When the new year hit, I knew I wanted to kickstart a fresh creative project. The blog is almost 13 years old (a teenager!) and while I’m deeply fond of the archives — which are like a decade-long digital diary of my life — I’m not inspired to update it anymore. I feels like the right time for a pivot; a 2023 version of this space.
In an era of shortform algorithmic content designed to keep us distracted and mindlessly scrolling, I find myself craving the stuff that makes you slow down and peruse: personal essays; thoughtfully curated style and beauty guides; deliciously worded step-by-step recipes… You catch my drift? I’m particularly fond of email newsletters right now, like The Love List and Girls Night In, that come right to my inbox. Content that’s tailored to my interests, that I don’t have to click around different web addresses to find, and feels like an email from a pal? Count me in.
I realized I enjoy not only consuming but creating this type of content. I love writing about stuff I like and what I wear, in the style of talking to a friend. And so, the idea for my new newsletter, Passing Notes, was born.
Here’s a peek at the introductory post. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive fresh notes right to your inbox, click here!
As an elder millennial, my love of 90s nostalgia runs deep. One of the things I miss most about the pre-internet culture of my youth: the art of passing notes. We filled pages of loose leaf paper with glitter-penned bubble letters to share the urgent news of the day, updates on the status of crushes, and funny inside jokes. Then we folded them meticulously into triangles — or origami shapes for the advanced artist — and covertly passed the paper parcels around school to our besties. We rivaled the USPS in delivery efficiency, and could spread news almost as fast as Twitter. (Okay, not really; but it was an impressive communication network for its time!)
The thrill of receiving a freshly penned note back then was a dopamine hit greater than any text or Instagram DM can deliver today. So when I decided I wanted to start a newsletter this year, I landed on calling it Passing Notes. I want to conjure that warm-and-fuzzy feeling of getting a carefully crafted letter from your BFF, only in your inbox instead of your Jansport.
The content will be similar to the stuff I used to share on my blog (and still share on Instagram) but in a weekly(ish) format that will vary from bite-sized link lists of cool stuff I find around the Internet, to bigger blurbs about style + beauty stuff on my radar, to personal essays. I promise to show up to your inbox with the same care and attention I poured into perfecting my handwriting way back then.
I haven’t been this excited about writing to friends since 1999!
Are you in? Check yes or no.
TTYL,
Keira
