all you need is a glass of cold milk

Strawberry milk

Banana milkshake

Milk tea

The base is consistent, and everything else exists to make it better, more diverse. Different toppings will suit different people, some may like raspberries but not chocolate. They exist to make us distinct, but sour milk has never made anything good.

The point is: milk is the foundation for all of these drinks. Without it you can’t make a milkshake.

It’s the same for people - trying to become the ‘final product’ without understanding who you actually are will almost never result in what you truly desire. With social media acting as a factory for trends, people across the world dictate what’s popular - or not.

In chasing to fit an aesthetic whether it be the mysterious cool girl or clean girl, without understanding who you actually are to your core, a cycle of continuous rebrands has begun.

Every new year the topic of rebranding arises, trading who you already are for someone else. However, if you actually took the time to invest and understand yourself as if you were someone else - then I don’t believe annual rebranding would be necessary as it would just be compounding on to the base version of you.

You want to be understood, you barely even know yourself.

An influencer in north London who goes to Jolene’s for a skinny latte shouldn’t dictate how you dress, what you like or what good music is.

In a race to be niche people attempt to imitate someone else’s life that you lose the very thing you’re trying to cultivate, authenticity. The minute you realise that the most important person in this world is you, and that you only have one chance at life to love what you want and do what makes you happy - then you’ll realise that existing for others through the images of others was never worth it - it’ll never be worth it.

Organic or processed?

I prefer organic semi skimmed milk - some prefer raw unpasteurised…

What makes a raw identity so desirable as a concept? It’s unfiltered and honest, people can’t find likeminded friends if they can’t discern who you are.

But processed milk … it can last longer

Yes it has less nutrients, but at least it’s in date.

Kind of like method acting- but your life isn’t a show, and you aren’t an actor (unless you are) and before you even realise it your life isn’t yours anymore. It belongs to society and you wonder: “Do I even like an iced matcha latte?”

It’s rare that people desire processed food, but as a community who’ll make up the future? We’re ultra processed- to the point where people start to desire being a clone, dressing like someone, acting like someone… Anyone but ourselves, but at the same time still crave the niche identity.

I was talking to a friend yesterday, we share desire to have that romanticised, fast paced, NYC life. The core of this want is transformation. The belief that a ‘new beginning’ will give us the opportunity for reinvention. For some, location and geographical area has a major influence on personality and interests and (for me at least) living so far up the north of England - it’s difficult to find opportunities to cultivate the hobbies that I want.

But hobbies represent the add-on’s or toppings to an already tasteful foundation. If the milk is spoiled, chocolate won’t save it

Imagine your environment like a fridge - a Smeg fridge panders into the cottagecore aesthetic , a silver Samsung aligns itself more with the clean girl. However, a good fridge doesn’t let milk go off, a good environment will only nurture and build who you inherently are.

If i’m not in tune with myself ; picking interests based off the algorithm won’t make me feel any more satisfied.

To be clear, everything i’ve written applies to me, and maybe you too.

In an attempt to make this year the final rendition. My only interest is to love the person I become enough to want to keep this person forever, only evolving never resetting. And, to be proud of the life I create.

I hope you do too

There is nothing more authentic than acting as the person you actually are and there is beauty in sharing interests with others - even if that doesn’t make you niche.

also: what’s something you truly like - so much so that you might even be embarrassed about?

I have a substack under the same name, with the blog name being: COLD MILK

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Please reach out for image credit or removal, all images were sourced from Pinterest.