway show, The Outsiders. It’s the musical version of the classic book, and it just opened. The music and lyrics are by the band Jamestown Revival, a favorite in his family.

Matt loved it so much, he wrote about it in our newsletter last week (subscribe here). “It was one of those New York nights where you are reminded about the incredible amount of creativity in this city. Here, in just one theater, in just one slice of the city, was a group of young people who can sing, dance, and perform at a world-class level,” he writes.?

If you are looking for a feel-good show to see this spring, TCF highly recommends it.?

4. Read our biggest, most ambitious story yet: Halli Shall Be Released

In January, our Editor Matt McCue spent a very cold, dark week in Iceland getting to know Haraldur Thorleifsson , one of the most iconic designers and entrepreneurs of our time who was named Person of the Year by Iceland’s President. Halli is an incredibly talented multi-hyphenate, and he also lives with muscular dystrophy, a physical condition he's had since early-childhood that causes muscular weakness and pain.?

Read our visually-rich, 5,000-word story on Halli here, where he shares his lifetime quest to figure out who he really is.?