Hi friend,
Slowing down doesn’t mean falling behind.
Holding boundaries doesn’t mean being closed off.
Prioritizing rest doesn’t mean being lazy.
Often the things we find joy in can easily be misunderstood as something negative or different.
Things can be bad if you want to see them as bad. And yes, some things are inherently bad (hurting other people, toxic behavior, or spiders – for example).
But sometimes our minds play tricks on us and put inaccurate labels on things. Sometimes society makes us feel like certain things are bad habits when they’re actually perfectly fine.
How can we riot against this trickery? Can we take a minute to question whether something is truly bad or bad only because we’re misled to believe it is?
Things can be good if you want to see them as good.
with warmth + love,
N
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📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the marketing geek + content creator
Mashable: Why is everyone on TikTok obsessed with slideshows?
TikTok’s photo carousel format, which the platform has been prioritizing on FYPs since the beginning of the year, is everywhere. This short piece showcases how creators are using it and how it transforms the typical “day-in-the-life” vlog.
The Atlantic: Welcome to Geriatric Social Media
This piece from this past fall has been making rounds again as we consider how social media stays relevant in 2023. The core social networks have begun to feel like a “generational time capsule” and it’s easy to question why we’re still on them – is content going anywhere?
The New Statesman: Your therapist shouldn’t be on TikTok
For years we’ve seen therapists, holistic health practitioners, nurses, and countless other medical professionals creating content on social media to inform and connect audiences. This piece argues that these videos, those of mental health professionals in particular, is often cringy and unethical.
BuzzFeed News: The Dupe Mindset Has Turned Everything on TikTok Into A Replica
Dupe culture didn’t start with TikTok, but it certainly has been amplified by such videos. This piece discusses how dupes and reps (replicas) are being meme-ified but with some genuine interest behind finding the perfect knockoff items.
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🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
I know meditating can be tough (I’ve only done one official meditation this week) but having mindful moments doesn’t have to be that intense. I loved this Time article about how to be mindful even if you hate meditating.
Here are my favorites of their recommended activities – try one this week! 👇
Listen to music
Walk your dog
Soak up nature
Take a beverage break
Do a puzzle
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🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business
New York Times: Must We Gentrify the Rest Stop? – I’m really torn about this one. Sure, there’s something nostalgic and easy about a rest stop McDonald’s, such a part of American culture (and don’t get me started on not having Dunkin’ at all rest stops). But I love that there are healthier options coming in to many stops – even if they’re seen as “instagrammable”.
Sasha Chapin: Notes Against Note-Taking Systems – I’ve been thinking about note-taking systems, apps, and organizational tools a lot lately. But this piece gets to the heart of a lot of what I’ve been thinking. That maybe not everything needs optimization or a system.
Canyon Coffee: How We Work From Home – This piece was published at the start of the pandemic but felt like a welcome reset for me as someone who permanently (at least for the foreseeable future) works from home. Helpful if you’re feeling in a rut that might need reevaluating.
Refinery29: Whatever Happened To Lush? – I can smell this store just from the photo in this article. Over a year ago, Lush announced their decision to leave social media altogether. Wild to imagine a brand doing this in 2022, so much so that people are wondering: are they still in business?? Spoiler: they are (*places bath bomb online order*)
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💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
Planning often stops us from doing.
I’ve always been someone who loves to have a fully flushed out + scheduled content calendar. It’s helpful to get everyone on the same page, and even more helpful if you work on a big team with large amounts of content steps and approvals.
But so often not having that content calendar planned ahead of time stops me from creating timely, exciting content. Because it’s not in the plan. It’s not systematized into a perfect form.
Silly, right? I think a lot of us can fall into this spiral though.
So, yes. Plan your content. Create a beautiful, full content calendar. But sometimes, you just need to put aside the systems and do what you’re here to do: create.
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👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel