5 things: Joy Sparking Edition

plus a brief tangent on shopping small!

At the complete risk of sounding about as cool as the equivalent of starting this newsletter by saying “how ‘bout this weather, y’all?” I am going to kick it off by saying “how is it possible that we are already in Mid June???????” But seriously, I am confused and I would love some acknowledgement that anyone else is grappling with the current time continuum. Feel free to affirm in the comments.

Anyway, here are some things I have experienced/ read/ bought that sparked joy lately!

1. Petite Art. Last week was one of my favorite neighborhood events of the year, the Artist Collective’s annual postcard show. The one night my polly pocket loving inner child and contemporary art loving adult(ish) self come together in harmony. Allison has an amazing eye and I always leave any trip to her gallery inspired (and with a new add to my wishlist.) Bite sized pieces from artists all over the country displayed in the dreamiest room at another one of the favorite neighborhood third places, Post house. If you are in the Charleston Area- don’t miss this one next year!

2. Singing my heart out in a toasty warehouse. If you haven’t binge-d Gaia Music collective on TikTok (or their reposts on IG like a respectable millennial) I will be absolutely unoffended if you abandon this reading to do so immediately. In fact, I encourage it.

   Cooper Collier
   and I had been sending back and forth Gaia’s videos for at least a year now, so when I saw the announcement The Dropin would be bringing them to Charleston, there was no doubt we would be there baring our former A cappella (coop) and show choir (me) souls for the world to see. It was a DREAM with a capital D.

3. Mapping out “dumb phone summer.” When I rolled up to a kid’s year end pool party last weekend flip phone in hand, my friend Kelly set me up perfectly for what exactly I am trying to uncover with my “dump phone summer” experiment (please someone give me a better name!!!!) “I feel like this is so against your tech loving self?” she asked. Yes, I am a big fan of TOOLS but most importantly us being the drivers of said tools. I am trying to find a balance in my Iphone use where I can use it without it pulling and pinging and changing my attention all of the time. It’s been fascinating just how challenging it is to be able to turn off your phone but still feel reachable in case of emergency- I haven’t found the formula yet but I am closely documenting the process in hopes I can find a solution that might help others out there with the same issues. To sum up what I told the not one, but two At&t associates who have helped me on multiple visits (the universe blessed me with both reps being writers themselves and understood I attempting some experimental journalism and embraced it with enthusiasm instead of annoyance because I can highly assure you, it was very annoying) “I just want my phone to be less alive all the time.” Stay tuned!

4. Snagging last minute national park places is the ultimate treasure hunt. In T-minus 24 days my family and I are embarking on a trip¹ to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole for 2 entire weeks! I am equal parts excited and a little anxious (which is kind of my favorite mix???) Anyway little did I know when we started planning this trip that snagging places to park and stay required peak calendar management skills and a level of preplanning I have ever been able to achieve. Half of the trip we will be in a Moterra van and the other half will be in hotels, which apparently get snatched up 18 months in advance. Whoops. Fortunately my parents recommended Campnab which scans the National parks sites for availabilities every 3 minutes- you put in where you want to stay + dates and when you get the text there’s a spot, you have mere moments to snag. It’s like Ebay meets an auction meets an art release for me. I just booked the last piece to the puzzle last night and I must admit it, I am going to miss the thrill.

5. This poem sent to me by my new friend I met at the retreat a few weeks back, Nina. Quite simply, Nina is a badass- you can catch her in this eye opening report about greenwashing by ABC news. I would love to feature her in this newsletter-with-no-niche so if you have any questions on how to be more sustainable/ simple ways to change consumption habits HMU!

   

Things I’ve bought from small businesses lately:

Summer is always a slow time in retail that I typically relish but in this year that I’m dubbing “just say recession” it’s been a little more jarring. The tension of a “are we are/ are we not in a downturn” is weighed most heavily on small businesses who actually need someone to say out loud that consumerism is shifting. Yet I fear no one will because that will make it real. It feels good to have a common enemy of a recession/pandemic/emergency to unify small businesses and empower consumers to want to be more mindful of where they are spending their dollars. I am not saying AT ALL I want any of those things to happen but they do often remind us what we would miss they were gone. From my birds eye view of my own business and being privy to several other businesses of different varietals, I can confidently say we are in some sort of down slide of changing consumer habits. I don’t think that is necessarily a negative, but if we take the easy route and go for the quick hits of Amazon instead of being more mindful of where we are shopping when we are shopping less, the ramifications can go much farther than a blip in the road. At my core, I am an eternal optimist in the power of creatives in challenging times. I have been in retail through the 2008 recession, multiple elections, far too many natural disasters to count (hurricanes, freezes, pandemics, you get the point) the start of social media, the over saturation + over stimulation in marketing we are currently living in in an attention economy, etc. I am fortunate to have experienced first hand how these pain points have grown small businesses in such a powerful way. The way someone who is so passionate about what they put into the world can pivot and push themselves is why I will never get out of the small business game. All of this tangent aside, I think it is a very important time to be thinking about the types of businesses that inspire you and you feel good supporting and support them in whatever way feels attainable. I can guarantee you Mr Potter Jeff Bezos isn’t doing a happy dance when you buy a designer dupe from his megacorp, but someone who is curating and creating a business they love and hope you love as well absolutely does.

Wow guys, didn’t see that tangent coming but there we have it!

1. I picked up the chicest black tank cover up from newly launched local brand, Frae, at a Makers Post pop up a few weeks back and have worn it repeatedly. It’s one of those truly universal pieces that yells out “I’m the one you want” from the closet on the hottest of southern summer days.

2. I just snagged this new body splash from Re-eau (pronounced Rio as a nod to the founders Brazilian roots) last night at a kick off to summer pop up hosted by Claire O’Bryan at her stunningly gorgeous MCM Isle of Palms home (I am not above going back and stalking it deeper for you lovely readers under the guise of investigative journalism- just say the word.) Frae and my dear pals Dear Georgie showed off their summer ranges poolside set to an acoustic guitar and paired with a fresh glass of rose to truly let us know summer has arrived in the low country.

3. Speaking of Dear Georgie, I have officially waived the white flag and gave up the fight on trying to dictate what my almost 7 year old daughter wears. Our only compromise these days is this perfectly polished yet ready for play set. We have it in both colors and my text thread to the DG team is filled with pleas to make it in at least 10 more versions so my house keeps its peace. Oh apparel friends, hear my plea!

4. Embellish Collection is having an epic mark down sale! This Silvia Tcherassi blouse is currently in my cart cozied up next to this Rachel Comey Jumpsuit that looks painfully close to half of my closet but I could find a place for it none the less (my grandfather lived in Dickies and there’s a part of me that’s been dreaming about an all in one uniform ever since- think of the time save on laundry AND mental fatigue folks!)

5. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my own small business and supplier of 99% of my closet, Amor. Dropping my wishlist of this gorgeous Never a Wallflower set that I see myself wearing together and separately through the majority of the year and this Cleobella stunning tote in hopes that one of my amazing, spectacular, unparalleled team members sees this plea and it shows up on my doorstep. (also worth noting these shoes would really pull it together ok, done.)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

1. Notice I did not say “vacation.” This whole situation is very, very much a “trip.”