I’m Arun Venkatesan, and this is the arun.is newsletter, where I share my current obsessions, inspiration from around the web, behind-the-scenes content, and more.

This week’s issue covers a few things:

• What's new
• The power of emptiness
• Recommendations

What's new

Here’s everything that has happened since the last issue.

When Leica met Apple

I have obsessed with the Leica that Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed ever since it was revealed to the public. Most of Jony’s public work and Leica’s most successful products focus on usability and practicality. I was excited to see Jony and Marc focus on aesthetics and form. In this piece, I look into their design decisions to uncover the project’s focus.

Shanghai Film Park

This is one of many posts to come about our trip last year to Shanghai. Q and I spent a day at a combination film set and theme park. It gave me a look into a Shanghai of the past that I never had the chance to see.

The power of emptiness

Years ago, I was in exploratory phase. I went places on a whim and said yes to nearly every invitation. As I have been navigating this next phase in my life, I have found myself saying no to more things.

By saying no, I have begun to notice the power of emptiness. I previously wrote that “you are what you do”. Similarly, I can define myself, or anything for that matter, by what is left out.

By saying no to late night social events, I am indeed missing out. Yet, I’m also reconfirming my commitment to sleep well and then run early in the morning.

Some of the best meals I have had were simple. By avoiding the urge to complicate or add ingredients, the chef allowed us to focus on the essence of the ingredients.

I love Leica cameras. They leave out most of the cutting edge software features offered by their competitors. What is left is a singular focus on the shooting experience.

What makes Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor so beautiful is the pauses between phrases — an emptiness rarely found in today’s music.

When we design products, our environment, our lives, we should pay as much attention to what we leave out as to what we leave in. Often, the absence of something can speak loudly.

Recommendations

Make if Yourself

This is a fantastic digital book dedicated to projects we can make ourselves. I found ideas immediately sparking in my mind after just a few pages.

Mobile Phone Museum

The mobile phone is, till this day, the most consequential piece of technology of all time. This online museum does a great job honoring the history of mobile phones.

Panic, Playdate, Infinite Independence

One of the things I missed in this year’s XOXO was the annual visit to Panic’s offices. They were in the process of moving offices, which is likely why. Their new office is now up and runnnng. MinnMax took a tour of it with Cabel Sasser. The video was a blast to watch.

That's it for this issue.

As always, this is my personal email, so feel free to respond directly.

Stay curious,
Arun Venkatesan