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DMTV Milkshake: Artist Timothy Goodman on the Evolution of His Own Love Story

02.22.23 | By
DMTV Milkshake: Artist Timothy Goodman on the Evolution of His Own Love Story

Timothy Goodman is a busy man: When not donating murals to non-profit organizations in New York or designing Nikes for basketball star Kevin Durant, prepping for a new gallery show, or collabing with big-name brands, he somehow managed the time to move to Paris – and then, several years later, publish a book about that experience. The full title is: I Always Think It’s Forever: A Love Story Set in Paris, Told by an Unreliable but Earnest Narrator.

Goodman’s story just hit bookstores a couple weeks ago, and in this episode of Milkshake, he takes us through the project: part memoir, part travel story, part art book. Interviews punctuate a deeply emotional recounting of how Goodman extended a stay to Paris after meeting someone. “That’s just the only way I know how to tell a story,” he says. “There’s this continuous through-line of the love story, but then you turn the page and suddenly wherever you’re at in that love story, I’m talking, I’m wrapping myself in the context of today’s dating culture. If I’m in a chapter where I’m talking about the heartbreak of my love story, suddenly you turn the page and then it’s, like, here’s 25 non-cheesy breakup songs, or here’s all these funny dating app bios I came across on Hinge or Tinder. What’s personal is always universal.”

book cover of "I Always Think It's Forever"

While it takes place in his incredibly dynamic studio, this Milkshake is also part reading – a testament, he says, to an ambition to add spoken-word artist to his repertoire. “I’ve been doing events with my friends, with jazz guys, where I do spoken word poetry over them playing piano and saxophone,” he says. “I’ve been very heavily inspired by Jack Kerouac – he used to do these albums in the 50s where he would read his poems, his readings, over piano. I want to cut an album.”

Also in this Milkshake, we ask Goodman whether this was a love story about a woman or about Paris itself. Neither, he says: “This is a love story about me more than anything – you know what I mean?” he says. “This book is really about how I was able to finally stop the cycle in heartbreak, in breakups, that I always go through and show up for myself through therapy, through intense evaluation, about being kinder to myself, being okay with not being okay, accepting my vulnerability as a man, accepting that it’s okay again to be masculine and cry or go to therapy or whatever.” Tune in for more!

page from book "I Always Think It's Forever"

page from book "I Always Think It's Forever"

Diana Ostrom, who has written for Wallpaper, Interior Design, ID, The Wall Street Journal, and other outlets, is also the author of Faraway Places, a newsletter about travel.

Milkshake, DMTV (Design Milk TV)’s first regular series, shakes up the traditional interview format by asking designers, creatives, educators and industry professionals to select interview questions at random from their favorite bowl or vessel. During their candid discussions, you’ll not only gain a peek into their personal homeware collections, but also valuable insights into their work, life and passions.