Hi friend,
We’ve been going through a lot lately, huh?
I don’t know about you, but for me the past month has been a blur.
As the weather gets warmer in my part of the world, I’ve been spending more time offline, interacting with friends IRL. Touching grass, as they say.
It’s refreshing after 2 years living almost entirely online.
But then, we feel FOMO for the virtual life we spent those years building.
Not talking about the metaverse here, just plain old social media where many of us have met and connected over the years.
We’ve been going through a lot lately.
The timeline is getting heavier and heavier every day.
We’re dealing with massive amounts of tragedy and grief. We’re dealing with the feeling of no control, feeling lost, feeling hopeless. We’re dealing with gaslighting, bad actors, and never-ending arguments. We’re dealing with exhaustion, overstimulation, and trauma.
We’ve been going through a lot lately.
In these times, it’s refreshing to lock your phone, turn off notifications, ignore the internet for awhile.
But eventually, these things pop back up. The online lives we’ve created and the real lives we’re breathing in are the same.
So, we can turn off notifications when we need. We can ignore our real lives when we need.
But simultaneously, we can’t be rude or dismissive of our online lives or our real lives and expect to have no consequences.
I truly don’t know how to handle the balance. I’m just a friend here reminding you:
We’ve been going through a lot lately.
with warmth + love,
N
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📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the marketing geek + content creator
Vox: How the internet gets people to plagiarize each other
Social media has made me realize I’ve never had an original thought in my entire life. But where do we draw the line between hopping on a trend and straight up copying someone else? This piece examines where credit may be due and how frequent copying has become.
Wall Street Journal: Does Your Mayo Need a Mission Statement?
Taking a stand as a brand can be important and powerful. But is it always necessary? This piece examines how Unilever’s CEO is pushing each of its’ brands to have a social or environmental purpose.
Adweek: Why Brands Are Looking to the Stars to Connect
I can’t tell you much about astrology, but I’m definitely a bandwagon fan. I’m totally going to blame Mercury in Retrograde for almost anything that goes wrong. And marketers are counting on that for their recent star-driven campaigns.
Later: What Social Media Managers Can Learn from Stan Culture
If you’re unfamiliar, “stans” are the most engaged, obsessive fan accounts. From accounts tracking down what celebrities wear to fan groups taking down anyone who bad-mouths their favorite icons, stans are loyal. This piece discusses what we can learn from them and how brand managers can take pieces of stan culture into their strategy.
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🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
Since it’s been a minute since I’ve written to you here, I thought we could simply take a minute together today.
Take a minute to breathe. To sit in the quiet. To have just for yourself.
Not sure what to do? There’s nothing you have to do!
But here’s some things to think about if you’re really stressed about it: How’s your week been going, really? What are you looking forward to? How’s your body feeling? What’s something small that could bring you joy today?
Okay, here’s a one minute timer. Ready? Go.
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🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business
Buzzfeed News: It’s OK If You’re Not Sure How To Respond Emotionally To Tragic News – If you read nothing else from this newsletter, I highly recommend this one.
Fast Company: A neuroscientist on the shifts in our media use and the effect on our brains – Of course the media and technology we consume is having an effect on our brains, but reading the science helped me understand why this effect happens (and hopefully how to be more aware of it).
Psyche: How to take things less personally – I’m going to be reading this article with tips from a CBT therapist on repeat. No shame.
New York Times: The Mundane Thrill of ‘Romanticizing Your Life’ – Okay, I’m actually obsessed with these simple romanticized moment videos though. I find them so soothing and meditative. It’s the little things at this point.
Washington Post: How to stay up-to-date on terrible news without burning out – This piece was originally published in March but has since been updated with the recent tragedies, which probably tells you all you need to know about the state of our mental health in relation to news. If you’re looking for a how-to style list, this is it.
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💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
If this newsletter is any evidence, it’s that you can take breaks from creating content.
For those of you running brands, hear me out.
You don’t have to necessarily stop posting or stop your content engine. But maybe you could take a break from creating innovative content.
I know, that goes against everything we’ve learned as content creators. To always be pushing, always be iterating, always be inventing.
But sometimes? Sometimes coming up with something new and unique is hard.
Sometimes our brains need a break.
Feel free to give into your obvious + safe content. It’s okay for a bit.
You can take breaks from creating unique content and people will be here waiting for you when you’re ready.
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👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel