Protect your aesthetic
the 30 minute weekly ritual -- turn off the internet and go for a walk
BIG NEWS ‼️ This Thursday, May 21 at 4:30pm EST, I’m hosting a live video on Substack for paid subscribers. Think of it as an AMA where we can sort through creative blocks, big decisions, and advice on starting something new. We’ll test it out this month, and if it feels good, it might turn into a monthly hangout for us.
Your aesthetic is your voice in visual form.
What do you notice when you notice people with style, taste, an aesthetic?
I notice quiet confidence. A visual hit that makes me stop, look, reflect. It feels like an honor to view them for a second. Their getup, their look, their appeal commands something. Sureness. Knowing. Underline. Not “trying.”
Everyone has an aesthetic. Some people are just more awake to it. They’ve spent time with themselves. They’ve noticed their patterns. They’ve edited over time. They actually enjoy refining it.
If you’re a creative person working on the internet, your aesthetic is under constant attack.
Susan Sontag wrote in Against Interpretation (1964) that we live in “a culture based on excess, on overproduction,” resulting in “a steady loss of sharpness in our sensory experience.” That was pre-feed, pre-AI. We’re dealing with a far more aggressive version of the same problem.
It gets diluted by:
Endless “inspiration” loops on Pinterest, the same pool everyone draws from
Pressure to be current, brand-safe, or viral instead of accurate to yourself
Over-reliance on AI, where output volume replaces discernment and effort
We’re all looking at the same images, using the same templates, and feeling the pressure to keep posting or disappear.
Protecting your aesthetic means:
You know what’s “you” underneath trends—even if that means you’re not “cool”
You have real-world rituals that keep you close to your own references
You know what you like and dislike, and you don’t apologize for it
You trust your eye instead of asking for permission
Isabel notes taste is the foundation of self-trust—when you know what you’re pulled to, you see yourself more clearly and show up more honestly. Protecting your aesthetic is protecting that self-trust from getting algorithm-washed.
Why you need to get offline
You cannot protect your aesthetic purely online.
If you want it to feel alive again, you need better inputs than “what everyone is doing this week.”
Your aesthetic is:
The streets you go out of your way to walk (for me: Greenwich Ave)
The air you need to relax (for me: dry, shaded, warm)
The DJ that drops you straight into focus (for me: Peach on NTS)
The colors you return to no matter the season (for me: orange-red)
It’s not a trend, it’s just you.
If your aesthetic feels fuzzy-wuzzy lately, the rest of this is a 30-minute ritual I use to bring mine back into focus.
