Jerm and Jake Fern caught up for a second chat. The main thread was Jake's podcast A Thousand Words, where he paints a guest's portrait over several hours while having slow, deep conversations.They also discussed AI art, vented about the toxic purity-testing in the alternative community — particularly the absurd accusations against cartoonistBob Moran over supposedly Masonic signature numbers — and agreed that engaging people you disagree with is a good thing.They touched on avoiding doom-scrolling nihilism in favour of nurturing joy,Jake's artistic influences, and his band doing COVID-themed parody covers to raise funds for a homeschooling hub.https://substack.com/@jakefern