weekly wrap-up 3: charlotte york energy, new clairo and photography...
and more in this week's wrap up.
prelude
The concept of dreaming has been something I’ve explored this week. I feel like they come hand-in-hand with memories. Both live in my mind under a candle-lit haze, the majority of them blurry with time, but a few so sharp and bright that they turn all of them golden. Below are a few golden pieces of this week, and I hope you enjoy <3.
reading
North of Mist - Wendy Videlock
I have little to say about this poem. I think it’s simply perfect. I love the way she words things, it adds a mystical quality to this poem. She mythologizes the dichotomies of life, and ourselves. I personally LOVE references in poetry, and the lines where she references the musical scales of Bach and the spiritual scales of Buddha is just genius.
American Beauty - Jennifer Emerling and Tiya Miles
I am absolutely enchanted by the landscape of the U.S. I have a strange affinity for small town beauty and rurality, despite my utterly city-girl upbringing. This series of stills that document a road trip across the U.S. are beyond nostalgic, even for someone who has never experienced anything like it. The little vignettes carry so much emotion and the blurbs tying them together present an incredibly compelling narrative.
The Voters That Don’t Really Know Donald Trump - Russell Berman
I actually listened to this article, which is very out of character for me. The Atlantic uses ElevenLabs which gives their audios a very disconcerting effect so I don’t know if I would recommend. Anyway, I think this article raises a fantastic point that I haven’t seen others really touch on. So many young voters, which are a key demographic, see Trump as a meme-able figure, rather than somebody that carries a serious potential for significant harm
What Monastic Mystics Got Right - Arthur C Brooks
I recommend Brooks’ column to everybody I know. I find the brief insights into various philosophies super super interesting and I think that Brooks presented everything in a fantastically applicable manner. This one in particular really stuck out to me. Education and knowledge are the most surefire way to awareness so I think that taking stock of that is integral.
Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert
I picked this up on the recommendation of Olivia Rodrigo, and I am so glad I did. I think that it has a similar ideology to Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act, but is written in a style that is infinitely more comprehensible. I think that as a writer, Gilbert actually has fantastic insight into this. I’m really, really, really enjoying this so far!
listening
Sexy to Someone - Clairo
One thing about me is that I LOVE Clairo. I’ve been listening to her since her Flaming Hot Cheeto days and her progression as an artist has been so incredible to see. I think she’s just awesome. I was already incredibly hyped for Charm (dropping July 12th!!!), and this single just added to it. From what I’ve heard, this upcoming record will be a fusion of Immunity and Sling so this is just the best of both worlds. I’m so excited for this. Nobody talk to me on July 12th.
imgonnagetyouback - Taylor Swift
I will NOT be getting into the significance of this song in my life at the moment. Let’s just say, it came at the perfect time. Potentially might be my top song of the year depending on how things progress…
Golden Girl - Frank Ocean (Unreleased)
Frank Ocean has been in my top five Spotify Wrapped artists since I downloaded the app. I NEED him to officially drop nostalgia.ultra. This song is just one of my favorites from that mixtape, but it is the soundtrack to my summer year after year. I adore any song that Frank and Tyler make together and this is just another title in their collection of masterpiece collabs. Frank, come home the kids miss you.
watching
Gossip Girl (2007)
My toxic trait is how much I love Chuck and Blair together. Rewatching Gossip Girl always sends me to a place of comfort and nostalgia. It’s a show that has remained really high up throughout my life. It’s honestly my guilty pleasure.
TMG + EI collabs
Tiny Meat Gang (aka TMG, aka Cody Ko and Noel Miller) acquiring Emergency Intercom (aka Enya and Drew) is my Avengers:Infinity World. My worlds are colliding. They have such great chemistry on screen together, and I am so excited to see how they work together in the future!
Jack Edwards’ YouTube Channel
I find it quite hard to find book influencers (bookfluencers?) that promote actually good literature and aren’t insufferably pretentious. Jack Edwards and UnCarly are two of my favorites. The way he talks about literature is so compelling, and he just has SUCH a calming energy. Guys, please drop some recs for TikTok or YouTube!!!
obsessing
@lilachilds on tiktok
A little known fact about me is that I absolutely adore makeup. I take a lot of inspiration from celebrities and film characters, but struggle to find accurate tutorials and I’m frankly too lazy to figure it out on my own. Lila has the most insane makeup talent, and she is just so fantastic at breaking down and recreating looks from Bella Hadid to Blair Waldorf.
Positive affirmations a la Charlotte York
Recently found out that all of my friends are making daily gratitude lists. I really need to hop on that. Charlotte is a master in knowing her worth, and I am definitely channeling her energy this summer.
Digital cameras
Yes, I’m like every other bitch. That being said, something about those digital cameras makes me look insanely good. My instagram feed will be purely digicam from now on. Maybe I’ll even consider getting one of my own (drop recs). Until then, I’ll just keep harassing the designated digicam friend for pictures after every night out.
author’s note
This concludes this week’s installment of my wrap-ups. It’s been a gorgeous week, and I hope that reflects through these choices. Let me know what you think, and what you’ve been consuming this week. As always, thank you so much for reading. Lots of love <3.