Stuff I like
A curation of all the 'stuff' I've enjoyed or mean something to me from videos, articles to websites and everything in between. I’ll be adding to this regularly as time goes on but it is an eclectic mix from one genre to another, to one extreme to another, so brace yourself...
Rowland’s insight into women’s sex lives and desires
I’m really passionate about female desire and sexuality (I hope to share more around this in my blog). This article was written for The Guardian and the author, Katherine Rowland, also wrote the book The Pleasure Gap (of course I read this. Highly recommend it). Yes this article is referencing some old data, and of course it isn’t a sweeping insight of all women but the essence of it does give a powerful insight into women’s desires, and lack of.
Dr. Ramani on Narcissism
Clinical psychologist, Dr. Ramani, has a portfolio of videos focusing on everything and anything to do with narcissism in today’s society, from the character traits to the relationship dynamics. That aside, she’s pretty big in her field having given keynotes and interviews with celebrities and personalities such as Kendall Jenner on anxiety for Vogue. If you’ve been through an experience with a narcissist this will be interesting and cathartic. And even if not, it’s still fascinating insight into human nature at a time when self-promotion has been normalised.
Athena Calderone’s recipes
If ever you get tirelessly bored of the recipes you find online (‘what on EARTH shall I cook today???’ - me most days), Athena Calderone has some really unique specialities up her sleeve. They can be an acquired taste (black sesame ice-cream?) but I love how she can mix unusual flavours to create something scrumptious (citrus-poppy olive oil loaf is divine). Not to mention her dishes have a real vibe (as if you’re al-fresco dining in Lake Como). Food aside, she’s great to follow for design inspiration.
Inside de Gournay
de Gournay produce the most beautiful, hand painted wallpapers in the world. And that’s not an exaggeration. Although, calling their products ‘wallpaper’ is a disservice to the works of art they truly are. I really love these two videos in particular which gives an insight into their world.
When beauty strikes
Written for The New York Times by David Brooks, here he encapsulates so beautifully the role and importance of beauty and aesthetics in today’s modern, technological society. If ever I feel the need to explain the value of aesthetics and beauty in today’s world, it is this article that I refer to. I cannot do it justice and as it is short, easy to read, I recommend you at least skim through it.
Diana Vreeland:
The eye has to travel
I love Diana Vreeland; one of the former notorious editors of American Vogue who became a cultural icon. Her life, personality and work are so fascinating. She is what I call a true aesthete. She’s also quite a character and rather fun to listen to in interviews. You can watch the entire documentary on Amazon Prime about her and her life’s work spanning the elite in fashion and art.
What makes a leader
A topic dear to my heart; for a long time leadership has been associated with masculine qualities and women needing to ‘act like men’ to get ahead. This New York Times article looks into women who are embracing more ‘feminine’ qualities in their leadership roles like empathy and collaboration.
The work of Gabor Maté
This is quite heavy. Gabor Maté is a Hungarian-Canadian physician whose work is centred around trauma and child development (trauma is a topic of a particular interest of mine). Watch the short video on attachment vs authenticity and read his interview here.
Christie’s collecting stories
One of the world’s leading art and luxury business, Christie’s have put together a compilation of stories from art collectors. If you’re into that kind of thing, some of them are interesting, insightful and even educational for beginners looking to collect art.
Muslim women & economics
Saadia Zahidi is currently the Managing Director at the World Economic Forum and this short extract - which I love - is an excerpt from her entry on winning the FT/McKinsey Bracken Bower Prize for her business book proposal. She focuses specifically on the role of Muslim women in society and the evolution of their financial contribution, both in the real world and Islam.
Humanistic capitalism by Brunello Cucinelli
Brunello Cucinelli is an Italian luxury lifestyle brand selling menswear, womenswear and accessories. The founder shares his unsettling relationship with capitalism from his youth, and new-found vision for the future which I found so refreshing and inspiring. It proved that you can find balance between pursing your desires which might be materialistic (and there is nothing wrong with that), and still do good for the world and people around you.