Introducing Curious Mail
Beautiful Humans,
In this email I’d like to introduce the Curious Mail, but first a little back story.
I had finished about 80% of the content for the first issue of the Curious Tribe digital magazine and plotted out the next 12 issues… then He Who Shall Not Be Named was elected President of the United States of America.
I was already reeling from a breakup with my longterm boyfriend and the reality of this massive step backward for our country threw me into a sadness unlike anything I had ever experienced.
I was on total autopilot for 3 full days. I flew to New Jersey for a Dear World photoshoot and listened to the stories of college students and faculty trying to process Hillary’s earth shattering loss. I smiled when I was supposed to and gave genuine hugs to people in pain, but ignored my own feelings for fear that they would leave me unequip to do my job.
When I finally got home, I crawled into bed and stayed there for 6 days, only getting up to find fast food and make cocktails. I deleted Facebook and Twitter from my phone and discovered Desperate Housewives, an ABC show on Hulu with 8 seasons chock full of drama and intrigue. The perfect distraction.
I slept. I cried. I mourned my losses.
And on the seventh day, I got up. There wasn’t a miraculous healing. I was absolutely not okay. I was actually genuinely depressed. But I needed to throw myself into a project. I needed to make something, so I could work through my feelings. So I built and launched the first issue of the Curious Tribe magazine online. I even built a fully functioning iphone app, but held off because I knew I wasn’t quite ready. The idea was close but not quite where I needed it to be.
While I was in bed those days, I kept coming back to the same question: How do we change the hearts and minds of people that make their decisions from fear and in the worst cases hate?
That question has haunted me for months and to this day I still don’t have a solution. But I discovered something that I knew to be true along the way. These are scary times and many of us are living our day to day lives feeling like zombies. For months, I was one of those zombies.
We have to stay engaged; we have to stay informed; and we have to continue to resist. But even in these troubling times, I decided that one valuable form of resistance is consistently spreading joy. People need to smile. People need to feel affirmed. People need to feel empowered to build their happiest life.
Curious Tribe started because I wanted to redefine the idea of a traditional magazine and that goal still remains. Over time, however, I’ve realized that the real mission is to inject a little joy into your everyday life.
In business, this is called a pivot, when you abandon the initial concept to work on Plan B. Initially, I wanted to create a digital experience that helped creative professionals grow their business. Right now, I think there’s more value in creating an offline experience that spreads some much-needed love in the world.
Curious Mail is designed to delight, encourage and intrigue.
Every month you’ll receive a surprise delivered to your doorstep:
- a beautiful art print
- 2-3 amusing cards
- our motivational newsletter
- and a small gift
It’s $19 a month or $45 for the quarter.
The big thing for me personally is that I will be moving from curator to creative by designing and illustrating the majority of the content. (Below is a collection of work from the past few years.)
so cute, so awkward
5 Creative Entrepreneurs to Watch
Every month we highlight creative people that you should know. Are you making waves in your local community or online? Get on the list.
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Photographer Trevor Mark
New Orleans-based photographer Trevor Mark embodies what it means to be a freelancer. He specializes in beautiful wedding photography that reflects the emotion of the moment. Beyond that he’s built a portfolio of natural lifestyle photos that feel authentic and full of joy.
“Beauty can be seen in all things. Seeing and composing that beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.” – Trevor Mark Ekanger
Image via @sara_gabriellas
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Curator Maceo Paisley
Maceo Paisley embodies the term “creative entrepreneur.” He’s a singer, a dancer, and a model. He also runs a print magazine. Most recently, he’s worked with Teresa Hu to launch Nous Tous, a gallery and retail space located in Old Chinatown, Los Angeles.
The duo has partnered to create products and experiences that invite patrons to think critically and familiarize themselves with their own intuitions in the hope of building empathy and finding creative identity.
Nous Tous is a retail gallery and cultural exchange that works to support emerging creative talent and serve as a stepping stone and creative think tank to explore new career paths in the fields of art and design.
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Digital Entrepreneur Regina Anaejionu
The internet is full of it’s fair share of online entrepreneurs, but Regina Anaejionu is the real deal. She helps coaches, teachers, and digital nomads that want to profit from their knowledge + passions in a purposeful and authentic way. She creates epic content and hosts incredible workshops and online courses. She is also the queen of the hotel workation and most importantly is learning JiuJitsu.
Photo by: @rickyflorack
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Musicians John Michael Rouchell and Alvin Ford, Jr. of Tysson
New Orleans duo Tysson creates effortless alternative pop music. Band members John Michael Rouchell and Alvin Ford, Jr. “are 20th century musicians living in the 21st century world.” Their new self-titled EP offers candid lyrics with vibrating electronic production that hits you square in the heart.
Photo By:@electraking
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Coach and Business Strategist Cyndie Spiegel
Cyndie Spiegel is genuinely magnetic. She’s the type of person that will ask you a simple question that makes you feel like you could change the world. Following her instagram feed keeps you inspired and goal-focused. She created The Collective of Us as a business accelerator for women entrepreneurs.
Photo By: @irajames
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