TSC S01—E03: The Diorama Episode

Have you looked behind you recently?
I’m just kidding. I bet there’s nothing there.

TSC delivers sneaky treats for that GORGEOUS noggin of yours. It’s the (almost) weekly newsletter about hobbies, fixations, and the love of curiosity.

Everyone is talking about AI this, LLM that. It’s a problem for anyone with a fear of acronyms or the Singularity.

We’re proudly AI-free until it either profits us or we get tired. Or maybe bribed. And that’s a PROMISE.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s continue.
Call me chef the way these links are cookin’.

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💎 Hobbies, Creators, and more! 🧠

Joe Haddad is a Brooklyn creative director and designer who ALSO happens to be a diorama builder / painter / crafter / magician / master. Fusing model-building, design, and photography, his final projects are STUNNING and will stop you in your tracks like a tiny little train.

Don’t miss his latest project here!

“This build, for me, was really an exercise in using textures, finishes, props, and details to create narrative. It's a militaristic vehicle on the surface, but when you start looking more closely, there's a story about decay, desperation, even some humor potentially built into the structure and composition.

That's so much of what draws me to miniature work—the way weathering, the effect of age on materials, communicates something intrinsic about their use and history.”

Interested in what Joe does? Of course you are.

It’s dope as hell and you want your living room covered in these bad boys. We’ve compiled some resources for getting into model building, Gunpla, dioramas, and more!

Don’t worry. We’ll do a deeper dive into models and diorama building in the future. I SAID DON’T WORRY. STOP WORRYING.

• Want more? A good start is their dedicated subreddit, /r/dioramas. They’re pretty nice, but don’t make any sudden moves.

• Make sure you’re following Joe on Instagram! Otherwise, he might find you.

• Check out Miniature Landscape Hobbies to get an idea of process and an introduction to the craft.

• A pro move is to buy a Gundam figure and texture it yourself to get a sense for the hobby! If you don’t do this, I’ll scream and stomp around a LOT. Not a little. Like probably 2-3 thousand stomps.

• Another Creator who has taken this to the level of Fine Art is Joshua Smith—I bet you’ve seen his work before. YES, even you, you uncultured Philistine.

📙 The Bookmarks

Things we saved “for later”. Like when you save leftovers of a meal that was just ok, but you don’t wanna throw it away, so instead you let it rot for a week and then you throw it away. Just as god intended.

• AG1 launched a new series called “Morning People”, and I will never be featured because I keep the hours of a geriatric vampire. This first episode features chef Allison Roman.

• An extremely British article about flavored chips / crisps / scoobledobbles / crunchy bois. Apparently the Germans just LOVE them some paprika.

• Are you a data nerd? Do you like pretty pictures? Did your parents tell you that you were a special little boy? NO? Well, you’re gonna love this.

• What’s an email without a TikTok? Still an email. Anyway, I had to watch this so now you do too.

• Finally….this thing? They claim it’s the first physical AI video editor. Very nice and also cool.

📰 Article of the Week

Bro, my mind doesn’t wander it straight up does sprints away. The good news? Turns out that’s a function of your brain sorting things and potentially recovering memories.

Enjoy.

I can’t believe you’re still here. It’s like…you’re just obsessed with me. If you don’t have anything better to do, just watch this GIF on a loop until you start drooling. Thank me later.

We want your input!
Got a hobby or link you’d like featured?
Interested in sponsoring an episode?
Hit us up.

Thanks for reading!

Who let the dogs out?
THE SIDEQUEST CLUB
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