June Selects: The Process Will Teach You
Tube tops, hot ballads, post-impressionism, Lithuanian art + more!
I can’t even count how many times I’ve tried to do a consistent monthly recap on this newsletter. And I know, I know — lamenting about it is almost as annoying as the act of inconsistency itself. But I’m continuing to try. This past month, I’ve felt a burst of inspiration open up in me. June has been…surprisingly eye-opening for me and what my own creative process so I have a lot to recap and reflect on.
And it’s funny, because I thought June would be a real drag. I had a sinus surgery scheduled so I already doomed the first month of summer in my head as a “wash” (I’ve had problems with oral surgeries in the past so I was just preparing for the worst).
Instead, I ended up healing faster than expected. Maybe that says more about my “hoping for the best, expecting the worst” mindset, but regardless. Plus, since I was expecting a hefty recovery, I prepared for a hefty rest period. And low and behold, I felt quite rested! Maybe in order to relax I need to convince myself I’m in some kind of recovery — isn’t that messed up?!
Anyway, I felt a magnetic pull to select some things for you, dear reader, that moved me and left an impression on me this past month. I’m hoping that the act of continuing this monthly practice will be as fulfilling for me as it is for me. Because one of the things (as you’ll see) that I’ve been thinking about is the idea of how the process can teach you. I’ve never been good at studying — I rather learn by doing. And that’s what I’ve aimed to do with this newsletter for the last 5 years (WHAT!) I’ve had it.
I think I’ve been really good at aspiring and setting goals, declaring my dreams and new projects. But I’m learning that none of that means anything if you’re not being active in the present.
Also, I’ve got some newcomers here, due to TikTok and some increasingly earnest social media posting. So, hi! I’m glad you’re here. I’ve caught you in my net of scattered style ramblings — so I hope you stay. You can expect 2-3 posts in your inbox a month, one of which is usually a paid option if you want to get into some extra fun content. :))))
I’ll have more plans for that soon — but until now, here’s what I’ve been loving this past June!!!!
👔 Wearing
Tube tops! — Sleeves have been completley out of the question during the end of this month. So I’ve been pulling out my old and thrifted tube tops. What I love about a tube top is its simplicity and adaptability. You can use it as a layer underneath a scarf or even pull it on top of a tank top for extra dimension.
The Desmond & Dempsey Square Neck Nightdress — I saved up and got this dress a couple years ago for a vacation in Puerto Rico. Some of my best memories in it was starting my mornings slow, looking at the ocean and reading or journaling. I decided that this experience should not just be reserved for vacations, so it’s becoming my everyday morning lounge dress. It doesn’t need a bra, feels like cream on my skin and is the perfect chic by summer-y print. I love it!
My outfit for the 2025 Solstice party at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Scarves (in various ways). This includes: used as a headband, worn as a shawl or layered on top of the afformentioned tube top. I’ve mentioned this in a post on dressing in the heat, and I still stand by it two years later. The spring and summer are the best times to be UTILIZING your scarves!
Also, ICYMI, I shared some secondhand silk I found:
🎧 Listening
“Lifetime” — Erika De Casier. To put it simply, her music sounds like silk sheets feel. Everything from the atmospheric, soft vocals to the Trip-Hop elements is makes this such a perfect, sensual album for the summer (and beyond).
“Tether” — Annahstasia. This album has completely entranced me since I heard it played on Derrick Gee’s interview with Lorde. I’ve listend through it front to back in deep mediation at least 4 times by now. In the shower, in the morning, in the evening, or when I just need a quiet, slow moment of contemplation. This artist deserves all her flowers. We need more emotional ballads like this that don’t make us escape emotion but EMBRACE it!
“A Place in My Heart” — Club 8. This track from Club 8’s self titled album from 2001 makes me feel like I’m blowing bubbles in my backyard on a sunnny afternoon in, well, 2001. Everything feels a little fleeting, cautiously optimistic, naive, hopeful like a child’s heart.
🖼️ Viewing
I saw a lot of art this month! And I’m still thinking about it! I went to the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and was in complete awe. I spent about three hours meandering around the art museum and barely scratched the surface.
The museum’s Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections pulled me in right away. Not only because it had some beautiful pieces by one of my favorites, Pierre Bonnard. One of the descriptions mentioned the idea of imperfection of memory. It got me thinking about how the lack of accuracy in memory (misremembering how something looks, the colors, the texture, etc) can actually play a vital role creating art. Especially with impressionist works (I mean, it’s in the name), the works are blurry interpretations that aren’t concerned about being accurate or “correct” — and sometimes our gaps in memory can add to that artistic fiction.
I also gained a new appreciation for Abstract Expressionism during my visit. Specifically, how a “simple” or “vague” looking piece can actually have quite a chaotic and directionless process behind it. In the description, artist Mark Rothko reflected, “They [the paintings] began as an unknown adventure in an unkown space,” reflected artist Mark Rothko. Similarly, artist Eduardo Chillida said something similar: "When I begin I have no idea where I am going. All I can see is a certain spatial constellation from which lines of strength gradually emerge..."
🔖 Saving
This photo series by London-based photographer, Francesca Allen about the long hair competition in Lithuania. Made me think of my roots (pun intended) and the cultural impact of hair.
Speaking of Lithuania, I got to witness (or rather, listen to) the Lithuanian Song Festival in my hometown of Cleveland this past weekend and it was a joy to reconnect with my heritage, culture and some old friends. I also discovered some incredible artisans like this Columbus-based painter, Kriste Aukstuolis whose work I WILL be closely following. I also have to give a shoutout to my good friend Erik, who sold his beautiful pottery over the weekend that mixes nature and Lithuanian folklore/art.
Very excited about my Blue Jay espresso mug from Erik :) What elseeeeee? This video is a great example of why there is still so much good to find on social media!
Every so often this interview with Susan Sontag about storytelling and truth-telling pops up on my feed and sends me into a whole spiral. This time, it also got me hungry to get back into writing fiction.
📚Reading
I finished ONLY audiobooks this past month because I (for better or for worse) have been in a state where I can’t sit still. And when that happens, all I can do is listen to books while my hands and eyes are busy on other things.
“Penance” by Elza Clark. A fascinating and quite arresting novel for anyone who loves metafiction, criticisms of true crime but also the very poignant and toxic Tumblr culture in the 2000s. I’m still sitting with this one a bit, but it was a really good listen that I devoured in a bout a day and a half.
“Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy . This was a stunning novel. It had such a balanced mix of suspense as well as good literary writing. I found myself enjoying this on a slow walk in the morning or on the edge of my seat while on a long commute. It can fit whatever you’re looking for and its a gorgeous, heartwrenching story of grief and our human connection to nature.
This piece from
about “timeless taste” and the idea of it was very eye-opening. Whether it’s from a brand’s perspective or someone’s personal style, it begs the question: is it better to be timeless or be open to evolution? Or a balanced mix of both?A good pairing with the new Addision Rae album and our collective discourse about “authenticity”: this thougtful piece by
.
💭From the Notes App
Some kernels of reflection that came up that I’m excited to dive into a bit next month:
Don’t live an aspirational life — Live an ACTIVE ONE!
The quote by Henry David Thoreau: “Heaven is under our feet as well as above our heads.”
Places are portals.
“I, in my corner with my monstrous needs.” — Susan Sontag.
The process will teach you.
I’ve turned 30 and I never feel more young.
“There’s alchemy in temperance” — this was written in a Tarot Card app that my friend read after pulling the temperance card.
🛍️ Browsing
What I’ve been browsing in June: A night dress for morning lounging, the perfect secondhand morning robe, a candy striped skirt and more.
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