Strands of Genius: Smash Books, Queer Astrology, Adventures in Housesitting
Guest Curated by Sharon Panelo
Each year we aim to highlight 50 creative thinkers that have inspired us by giving them the opportunity to guest curate this newsletter, Strands of Genius. This edition is guest curated by Sharon Panelo, Founder, Stories & Strategy, LLC
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, SHARON PANELO ::
LOCATION: Marin County, CA
PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Stories & Strategy, LLC
Heyo! I’m Sharon Panelo, queer NYC Filipina, radical optimist, digital nomad. I’ve fought invisibility at The Martin Agency, launched social at McCann, and ran with the wolves at Wolf & Wilhelmine. I’m a catalyst for diversity, serving on the board of Cohort:One a fellowship for BIPOC/LGBTQ+ talent, and as a mentor for strtgst and Asians in Advertising. When I’m not in agencyland, I run my own strategy consulting business. I’ve always wanted to design a life where I could work, travel, and live seamlessly from anywhere. Rosie & Faris were the first people I ever saw truly living this new dream and thriving, way before the pandemic! I love that the world has finally caught up to y’all in the future! #TheFutureisFlexible
Editor’s Note (Team Genius Steals): We were connected with Sharon through Sean Choi. Welcome to the digital nomad life; we’re so glad you’re here! And we love all of the amazing work you’re doing to be a catalyst for diversity. You rock! Thanks for the great links, Sharon!
:: THE LINKS ::
SMASH BOOKS
Scrapbooking? Nah. Travel journaling a smash book? Hell yeah! The art of collage is one of my favorite ways to get unstuck. Analog is best — hand to paper. This TikTok reignited my love for travel journaling, complete with a list of nerdy stationery gear to level up your craft: Leuchtturm journal, Tombow and Prismacolor pens, mini sewing scissors, washi tape. After years of staring at screens, it’s so satisfying to smash flowers, wine labels, ticket stubs, and other signs of IRL life into the pages of a physical book. Piecing together bits of disparate scraps until an an entirely new narrative emerges. No agenda or plan. The ultimate go with the flow activity. (TikTok)
QUEER ASTROLOGY
How are you coping with our unprecedented times? When times are uncertain, we look to the skies. Like millions of others, during quarantine I became obsessed with astrology apps like Co-Star, and how eerily accurate they often turned out to be, with their technology-driven blend of Artificial Intelligence and NASA data. Still, I was delighted to discover a more human-crafted practice from Chani Nicholas, a queer millennial astrologer who reads me better than own my therapist. (Note: You don’t have to be queer to vibe with Chani, but it is a bonus! Her readings are universal, beyond gender.) Her app, Chani, is beautifully and thoughtfully designed and an incredibly interactive and introspective guide to understanding your universe. It’s not just about you passively receiving a trite fortune cookie saying, but doing the work of excavating your own life for meaning. Her book, *You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance* is a fascinating primer on understanding the heavenly bodies to understand yourself. “Astrology is not therapy, but it is therapeutic. In a world in which we are taught to look outside of ourselves for validation, *You Were Born for This* brings us inward to commit to ourselves and our life's purpose.” (Chani Nicholas)
ADVENTURES IN HOUSESITTING
JoJo the Great. Romeo the handsome Belgian Malonois. Lucy and Bailey, the goldendoodles. Beau the flatulent Frenchie. Housesitting and petsitting is a lifehack to fund some of your nomadic adventures, support your sabbatical work on the road, and take care of fur friends along the way. I've had some amazing experiences across the country (and perhaps globally next!) from a matching service called Trusted Housesitters. My DMs are open if you want to ask me anything or get the link to a referral. (TrustedHousesitters)
Looking for more from Sharon Panelo? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from Sharon in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
:: City :: Brooklyn, NY
:: Board game :: We’re Not Really Strangers
:: Book :: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong
:: Podcast :: We Can Do Hard Things - Glennon Doyle
:: Album :: Ruby Ibarra - Circa 91
:: ME AND MY FUR-FRIENDS ::
Howdy from Marin County, CA! Are you a digital nomad too? If you want to swap notes from the field, sign up for Musing Moondays, my newsletter that drops every New Moon.
Sharon Panelo
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)