Welcome to The Collection - an EOD (end-of-month) newsletter where I will share things I read, saw, tried, learned, saved, etc. On my design Instagram (@trece.cs), I started a tiny version of this, gathering all images/posts I had saved throughout the month as a way of not only going through everything but also making it a small creative exercise!
I know for a fact I’m not the only one who saves stuff on all sorts of platforms and then never looks at it again. So, I am trying (I really am) to go through them, narrow them down, and deal with some - do something with them or organize them better somewhere else. Fully recommend doing so; I’ll tell you more about it right after this month’s collection.
Books
Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza
My mom and I share a huge common interest in how the mind/brain works, and in this book, Dr. Joe explains the scientific side of the power of meditation and visualization. Chapter 11 specifically got me messed up - talking about space-time and astrophysics had me pondering my entire life’s existence at 3 AM. HIGHLY recommend it, but it is a bit of a heavy read.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
I like (and strive) to read two books at the same time, one fiction and one non-fiction because when I read, I like to learn something or wander away from reality (of course, you can learn from both, but you get the point, something “heavy,” something light).
I liked the book but at times felt like I was the idiot who couldn’t understand some references and dry jokes; nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot. Liked the characters and related to Selin to a certain degree.
Movies/Series
Society of the Snow
It has been my Roman Empire for the past four days. I think it is amazingly done, and the more I read and see about it (interviews of the cast & actual survivors), the more in awe I am about it all. You can watch it on Netflix, and your TikTok algorithm will show you the rest.
JLo’s ‘This is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Trailer
Just like the title, the trailer is a whole bunch of a lot. I don’t even have words to explain it, but here are Hunter Harris’ funny thoughts on it.
Arts/Design
Annie Atkins
Came across Annie, the creative mind behind props in Wes Anderson's films like Grand Budapest Hotel (my all-time favorite) and Isle of Dogs. She authored "Designing Graphic Props for Filmmaking" and has a course on Domestika. I plan to purchase both, so I will delve into them at some point in the future.
“The Dance Class” by Edgar Degas, 1874
When I was setting up my Newsletters Notion page, I was looking through the banner image options it offers you, and when I saw “The Dance Class”, I knew immediately it was the most accurate visual representation of ‘A Curated Mess.’
When I look at this painting plus my own ballet experience, I see a curated mess in the sense that something as gentle, delicate, and polished as ballet may seem or be portrayed as; behind the curtains, there is a chaotic mess of rehearsals and dancers in sweaty leotards, broken-in pointe shoes, and headaches caused by a painful amount of Bobbi Pins.
Another icon from Degas, here’s an interesting clip of Glenn Petersen, conservator at The Costume Institute who worked to update the real cloth tutu on Degas’ “The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer.”
Random Stuff
Lucky Girl List
Saw a TikTok about a girl who, every time something she considers lucky happens to her, adds it to a list. Thought I would give it a try, and so far, the list is growing; good things have been happening! It’s like a little positive mindset, “where focus goes, energy flows” type of thing!
Sleepy Girl Mocktail
I have become a fan of Magnesium Glycinate more than the mocktail itself - I have been sleeping like a baby. The mocktail is made up of Cherry Tart Juice, Sparkling Water/Soda of your liking, and Magnesium Glycinate. (Do NOT confuse it with Magnesium CITRATE; that's the one that makes you go poop.)
Don’t want to make this collection any longer so that it can be focused more on what I do, recommend doing, and why:
Here’s what I do (and think you should too):
1. Set yourself a reminder on your calendar, to-do list, whatever, either EOM or EOW.
2. Keep in mind (or an actual note) where you usually save things - for me, it is Instagram & TikTok saves, Pinterest, Notion, Screenshots, and messages I send myself. (This one is a pro tip if you want it all in one place, but I do not even follow it thoroughly.)
3. Question it all - why did you save it? Did it spark an idea? Something you just liked? Wanted to learn more about something? Did it inspire you?
4. Do something about it - save it in an organized archive, make something out of it, share it, try it. Depending on the content, you’ll know.
The WHY
Your saves, likes, etc., are basically a curation of things you like that spark your interest or inspire you. It can help you so much in terms of figuring out what you like, your style (i.e., lifestyle, fashion, decor, music), your interests, and what you gravitate towards. It says so much more about who you are and what your style is than your Pinterest boards.
I think that with building Pinterest boards, we fall short because it is an already curated platform where you are also typing something super specific on the search bar (i.e., ‘clean girl,’ ‘gothic fairy,’ ‘dark academia’) followed by the word ‘aesthetic,’ and after that, it is pure algorithm.
And absolutely zero hate for Pinterest - I love it and use the shit out of it. I think I am just fed up with the whole aesthetic thing. TikTok ruined it for me; I’m seeing stuff like ‘strawberry makeup’, ‘coconut girl’, ‘mob-wife’, and ‘black cat boyfriend’, like what the fuck are we doing here?
Small note: I am completely qualified to talk about it because I fell for that trap for YEARS, so this is me trying to save you all and help you be your own best, cutest, hottest, smartest, UNIQUE self.
Anyway, I have A LOT to say about this so I’m saving it for the upcoming Newsletter about curating your own aesthetic style. It’ll probably become a whole essay or a series, so if you want to know when that comes out, here’s a cute little button that will notify you ;)
Feel free to comment with your own recs! I love receiving as much as giving them 😊
With love, Isabella