Whew, chile. I need to rant. It’s getting scary out here.
And when I say scary, I mean i think we’re all turning into clones of each other. Who needs AI robots to take over mankind when we have social media. We are all turning into robots waiting on our next update of inspiration. Brainwashed into believing an idea is our own when in fact, we’ve been drowning in the “must haves,” “faves” and “icks” of everyone we follow, slowly eroding the opinions of our own.
I know this is a bit counter since I’m a creator. But as someone who broke into social media in 2018 after seeing a gap in young Black women chronicling their experience of entrepreneurship from ground 0, I feel I can speak to this.
Originality has become scarce. Tastemakers, people who have confidence in their own curation, are a dying breed. They use inspiration only as an ingredient in the recipe, not as a step-by-step blueprint. You’ll never be able to fully replicate a tastemaker’s formula because they allow their creative instincts to guide them. Their taste lives deeply within them, refined by their life experiences. And just when you feel like you’ve nailed it, they’ve moved on to something you would’ve never thought of. They’re detached from an outcome that’s appealing to everyone else because they only need to deeply like it themselves.
And in turn, they’re the ones everyone looks to for their next dose of inspiration, or the next it thing to pay attention to. They exude artistry that can’t be taught or duplicated in full. And those who chase taste instead of embodying it, eat it up like little birds and spit it out to all their followers like it’s their own. How deeply unaware we’re becoming. Unaware of the simplest things, like why we like something.
Suddenly everyone loves color again. Every bachelorette weekend is in St. Barth (admittedly, it’s on my list now). Every social media girly is using butter yellow text to stand out. Everyone’s carrying the same Chanel 25 bag. Wearing the same perfumes. Using the same hooks. Getting the same matcha order. Should I keep going?
Look, I get it. We draw inspiration from everywhere. That’s never the problem. Even Beyoncé has notes of MJ, Diana Ross, Billie Holiday, Prince, and many other legends pouring out of every song and performance. But that inspo, mixed with her own taste has allowed her to create something new, turning her into a legend herself.
We need more tastemakers.
More people who are following the light within.
Who aren’t only spectators.
Who’s natural instinct is to go against the grain.
Who subscribe to themselves, hearing their innermost thoughts and instinctually explore them.
Who care less about external validation.
Who go in the kitchen and just… cook. To satisfy their own appetite and no one elses.
If you want to start finding your own taste, you have to start by relying on your gut to guide decisions that bring you joy.
When I was in France a few weeks ago waiting for my flight to depart, I popped into a fragrance shop (because one thing the airport gone have is some perfume ready to be bought, okay?!), and started sniffing around.
The sales rep came up to me and asked if I needed help, and I told her I was just browsing. They had lots of well known luxe fragrances in the shop, but naturally I was drawn towards a cluster of bottles I’d never seen. Rich colored velvet bottles with gold details. One spritz and it took my breath away. She guided me to another she thought I’d like, and it ate me right on up even more than the first. I wasn’t planning to spend ~€600 but doggone it they smelled like money. I asked if I could order them online to give myself some time to think. She said, “Mademoiselle, they don’t sell this brand in America. These are Italian fragrances. You have great taste.”
I didn’t look at a single fragrance influencer to see if there were any reviews on it. I liked them. Love them. So I bought them. And instead of rushing towards what smells good to everyone, what tastes good to everyone, what feels good to everyone — I decided to choose what feels aligned with my taste.
Trust what you’re drawn to without being worried that you’re the only one who is. Because if you are, even better.
With love and creativity,
Erin xx
P.s. - I’m purposefully not sharing the brand of perfume because that defeats the purpose of this newsletter. I want you to go find what makes you feel (and smell) like money! Should we start gatekeeping again? Just a little bit? Will that help? hahahaha laughing, but serious. Weigh in in the comments.
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