New pattern, new gift, and ALL THE LINKS: Studio Notes #48

I loved this post that Jane sent me in response to the thing about body image and sewing in the last newsletter. It’s comforting to see the writer’s dis-comfort with her body acknowledged – but also worked through.

These two articles on sustainable fashion go a bit beyond the usual “fast fashion is bad, be more thoughtful” angle. I mean, yes, absolutely. And you know I’m very keen on the subject. But it’s complicated, isn’t it? Consider this amazing line: “There is a self-worth gap in our culture, and clothes dumped as landfill is the consequence.” Wow. Yes. It’s not (just) frivolity. And then this really sharp essay about how “ethical” consumption discourse targets women: “Sometimes, I feel genuinely confused about whether I suffer from Catholic guilt or ‘I’m a woman who exists in the world’ guilt. The two concepts seem perpetually muddled, in that they’re both about reminding you of your desires, and then punishing you for feeling them.”

Getting an appetite for investigating fashion on a deeper level? Have I got a treat for you. I’m so excited about this free online journal – issue 1 covers everything from The Intertextual Discourse of Funny Face to the (policing of) black women’s hair at work, “the experience of wearing a happy outfit” and soooo much more. And something for the Christmas list – Unravelled, a coffee table book of knit art.

“It’s not over until it’s over, it’s a life-long privilege to seek out passion, and there are always ways to make your life feel more purposeful.” There’s a LOT of good stuff in this meaty career Q&A. And if you’re still worried that you’ve maybe just missed your peak? It’s never too late, says the NYT. Getting up at sparrowfart might help; I enjoyed this personal essay about the benefits of waking up before dawn (4 or 5 a.m.) to get work done and alleviate anxiety. And finally this guide to getting paid your worth is incredibly valuable, complete with very usable negotiation scripts.

Maybe it’s just because of my recent exposure to startup culture (I worked in “the ecosystem” for half of this year) but I found this interview with John Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet and former Stanford president, a remarkably good read. In particular? The fact that Stanford, which produced so many of those whose companies now rule and shape our world, has introduced compulsory ethics classes for all undergrads. That’s… food for thought. As is this decades-old piece from Ms magazine on the “tyranny of structurelessness”. Timely.

Lovely post from Karie Westermann on women’s creativity and how we limit ourselves. “I self-censor when I design. I talk myself out of a lot of ideas because I don’t think they are good enough or important enough. I nearly did not write this blog post. I meet a lot of women who talk their own creative pursuits down, who do not think their creative impulses merit two hours of quiet time every second Saturday morning.” Read in conjunction with this piece “In praise of mediocrity” (because you don’t have to be amazing at your hobby for it to be worthwhile). And, ooh, for those of us with a serious tsundoku problem, I love this argument that shelves of unread books are a good thing. But if you’re worried about things piling up just a leetle bit too much, consider the awesomely gloomy Swedish term döstädning, “death cleaning” – don’t worry, it’s not extreme decluttering, it’s kind of the opposite: a gentle long-term project to clear your stuff away before, well, before whoever’s left behind has to deal with it.

This is like that astonishing future football thing – an intense and exciting experiment in fictional form – but on the opposite end of the scale: just one paragraph, plus footnotes, which is the part that matters. It is dense and rich with meaning and implication. Must read.