7 things I loved on the first week of April

I started a Youtube channel! Plus, a vacation OOO

Welcome to my roundup of things I loved this week! If you’re not interested in 7 Things, you can specifically toggle off these emails in your account settings.

1. I’m experimenting with longform video: subscribe to my Youtube channel 🥹 I waffled and procrastinated on every step of making my first video, which is why this winter vlog is coming out in the spring. You’ll see some behind the scenes of me designing this newsletter’s logo. Play it as a companion while you get some work done!

2. It’s been a rainy, earthquake week in NYC, but this mosaic house in my neighborhood never fails to cheer me up. Artist Susan Gardner started the installation after 9/11 and it's kept growing since then with the help of neighbors.

   

3. So many recent releases I’m excited to read! I’ve queued up the novels Memory Piece by Lisa Ko and The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim, both writers I hosted at Cosmos Book Club for their debut novels back in 2018. For nonfiction, I’m eager to read Lauren Oyler’s essay collection No Judgment. I recommend reading her neurotically relatable essay “My Anxiety” for a sneak peek and this interview on Oyler conducted by beloved writer Sheila Heti.

4. Afrobeats is one of my favorite genres—so vibey and groovy! A kind soul from Flexible Office shared this lofi afrobeats playlist that I’ve been playing on repeat.

5. Reading

   SPACIES
   interviews with creatives gives me such voyeuristic pleasure. I particularly enjoyed this week’s interview with artist Kening Zhu, who sees her website as an art form and doesn’t use any social media.

   DIGITAL WORLD-BUILDING WITH ARTIST KENING ZHU

6. This raspberry hair vinegar has helped me stop itching my hair in between wash days, smells amazing, and tingles so nicely! I’ll be restocking when I go to Korea.

   

7. I shared a few weeks back that my sister and brother-in-law are opening a retro Korean bar in Brooklyn. They’re raising funds for their space with lots of fun perks, including some fun perks made by me 💫 Contribute if you can!

This will be the only 7 Things post in April, as I’ll be traveling to Japan & Korea for the rest of the month for my honeymoon 🌸 The number of cute shops & spots I have bookmarked is wild, thank you for your recommendations! Do you have tips on fighting jet lag and getting used to walking 20k steps a day? Please give me all your advice!

I’ve got Friday posts scheduled over the next few weeks, so you won’t even notice I’m gone (though I’ll be slow to reply to comments). I will be setting up the Making Comics study group when I come back, so fill out your information if you are interested. Thanks so much, and will miss you all. Look forward to loads of travel posts when I return!