It’s been a while, so I’m avoiding the awkward post-interlude pre-requisite explanations with a list of Five Things instead.
1. I’m reading again. Only in short spurts, unfortunately, but something is better than nothing. I’ve become too accustomed, too comfortable with resorting to bursts of instant gratification instead of turning to the slow burn of a book like I once did. Scrolling TikTok for the latest news (the only platform with less censored reporting, if fed with the right engagement) had turned into a mindless dependency. Idle behavior slowly cooking already stagnant cells, it seems.
The Internet justifies doomscrolling because the world at large appears to be burning. We’re swimming against a wave of rampant anti-intellectualism and rise in faടcἱst ideology, so the desire to occasionally dull the senses should be understandable. Justifiable even. It’s certainly healthier than other activities, including retail therapy.
But we can’t. This mind-numbing desensitization is precisely what they want. The less we think, the less we do. The more we scroll, the more we feed the machine that churns out slop to satiate the addiction. The greater we consume, the less we learn, grow, question, create. (Not to mention the incredible privilege touted in being able to do nothing despite everything.)
I digress, but reading literature—good writing, because there is a difference—is a step toward. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, for example, is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.
2. In a similar vein, I’ve been in two minds about continuing (or resurrecting, at this point) this blog. Friends have asked if it’s because I, like everyone else, am launching a Substack. I’m not. It has never even been a consideration, despite its à la mode appeal and proven formula for success. I applaud the model for empowering writers, thinkers, and educators with a means to disseminate their work and, more importantly, be compensated for it—but I also remember Blogspot (et. al.). Instagram. Vine. TikTok. I’m not jaded, simply cautious. I’m the first to advise clients to consider creating a Substack as a funnel or personal outlet, and remember to invest in owned, non-social spaces too.
But I’m deviating from the original point, yet again. And perhaps ironically so: My hesitation to publicize more personal writing stems from fear of contributing to the noise. Social media platforms like Substack have continued to be monumental in democratizing previously gatekept spaces—and while it has created more room for diverse voices, there’s little filter for bilge, misinformation, and disinformation. Websites, mine included, are no different. Am I providing value? Do I need a space outside my work to share, or is this blog simply fuel for ego?
3. When I’m not neck-deep in the next blow du jour to freed𝑜m, I’m dreaming up brand universes and writing about beautiful things. Quite the paradox that generates as much guilt as it does gratitude. I’m incredibly lucky to do what I love and have access to such special opportunities, but I also can’t turn a blind eye to the grave disparity.
4. Still, I want to be able to celebrate the milestones. Just last month, for example, I had the immense privilege of spending time with perfumers like Hamid Merati-Kashani (perhaps best known for Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods and quite a few Parfums de Marly hits, including Althaïr), who recently co-founded Fabbrica della Musa with his wife, Barbara Adelmann. Île Bourbon is an exquisite gourmand bar none—a boozy, spiced chocolate for the hedonists that I recently reviewed here. This week, I attended a launch party for the Jacquemus Valérie bag. A gorgeous top handle with an even more backstory, from one of few fashion designers who truly love and more importantly, revere, women.
Even sitting in the same spaces as tastemakers and the wildly successful, all in a league bars above my own—which I say with utmost self-awareness, not self-depracation—is almost incredulous. I’ve worked hard to get here, of course, and though I’m not naive enough to ignore the fortuitous hand at play, I’m no less grateful for the respect and recognition.
5. And! There is hope. The first few of this week’s Five Things may have painted me as a pessimist, but I’m an optimistic realist at heart. Zohran Mamdani‘s win has been soul-replenishing, and I’m completely taken with Rama Duwaji‘s art and activism. Her style, too, is impeccable: That Zeid Hijazi look on the night of her husband’s mayoral win, complete with makeup by Aya Tariq, was a reminder that fashion and beauty are political.
. . .
xx
Your turn. Thoughts?