Today’s newsletter is taking a page out of a magazine. You know how there’s always one ridiculously thin month’s issue? That’s today for me. The words have been redirected to some survival mode as Mercury in retrograde seems to be having one last hurrah with me: from a nearly-flooded washing machine to an insurance mix-up. In case that’s a vibe you’re also on the receiving end of, let’s work on switching things up and laugh in the face of fate instead of the other way around. We can do it!
— Morgan
The mood board started as decor in the most private, sacred place possible: a teen girl’s room. It gives babygirl—Sofia Coppola1’s messy office. Profiles written by Biz Sherbert and photographed by Eimar Lynch. Thirst traps from J-14 and Teen Beat among fashion spreads, with slivers of movie ticket stubs mixed in.
The mood board will always be part anthropology because of these origins. The mood is set by the many who have come before, claiming their dream life, in their private world. The mood board is peak teen, even when it slips into the offices of the design world.
Now those intimate doors have swung open wide as brands like Crown Affair and Merit make their mood boards a content pillar. It’s not bad. It’s just different. In my opinion, it works to connect that analog part of us to a brand’s vision. Transporting us to the world they want us to live in.
But I’m a bigger fan of flipping the script. For the amount of time you live in someone else's world, I prescribe that you go create and live in your own at least as much. It’s how we don’t get stuck in consumption mode and honor our vision.
So look at that blank patch on your wall a little differently today, and maybe next time you’re at the store you pick up a magazine and some washi tape and go to town resurrecting your inner teenage dreams.
Maybe I have some hometown pride for this, and have to shine a spotlight on Ethereal Reflections, an experiential art collective. They put on amazing pop-ups (think murder mystery parties at boutiques where “murder” happens next to the latest Simone Rocha.) Peruse their site to get a feel for how creativity can transcend something static and become a full-fledged experience.
Curation is an art. One store I love that’s doing it for the literary lovers is Maison Plage in LA. Sometimes I get sticker shock of the OOP titles, tbh, but they curate books and bookshelves like no other. They’re proof that a concept is never too niche, or too color-coordinated.
Merch is amazing, but have you ever seen the stuff from THNK1994?
WRITTEN BY
The latest in the world of creativity, delivered every Wednesday to help you stay inspired and get through the rest of the week.
*Never written with AI. Proudly featuring typos that my ADHD and I will likely miss :)
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