This week’s contributor Spotlight is from the amazing @stickfirmations!
“Hello! My name is Michael, and I’m the creator of Stickfirmations, a craft project where popsicle sticks meet pop culture along with mostly sincere positive affirmations. Let me tell you all about it and how it all started.
If you watched Nickelodeon in the ’90s, you might remember Stick Stickly, a popsicle-stick puppet with red googly eyes who hosted segments for Nick in the Afternoon. He held fast to my heart—maybe because his small size, sweetness, and nerves were comforting and relatable to a child facing a big, weird, and scary world. I also loved practical effects, puppetry, and miniatures—how lucky us ’90s kids were to grow up in such a tactile world!
And so, inspired by this cute little guy and fully supplied by my local craft store, I started making my own stick people when I was about 10 years old. Two hundred of them over a three-year period, to be exact! I based them on myself, friends, family, people I saw on TV and in movies, or whoever popped into my imagination. I made a whole world, a whole community of people who smiled back at me and who made my friends and family smile.
I continued making them until it wasn’t cool anymore (age 13), and for the next two decades they lived jumbled in a Ziploc bag buried in a desk drawer, until one day I reappreciated how cool they were and bought a toolchest, lined the drawers with green felt, and placed each stick safely in their new home, to be preserved for some unforeseen future purpose.
That purpose arrived in November 2024, when I was feeling despondent about the state of the world. I took a big gulp of nostalgia and thought, What if I photograph my stick people and pair them with positive affirmations? What if this made not only me but other people feel better? And maybe I can make some new stick people!
So that’s how Stickfirmations began. I’ve felt so much joy giving my old friends new life and crafting new ones, especially when they make other people chuckle. I love making my favorite film and TV characters: Beetlejuice, Pee-wee Herman, Elvira, the Log Lady from Twin Peaks, Jerri Blank from Strangers with Candy. It’s a fun challenge to recreate someone’s likeness on a tiny stick. The limitations of this small scale encourage my creativity, and I find it comforting and meditative to work with my hands at this level—despite the literal pain in my neck it sometimes causes!
As for the actual crafting, I start by gluing on the eyes. Then I find the right nose—maybe a piece of popsicle stick, the end of a toothpick, a bead, or a tiny pom-pom. Then I make the mouth—most of the time I draw or paint it, or I might sculpt it out of clay (like I did for Jerri Blank in the photo below). This part is often the hardest, and I usually practice on another stick first. Once those basics of the face are done, I do the eyebrows, which requires a further steady hand and more breath-holding.
Then I glue on the hair, which is almost always made of string. If the hair needs to be curly (like for Jerri again), I dip the string into watered-down glue, wrap it around a thin paintbrush or sculpting tool, and let it dry. Perfect curls each time! The clothes come last and wouldn’t happen with such fantastic variety were it not for a huge fabric store near me. Thank goodness for crafter heavens like this!
I do all of this at my dining room table. My partner has been very patient with me throughout this process.
For the photos, I use my phone, and I’ll either build a small set or backdrop, or I’ll take the stick person outside. Photographing in public always comes with some inquisitive looks.
And finally I add the affirmation using Adobe Express. I’ll choose an affirmation based on a line of dialogue or a character trait from the show or movie the person is in, or it might be something more broad and sincere, like “You are enough” or “You are loved.” I always try to find the right balance between sincerity and irreverence, sweet and salty—my favorite combo.
One of the most rewarding parts of doing this has been the connections and interactions I’ve had with other people, both online and in person. I got to meet the super-nice owner of Marty McFly’s house in Back to the Future when I photographed stick Doc and Marty outside.
Stick Pee-wee accompanied me to a screening of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure on the Warner Brother’s backlot, in celebration of the movie’s 40th anniversary, and he helped me connect and laugh with other Pee-wee fans.
Margaret Qualley reposted stick Monstro Elisasue from The Substance to her stories (Wow, the views and likes on that one! I was not prepared.), as did the director of the movie, Coralie Fargeat. Stick Log Lady had her day in the spotlight when the Instagram account for the documentary about Catherine Coulson’s life reposted her pic along with so many other great fan-made Log Lady art.
I never expected (I hoped!) anyone to repost me or to even like what I was doing. But it’s been happening, and it feels really good. Not for the stats, but for the acknowledgement. For one creative person to see another creative person and say, “I like what you’re doing.” I think social media can be good for this—for connection with like-minded people, for moments of artistic inspiration and support. There’s still kindness out there!
I hope my stick people bring you joy, and I hope they remind you—like Stick Stickly does for me—that small things matter. All of your dreams, your interests, your crafts and skills and hobbies matter, regardless of their scale or their scope, and despite what the world might say you should or shouldn’t do. Especially if you’re an adult. Your dreams matter as much now as they did when you were a kid. You are the maker of your dreams. Don’t stop making them! “
Michael Burge is a crafter, writer, proofreader, film lover, and nostalgic millennial living and dreaming in San Francisco, California. When he’s not making stick people, he’s probably watching Beetlejuice for about the 167th time. His Instagram is @stickfirmations
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