Good Morning and Hello Friday!

The renaissance trend is MAJOR. Check out the video below (#1) along with examples of renaissance-inspired art, design, and entertainment (#2). Not only is it beautiful, it has the potential to be big business.

1. [watch] VIDEO: “Connecting the Renaissance dots”

2. Renaissance-Inspired art, design, entertainment, social media

• The Renaissance first got on my radar when I saw the gloriously installed Frick collection at the Met Breuer. I was never a big Frick fan but seeing those ornately painted and framed pieces in a modern, minimalist setting recontextualized them for me and made them completely new and relevant.
• I went further down the Renaissance rabbit hole when I saw the MET Medici exhibit last week. Blown away. Also noteworthy, the MET show attracted a young, very designery crowd which always bodes well for a trend. I’m sure we will see more renaissance influences showing up on fashion runways, in music videos, in hotel and restaurant interiors, and on our travel itineraries.

additional Renaissance examples:

Halsey’s 13-Minute “Renaissance” Video filmed at the MET (Source: artnet)

On social media

• I am a huge fan of the NATELAND podcast. It’s silly and ridiculous but I always learn something from these goofballs (and remember I gave up TV so long-form podcasts have become my main form of at-home entertainment). Imagine my surprise when Nate and the gang’s topic of the week was the renaissance!
• Tik Tok has also been tapping into the renaissance for their filters.

BOTTOM LINE: Keep an eye on Renaissance influences and inspirations. In particular, the impact it will have on entertainment and design, from richer colors to more elaborate silhouettes to set design and storylines.

3. Trendspotting: NYC’s best Street Style

FASHION THIS YEAR HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING. Young women are dressing fearlessly in a unique mix of sexy, flirty dresses/short shorts in combination with badass boots. The message seems to be “I want you to look, but don’t mess with me. If you do, you’ll get your ass kicked.”

4. music nerd alert: check out Christian James Hand.

Discovered both the Tom Talks podcast and Christian Hand this week.

• Amazing. It’s like getting a master class in music. I’m not saying that because I’m any kind of a music aficionado. I’m saying it because the way Christian Hand deconstructs songs and then builds them back up is BRILLIANT even for a neophyte like me. Wow!!
• Also, many of his followers are as deep into music as he is so they provide extra knowledge, e.g., info on the producer of a particular song, who’s on drums etc. I’m loving it.
• If any of you are SERIOUSLY into music or just want to be more knowledgeable (whether hip hop, 80’s rock, metal or anything in between), you’ve got to check out Tom Segura’s podcast with Christian.
• And then, if you like that, be sure to follow Christian on Instagram: thesessioniglive. Note: he does not archive so you have to catch him live on IG. He’s purist about it which is a bit of a drag but I get it.

“This was a fucking amazing interview and I’m new to Christian Hand but he’s a straight up genius.

TheBvisual81

5. Here’s something to avoid: the KLIMT IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

https://youtu.be/YtmRjsGso2c

• I am so OVER “immersive” experiences. At this point they are all just copycats of each other. I loved the first ones I saw back in 2019, e.g., ARTECHOUSE’s Refik Anadol installation or SuperReal at Cipriani. But a little goes a long way.
• I’m seeing the Van Gogh Immersions this weekend. Maybe I’ll love it but at this point, it feels like the whole immersion thing has jumped the shark. I’m not hearing any raves about it.
• Klimt, by the way, is scheduled for January in LA. Link here.

6. 37 million views. 311K just last week. Crazy! Thank you Google for letting me know.

Blows my mind!

• It’s happening because I’m a Level 8 Guide on Google Maps. And that gets me exactly NOTHING – except a bit of a thrill when I see numbers like that!
• Why do I do it? Probably because Google Maps/Reviews are my #1 go-to for planning trips, selecting restaurants, checking menus, even making reservations.
• It’s an EXCELLENT resource and I want to return the favor.
• And thank you Dean Churack for introducing me to Google reviews and weaning me away from Foursquare (although my tightest group of besties and I still keep tabs on each other with our Swarm check-ins which I love and appreciate).

7. Another sign that WFH is coming to an end: Day care waitlists!

Pittsburgh has been bringing workers back to the office over the last five weeks and with that comes the need for childcare. (Source: Action News 4)

• Some daycare waitlists are 100 names long because many day care facilities shut down permanently during the pandemic. Others are having problems finding workers.
• Besides daycare, I have also heard – anecdotally – that dog walkers are in much higher demand as workers return to offices.

8. #TikTokResumes allows users to respond to job offers with a short video rather than a traditional resume.

• The pilot program began July 7th and is scheduled to last until July 31.
• It’s limited to the U.S. job market.
• Recruiters can post job offers on a dedicated site, and TikTokers can apply there by submitting a video and adding the hashtag #TikTokResumes (over 206 million views!)
• #CareerTok was already a thriving subculture on the platform with over 67 million views.
• Companies like Chipotle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Shopify, Target and World Wrestling Entertainment are using the feature to recruit “Generation Z.”
• Chipotle said it hopes this new initiative will help it recruit 15,000 additional employees.
• I LOVE THIS. Really brilliant idea. (Source: Japan Today)

9. Shout Out to George Hahn for this great suggestion!

• This week, George (or rather his manager) offered some great life advice.
• George’s manager suggested to him that he might find it beneficial to create a list of the 5 things in his life that were working and 5 that were not. It was a first step in doing a “life inventory.”
• George did not share his list with us but did allow that the NOT WORKING side of the equation came together rather more quickly than the plus side.
• I did this exercise as well and found it extremely helpful in sorting out where I am in my life right now (and I’m also not sharing my list except to say that the “what’s working” side came together very easily).
• And I know George can be a bit much at times (as many of you who started following him at my behest have told me!). I too find his whining irritating and sometimes kind of elitist and too snarky by half. However, overall, I still enjoy checking in with him on his morning dog walks in Central Park. He always has a gem or two to brighten my day – from the hummus with cucumber sandwich to the 5 best things list.

10. Kudos to Bryant Heath, SLC’s ‘Mural hunter’ for creating this fantastic map of local street art

• I visited Salt Lake City in August 2019 and was blown away by the amount of great street art in the downtown area (pic above). This map would have been incredibly helpful. Another reason to love Google Maps!
• Per this interview with abc4, Bryant Heath, an avid runner, describes how he made it his mission to see every street in SLC by foot. It took him 118 runs to complete his 994-mile journey in December. Along the way, he took mental notes of interesting sites along with the murals he saw throughout the area. He estimates that he has seen over 400 murals in over 280 different sites.
• SOMEBODY should do this for other cities!!!

And with that, it’s a wrap – but there is one more thing….

I want to do a big shout-out to my friend – and my neighbor for over 30 years – Jimmy Wright.

Happy 77th birthday. You are my inspiration for leading a creative, fulfilling and rich life. 💕💕💕

Have a great weekend everyone!