Fall wind has rustled me back to the blog! Late summer was busy with travel, apartment hunting, moving yada yada yada but I am excited more than ever to be back and share some of my musings.
Here are some fun snippets of media that have scratched my brain recently –
How Glossier Made Effortlessness a Billion Dollar Brand (Article, Molly Fischer for The New Yorker): On an interesting company that was very ahead of its time in capturing people’s organic interest – both in the organic want of people to express their online identity and attainment of organic beauty through the notorious “no makeup makeup” look. It’s absolutely fascinating how Glossier recognized fairly early on how much influence could be garnered from these “organic” content. Cut to 2020s, it has become the bedrock of the huge influencer economy today.
Yesterday’s Wine (Album, Willie Nelson): I’ve been listening to this classic concept album from Willie. The songs in order tell the story from birth to death and many of the questions that consume us along the way. This has been my favorite comfort album to listen to this fall.
Are you the same person you used to be? (Article, Joshua Rothman for The New Yorker): How much of who you are – your personality, values – have remained the same since you were a child? Rothman threads an interesting discovery that older generations tend to find a much firmer connection between their current self and who they were when they were as a child compared to younger generations. He doesn’t go deeper into what might be the cause but it’s hard not to think about the barrage of information that younger generation are inundated with that makes it difficult for people to find their sense of “self”.
Reductionism in Art and Brain Science (Book, Eric Kandel): One of the most interesting books on art I’ve read recently. It goes back to the fundamentals and gnaws at the question of how our brain scientifically perceives art and the interpretive implications of those inherent perceptions on art.
The Quiet Revolution of Sabbath (Article, Casey Cep for The New Yorker): Very personal story intermingled with the power of Sabbath, the practice of rest for a day which turned out to be quite a revolutionary idea when it was introduced in the Book of Exodus. Sabbath gives a day of respite from work for a day and this tradition has been followed since at least 1st century AD. The most powerful idea I took away from this article was to question the fundamentals of “rest” and if what we consider “restful” is indeed so.
Unbuttoned, A Personal History (Article, David Sedaris for The New Yorker): Sedaris unveils some of the most touching and vulnerable parts of his family dynamics in this thoughtful telling of his fractious relationship with his father and its manifestations in material possessions. A very emotional read.
GUTS (Album, Olivia Rodrigo): Back with her sophomore album, Olivia has done it again! I am really enjoying the pop rock vibe of the album sprinkled with some amazing ballads. In an interview recently, Olivia said that she loves music where she can bend multiple genres in the same album or sometimes in the same song (cue All American Bitch) and the album does a fantastic job in achieving that medley. Also, a huge shoutout to this album for helping me reach my 5K PR recently!
The Goodness of Olive Oil (Book, John Midgely and Ian Sidaway): Found this gem in a small bookstore near my apartment, Black Spring Books. I have to admit vintage illustrated cookbooks are my weakness. Aesthetics aside, I love how these cookbooks help archive cooking preferences of the time period. This is a cute, short, informative book from the 90s that walks you through how olive oil is created, its influence in the Middle East and Mediterranean and also has some lovely recipes with Olive oil as the signature ingredient. The writing is to the point but it is really Ian Sidaway’s illustrations that brings this book to life. Would highly encourage people to check out some of his other artwork as well.