What I Did (and Didn’t Do) This Summer

Nude gay boys, fava beans, and a notebook full of stories

TL;DR: Summer was a swirly blur of house projects, Greek Islands, Italian gays, and educating myself with writing and strategy workshops. I’m easing back in and planning to show up with more purpose everywhere this fall. Still in full “reinvent mode.” If anyone else is also experimenting, I am right here with you.

Thanks for being here and giving me the space and time to rest. 💚

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Highlights

• House Life, Blurred: Did all the upstate things: garden, built a deck, installed a dog pool. My parents still living with us up here (they leave today). Our tomatoes are endless.

• Greece → Everything: Honestly, Greece – specifically 2 islands, was the gold ring of summer. Meeting nude gay boys on the beach, playing cards with Italian friends, drinking wine and eating fava. I’m definitely going back next year. I am gatekeeping the islands I visited because they are too precious. Read more about my adventures here – How to make friends on the gay beach in Greece or any public locale.

• Nemesis & Writing: Took two classes with the creative/brand agency Nemesis, joined their Autonomous Strategy Lab (Emily Segal is a genius and I needed her teachings in my life). Weekend writing workshop after that—NYC crew now meeting once a month at Funny Bar.

• Instagram, But Make it Interesting: Back to Instagram—mostly because I’m curious. What if I try using it as a real creative outlet? I’m working with Dora Boras (“Make art not content” is her whole LinkedIn bio) to try out some new narrative and find opportunities. Opportunities is my focus this fall.

• Why I Went Quiet: Posting on Substack started feeling forced, so I just… stopped. I needed time to miss it and allow myself to not fall into to the trap of writing for writing sake. Quality not quantity.

• Dating Diaries: Started dropping 10-year-old Dating Diaries on IG, and people are into it. There might be a book here?

  

Stuff I Actually Consumed

• Writing Down the Bones (S/O Emily Segal’s rec): Timed writing is exactly the low-pressure permission I needed.

• The Savage Girl: 2001 novel about marketing culture—uncomfortably funny for anyone who’s ever tried to name a new beverage. Also there is a protein water company now. So we are there.

• Marina Abramović, Walk Through Walls: The stories of her performances in Italy in 1969 are jaw dropping. Intensity and interesting.

• Below Deck: this season = very lesbian.

What Actually Helped

• Writing for myself everyday in my paper journal with my ink pen is sanity-saving.

• If you’re in the middle of something weird—dating, building, whatever—write it down. One line is enough. Ten years later, you’ll be grateful for your own receipts.

What’s Next

• Substack: Quality posts. Probably more visuals, maybe less rambling. We’ll see. This may become my new blog, like wordpress/tumblr

• LinkedIn: Time to push the consultancy stuff a little more—making that platform work for me now.

• Instagram: I am back and making the content I want to see in the world. So if you’re interested, I’m here.

• What I’m thinking about: THE URL↔IRL CONTINUUM for EVERLASTING CREATIVITY & FRIENDS.

If you’re also crawling out of a weird summer or you have a rec for what I should be reading/watching next, comment.