Lisa Frank blue, Byline's Risk Issue, an iconic essay on saying no
This newsletter ended up being monochromatic by accident.
By the time I finished writing this, I realized this entire newsletter is blue. I don’t know what that means. I do love when a color seems to take over, so I’m going with it. I hit some serious writer’s block over the last month, likely because I’ve been working a lot (on this and this, to be specific), but we’re pushing through. I had breakfast with my friend and artist Mur yesterday, who reminded me that the practice of writing is just that—writing. I’m doing a lot of Google Doc dumping and notes app typing, but for now, here are a few fragments of thoughts that felt somewhat coherent. Maybe I’ll eventually publish the incoherent stuff.
Byline’s Risk Issue goes to print this week. You can pre-order it here! There are two covers—actress and author Tommy Dorfman and New York City Council Member Chi Ossé. More to come on where to buy IRL. We tried to hit as many cities as possible this time :)
Lisa Frank blue is everywhere this season. You know the one. It’s a visual splash of water to the face, a hit of aquamarine. Araks has always done this color well (see here and here), but Dries also sent this color down its Spring 2025 runway (hello!), Anna Sui went all in with their Spring 2025 collection (this is so tempting), and Maryam Nassir Zadeh absolutely nailed the hue, to name a few iterations of the trend. I bought a turquoise MNZ scrunchie from her shop to scratch the itch, which I’m not seeing online, but this blue feels equally aquatic and refreshing.
Speaking of water, waterproof mascara is actually the best eyebrow product. I’ve tried all of the pencils, gels, etc. I learned this by accidentally using my mascara on my eyebrows. Two in one. I use Great Lash.
Yesterday I read something that said, “discipline is the highest form of self-respect.” Wow. I knew this conceptually, but it hit different reading it in plain english. Throughout my early-mid twenties, my discipline was hardly there, unbeknownst to me. I really thought I was disciplined. I’d go to yoga, put in extra hours of work, think really hard, probably too hard, etc. Meanwhile, my thoughts were running with the wind, untethered from any ounce of self-respect. I’d endure sandstorms of mental turmoil, all of which were created by my own brain. In other words, I’d let insecurities and fears run the show rather than disciplining my brain to follow the lead of curiosities and general optimism. When it comes to training the mind, being consistent in other ways—a routine, doing what feels good, or what ends up feeling good—is definitely part of getting there. But it starts with the will to think well, which is usually the difference between a good day and a bad one.
The artist Mur is making these painted bouquets that I am obsessed with. Get one for a friend. They’ll never forget it. DM him to order!
6. Having a New York Public Library card is more fruitful thank you think. How? One example: you can log into the Vogue Archives on the NYPL website and read all of the articles Joan Didion ever wrote for Vogue, not just the ones that have been scanned and republished to the internet. I went with my friend Danya to the library’s preview of the *hundreds* of documents the library recently received from the Didion estate. It includes her planners and calendars, which recount her dinner parties and guests lists (it turns out she was very tight with Nora Ephron). Anyway, thanks to my library card, I found an essay she for Vogue about the power of saying no. It’s title is “Take No For An Answer” — mind you, this was a woman in her twenties, living in the 1960s, writing about protecting her truth. No matter where you sit on the topic of Joan, this was unequivocally ahead of its time. Also, in case you’re wondering, it’s so hard to get any essays like this published now. Everything has to be shoppable or clickable… ugh. My favorite quote from this one:
It is precisely this kind of breakdown of communication with oneself that underlies an incapacity for the straightforward no. It is possible to decide between desires and obligations; it is possible to decide between divergent desires. It is not possible except arbitrarily—to decide between unknown quantities. Quite simply, to make up one's mind requires knowing it.
Alright, that’s all I got. Next time, less coherence!
After reading this, the next day I noticed this on my Dr. Bronner's toothpaste: Self-discipline is the skeleton of your intellect! The key to freedom, the basis of happiness, the foundation of Brotherhood! Without self-discipline, the most brilliant head remains useless, ineffective, small!