The Weekend With James Junk

“Saturday starts with a handmade jewellery beading workshop at Rockii Studios in Silver Lake. Most of my week is spent clicking, dragging and staring into a laptop, so I’ve become increasingly committed to making things my computer can’t help me with.

Afterwards, I’m walking over to Gustaf Westman’s pop-up on Sunset Boulevard. It’s down the street from my flat, which is dangerous information for me to have. I’m very susceptible to a brightly coloured object with rounded corners.”

“I normally have one fiction and one nonfiction book going at the same time. It keeps my ADHD brain interested, and means I can choose between learning something and disappearing into something.

The nonfiction book is Sikodiwa by Carl Lorenz Cervantes. I’ve been looking for more ways to understand my Filipino side beyond the things I grew up around, and the book explores indigenous Filipino psychology, culture and ideas of the self in a way I’ve been craving.

My fiction book is Transcription by Ben Lerner, which I bought from a charming little bookshop in Shoreditch when I was in London last month. I barely knew anything about it when I picked it up. Sometimes a nice cover and the memory of where you bought something are enough to get started!”

“Dinner is Donna’s in Echo Park. I’m very serious about Donna’s. Believe the hype!

A friend and I have been going since they opened, and I don’t think we’ve ever successfully made a reservation. Our system is to add ourselves to the waitlist, go to a neighbouring wine bar for a glass and a catch-up, then wander back when the text arrives.

Sit at the bar and start with the garlic bread. Those are my only instructions.”

“Once I’m home, I’m putting on The Chair Company on HBO, followed by the newest episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. This feels like a balanced double feature to me.

Design takes up enough space in my head throughout the week, so I rarely want to watch anything that feels remotely educational or relevant to my career. I want an odd little workplace spiral followed by beautiful women arguing over something I only half understand. It’s magic to me.”