Strands of Genius: What is Glitter, Skateboarding Changes Perception, Minor Feelings

Guest Curated by Anita Schillhorn van Veen, Director Of Strategy @ McKinney LA

May 25, 2023

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, ANITA SCHILLHORN VAN VEEN::

LOCATION: Marina Del Rey, CA

I'm Anita. I like strategy. Sussing out new things. Understanding consumers. Seeing over the horizon. Steeping in culture. I also like business. How businesses create value in our world. How they can be shaped to be less extractive and more synergistic. So much so that on top of running McKinney LA's strategy practice, I'm learning all about business at UCLA's MBA. I also like writing. It helps me reflect, organize my thoughts, and connect with a like-minded audience; I write my own newsletter and occasionally submit to others like Why Is This Interesting.

Editor’s Note (Rosie): We’ve known Anita through the internet for a while, and have always loved her thinking! But recently when we were in Los Angeles, she and I had a chance to meet in person and it was such a blast — We had a conversation that spanned everything from remote work to AI to tacos! We’re thrilled she’s here to share more of her brilliance today, and you should absolutely sign up for her newsletter too!

:: THE LINKS ::

WHAT IS GLITTER

I love a little glitter. My rave days were coated in glitter. Holidays have gotten glitterier, and glitter is a key ingredient in most make up. What Is Glitter is a wonderful deep dive into how glitter gets made, by one of my favorite NYT authors Caitlyn Weaver. She takes you deep into the bowels of the glitter factory, and has you thinking twice about the industrial and environmental impact of the sparkle. (New York Times)

SKATEBOARDING CHANGES PERCEPTION

In this edition of Why Is This Interesting, Ben Deitz goes deep into the lived experience of skateboarding and how it changes his perception of the world around him. It reminds me of how anything we learn sensitizes us to the world around us. (The Skate Gaze Edition)

MINOR FEELINGS

I'm Dutch and Indonesian, and have always had an uneasy relationship with identity. In the Netherlands, my background is quite common, but the colonial underpinnings remain unspoken. In the US, Asian American identity is one that never fit quite right, but it's the best that I have to describe the rub of cultures, and the expectations of high performance coupled with the swallowing of micro-aggressions galore.
Cathy Park Song's book Minor Feelings took so much of that unease and put into gorgeous language. A poet and a scholar, she gracefully unpacks the history and circumstances of an Asian American identity, and what it means to exist in America as an unsung minority. (Pulitzer)

Looking for more from Anita Schillhorn van Veen? Coming Friday, look for an interview from her in your inbox!

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: Grand Theft Auto 5

:: City :: Amsterdam on a rare sunny day

:: Book :: To Kill a Mockingbird

:: Album :: Massive Attack Blue Lines

::UNCERTAIN FUTURE::

One of my favorite stills from one of my favorite movies.

It's been a pleasure to share a few strands here! I'd love to share more strands with you all, please find me at Frame Strategy.

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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.

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