Author Archives: Joshua Sanchez

The Death of Our Childhoods

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There was a time when being a kid meant something. You can walk into a toy store and see something you like. You can turn on the TV and there was something for you to watch. You can even go on the internet and there is a site for you.

However, things are different now. I went to Toys R Us a few times over the last couple of years, just to see what was around. It’s not the same as I remember it ten years ago. No more was there a sufficient video game section. Even the regular toy shelves at times felt hollow. Sure I see kids playing whenever I pass by a playground, but sometimes I see babies just staring at a phone which breaks my heart. They should get to play with toys that fulfill their imaginations.

I also see children’s television once in a while, mostly by accident. I don’t remember what was on, but it wasn’t the quality shows I remember like Four Square, Mister Maker, and Crazy Quilt. I’m well aware that new kids’ shows aren’t made for people like me, but I know quality kids’ shows. It makes me feel bad for future generations who probably won’t see these shows unless the parents raise their kids right and try to find these shows online for them to watch.

Easily one of the biggest losses over the last few years was Adobe Flash. It stopped getting support back in 2020. Adobe Flash runs a lot of our favourite websites as elementary school kids such as Cool Math Games. You think since kids are being handed over devices even younger these days that those websites would stay relevant. But we all know that’s not the case. There’s still some stuff out there for them such as YouTube kids but the algorithm isn’t perfect and some videos that are not made for them will slip through. There are probably sites made for them still out there but some of the ones I went on that I can’t remember are mostly gone or don’t function right.

Kids today deserve better. They should get quality TV shows, a vast toy selection, and websites that they will enjoy. Hopefully in the next few years, things will change for them.

Stan Culture and Why It Shouldn’t Be Your Personality

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These past few years on social media opened my eyes to Stan culture, especially on Twitter. A stan is an obsessed fan who will dedicate most of their existence to someone they admire, mostly celebrities. They will post pictures of them on the internet regularly, post song lyrics (if they’re a musician), or do something else to show their love for them. The term was first coined by Eminem, who released a song called Stan, which tells the story of a crazy fan named Stan.

It can get a bit creepy at times. Sometimes they will post something that sexualizes them in a way they are mostly disgusted by, defend actions that are pretty much crimes, or get hostile when someone makes a valid criticism towards them.

One of my experiences with this is with a band that I’m a huge fan of. I won’t name them just in case but I do have a hard criticism about them. I pointed it out and I was immediately met with hostility from the fanbase, saying that I’m a hater. I wasn’t even trying to be rude to them in the slightest. I don’t think there was a chance they would even see. But the fans think that the band need to be defended at all cost. These people need to realize that when people become famous, they should become more susceptible to criticism or any kind of negative comments.

Stan communities give people a sense of belonging, so naturally, they would make it their life. However, becoming obsessed is something that even people within communities wouldn’t dare to touch. I even found some situations where people would do things that can affect someone in the real world, such as finding their home address or calling their parents. That’s a line that people should never cross and once they’re exposed, it will make the majority of the fanbase look bad, even if they weren’t the ones involved.

Stan culture probably won’t be going away anytime soon. I don’t have a problem with being a big fan of someone, but there are boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. Those lines might not always be clear, but you should probably know what not to do.

 

AI Art For The Masses

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Two months ago, I wrote an article about how AI art programs such as Midjourney were ruining art by taking the human factor away from them. I thought that would be the end of it but I was horribly wrong. Enter Lensa.

Over the last month, people have been using Lensa, an app that turns your selfies into “art” pieces. It gained popularity over the last month because of its use of selfies. However, the art community was quick to point out every issue behind the app, especially its use of Stable Diffusion.

The app runs on Stable Diffusion, which is similar to other AI art programs currently out there, as it usually steals art from the internet in order to train its AI. The program was modified for Lensa so it can use pictures rather than word prompts. Because the majority of the people using the app aren’t connected to the art community, they don’t understand what their actions are doing. They don’t understand the work that most artists go through to make a piece. And for an app to steal it so the general public can make something for social media feels like a slap in the face.

On top of that, some of the images that are on Stable Diffusion’s database are highly inappropriate which can make some pictures a lot more suggestive than they should’ve been. Also, people were quick to notice butchered signatures on some images, which act as proof of theft.

The trend is slowing down but people are still using it. If someone wanted an art piece of themself, they should commission a human artist to do it for them. They spent years practicing their craft and knowing how to make a good art piece. They will make something that can’t be done with AI (provided that their work hasn’t been stolen yet).

Cleaning Desks and Visual Satisfaction

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Yesterday was National Clean Off Your Desk Day, which was probably something a lot of us weren’t going to celebrate. Besides, when was the last time any of us actually cleaned off our desks with our busy lives taking over our responsibilities?

Check out my desk for example. There’s dust everywhere, tangled cables, and other stuff I don’t have any use for. Don’t even get me started with the inside of my desk drawer. That thing is filled with papers and even more junk. So what gives? Why can’t my desk be clean? I think it has something to do with my mindset. When I look at it, I just see a small space that’s cluttered rather than a full room. My mind just says “Eh, it’s no big deal. I don’t think I need to actually clean this right now. I can deal with it tomorrow.” Except for the fact that I’m at my desk a lot.

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So how do I deal with it? From time to time, I will start moving things around just so then it looks “clean” when in reality it just makes my eyes feel satisfied. The problem doesn’t get fixed in the process, just delayed. The next day, the mess would still be there.

I think knowing this holiday exists is making me think about how much better my life would be if my workspace is clean. I’m not talking about an entire cleansing, but at least taking care of things better, putting things away when I’m done, and other things that would declutter my desk. The next time I have something on my desk, I should think to myself whether it’s necessary to have it there or not. If yes, then it can go into my drawer. If not, I should put it somewhere else.

No, North America Isn’t The Only Place Music Comes From

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For the third year in a row, Bad Bunny was named the most streamed artist on Spotify. However, people are quick to comment on how that would even be possible. Some people have never heard a single song from him, even accidentally according to others (Including me). Others have also talked about how they don’t even know a single dedicated fan of his.

A lot of Twitter users are quick to respond with comments usually relating to how people in the United States (and by extension, Canada) think only music made in North America is the only music that gets popular, despite music history happening all over the world. I would like to believe that North America isn’t stuck in their own bubble when it comes to music, but as of right now, I don’t think that would be possible. It doesn’t help that the three behind him (Taylor Swift, Drake, and The Weeknd) are all from North America.

When it comes to my childhood, most of my music exposure was to Canadian artists (granted, it’s mostly because of the CRTC) but also songs from America and the United Kingdom (mostly England). It was every once in a while that you would hear an artist from a different country out of those three on the radio. If other countries play music from here a lot, then how come we get significantly less music from around the world? It can probably contribute to how English is the most spoken language in the world right now and is also considered a universal language. I don’t blame North America for doing that since English is most of its people’s first language. However, if people around the world listen to music in English, then there shouldn’t be any excuse as to why people do not listen to music from other countries.

 

Nostalgia Music Festivals and Living In The Past

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Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen an uprising in people trying to relive the past, whether that would be shopping in thrift stores or posting about something they used to have in the past.

The one thing I am noticing a rise in is nostalgia-themed music festivals. Last October, When We Were Young was held in Las Vegas. This festival was dedicated to alternative music people listened to from the 2000s. My Chemical Romance and Paramore, two bands heavily associated with emo culture from the 2000s, headlined the event. A few months ago, another festival was announced called Sick New World. This festival will be held in May and is dedicated to nu-metal and alternative rock such as Korn and System of a Down. Another iteration When We Were Young is also going to happen later this year, dedicated to pop punk bands such as Blink-182 and Green Day.

For someone who cared about these bands at some point in their life, these sound pretty cool. Considering that some bands reunite just for these festivals, these are experiences that people would jump on right away. I have to admit, I was tempted to go to When We Were Young back in October but I could not find the time for it. That’s one of the main issues with festivals like this. The people who would only go for nostalgia reasons or never been music festival people wouldn’t have the time or money to make it most of the time.

Will this stop festivals like this from happening? No. The legacy of these bands is too strong to not consider holding dedicated festivals. There are still enough people who are willing to attend something to get their nostalgia itch. Others feel like it’s unnecessary and feel like the past should stay in the past, which is fair.

Every Reaction Video I Have Seen

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One of my favourite YouTube video genres is reaction videos. You’ve seen them. Someone will watch a video or listen to a song, normally for the first time, and record their reaction. It’s a pretty good way to get content and it’s fun seeing people discover something new. From watching a lot of them, I’ve managed to get a few sub-genres out of them.

The first subgenre is the average person’s reaction. These people will react to a little bit of everything and generally don’t have that strong of an opinion or do a deep analysis. This is the style that started it all when the Fine Bros. got various age groups to react to things viewers want. These groups usually don’t know what they’re looking at and their reactions and reactions vary.

The next one is the analytical type. This usually applies to music reactions and they’re my favourite to watch. The people reacting range from music enjoyers to people involved in the industry. The music enjoyers are sort of like the average person but they have a good eye for some details. The professionals are the most fun to watch. Rather than just saying what they like or don’t like, they give a good analysis of what they’re seeing. The best ones I’ve watched are from vocal coaches. The best part is they love every genre of music. And when I say every genre, I really mean every genre, unlike the people who say they listen to everything but don’t listen to stuff that will probably never be mainstream. They will react to mainstream pop, opera, and even deathcore. The deathcore ones are the most interesting since most of them aren’t deathcore vocalists themselves, yet will always be interested in learning more about the inhuman vocals they produce. Regardless of what they react to, they will always point out something that’s interesting.

Then there are the shock value ones. Normally they involve watching a video or listening to a song that has something in it that makes them freak out if they don’t know anything about it. The most popular ones I see come from this are the videos where they react to Pisces by Jinjer. Jinjer is a progressive metal band and their song Pisces is an interesting one. It starts off mellow and the average person doesn’t know what’s coming up next. When the first chorus comes around, all of a sudden Tatiana, the lead vocalist, brings out her death growls. Almost no one sees this coming, especially from a woman. They are always struck in awe and end up focusing on that detail. This video is super popular to the point where there always seems to be a new reaction video to this song every week. It does get annoying for a while as it makes the band look like one-hot wonders but at least they get to have a little bit of attention.

These videos usually work out in favour of the original creators of the content that’s being reacted to since viewers who may have not seen the original source yet might end up checking it out. I discovered some of my favourite music this way and it’s always from the ones who are analytical. They also work as free advertising for the original creators. Whenever someone praises their work, sometimes they will even comment on the reaction video thanking them for taking the time to check out their stuff. Some even go as far as to ask someone to react to their stuff, kind of like music critics or tech reviewers who are sent things in advance for reviews. Sometimes, when it’s a music video, the label may not like it since it’s supposedly piracy. Other times, the record labels don’t mind and just let the content exist since it’s free advertising.

These videos are wildly popular but I feel like we only get two reactions from the average reaction, no matter who I’m watching. Either we get someone that loves everything, which is hard to believe. Sometimes they will react appropriately. Other times they will just freak out over something that doesn’t need a reaction. Too much positive feedback is a bad thing as it makes each thing feel less special. When I watch these people, I don’t need to predict how they’re going to react. I know they’re not going to be honest and say they like it. I get the fact you don’t want to get hated but you need to be true to yourself every once in a while. The other kind is someone who hates everything which isn’t fun. They feel like someone that only likes things that are popular. They also never have anything nice to say almost all the time. I like them for trying to go against the grain but sometimes I feel like they might need to re-evaluate themselves and try to find things they like. The common ground for both these types is the fact that they’re usually just making these videos for content, rather than having a genuine reaction to something that they’ll never see or hear for the first time ever again.

However, we do sometimes get a rare third one where the person is just honest. Their reaction varies but it’s clear they are actually reacting to something rather than just doing something to make content. For the most part, they always enjoy what they’re reacting to and if there are parts they don’t like, they just say it’s not for them Unless the general consensus is that it’s bad, they will never actually think anything they see as something that’s horrendous.

Reaction videos aren’t going away anytime soon. They’re easy things to make content for and sometimes you end up discovering new thongs this way. However, the lack of honesty in most videos makes them feel bland at times. However, the ones that are honest and also analytical keep it interesting which is refreshing for something that has mostly been the same for so long.

Why Gatekeeping Is Bad For Everything

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Have you ever wanted to get into a fandom? I’ve definitely wanted to get into a lot of things. However, there’s always something that’s going to try to stop you. There’s always going to be someone gatekeeping their fandom away from newcomers.

What exactly is gatekeeping anyways? It’s when someone tries to keep people out of being part of something in the most ridiculous ways possible. It’s present in many things such as fandoms and cultures.

Gatekeeping in fandoms is always fascinating to me. On one hand, people wish people understand the thing they are a fan of. On the other hand, they try to make sure people earn the right to enjoy something. This is prominent with stuff like comic book culture, gaming, and music. This is not good for any fanbase. For one, it makes the thing they are a fan of look bad and as a result, they don’t get the attention it deserves. Earlier this year in the gaming world, Elden Ring was released. The game plays similarly to Dark Souls except that it’s more accessible to people that aren’t used to playing them. This attracted the gatekeepers with them saying stuff like “But the challenge is what made them fun.” While I can get behind this, I also don’t get their definition of fun. Just because someone doesn’t like something that’s too difficult doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to play the games. Not everyone has the time anymore to just learn the game. People have lives outside of playing video games and the last thing they want is their entertainment frustrating them.

A more infamous example is in the music fandom. There will be people wearing Metallica and Nirvana shirts and getting told by “real fans” to name three or more songs. This one is rampant and it isn’t going anywhere. If there’s something you need to know about these kinds of people is that they also can’t name more than 10 songs. Who’s the real fan now? Another example is learning about these bands through popular media such as Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” in Stranger Things. First of all, it’s weird to gatekeep something that’s already popular. The bands are already widely recognizable. What is the point of doing this if their name is already well known? Second, people should be able to wear the shirts they want or enjoy something just because they discovered it through popular culture. There are no laws enforcing this so why are you trying to prevent this? This is popular in the metal world where people are told they’re not “real metalheads” if they only listen to modern popular stuff like Bring Me The Horizon or Bad Omens, rather than something less popular like Ceremonial Oath or Strapping Young Lad. And people wonder why the Grammys don’t treat metal well. They only nominate bands purely for name recognition such as Megadeth and Ozzy Osbourne.

A new thing has popped up where people post “I discovered this band through (insert obscure thing here). You discovered them through TikTok. We’re not the same.” I get not wanting your favourite music not to be called TikTok music. I’ve done this before as well but I don’t do it as much anymore. I know TikTok is ruining the way we listen to music but that doesn’t mean we should punish people for discovering their new favourite artists through the platform. People discover their favourite music through popular things all the time. People discover their favourite music through YouTube and Instagram all the time so what makes TikTok so different?

There’s also the case of sexism. I notice how this mostly happens when men try to gatekeep their interests from women. Men don’t like it when women like the same things as them most of the time. They especially don’t like it when it gets popular among teenage girls. This might be because they don’t want their interests to all of the sudden be perceived as feminine. They like having a masculine image and to like something that’s “feminine” does things to their self-esteem that really confuses me. This is what happens when we are conditioned to like certain things as a child.

Gatekeeping gets worse when it comes to culture. And I’m not talking about cultural appropriation. That’s a thing of its own. But rather being told you’re not truly your ethnicity because you don’t do certain things. Like being told you’re not Asian enough if you don’t have Tiger Balm in your home or not having a mom that wears a visor when it’s sunny outside. However, the worse one is when you’re told you’re not your ethnicity when you can’t speak your native language. I’m Filipino and people say I’m not just because I can’t speak any of our native languages. At least if I try to learn it they’ll be appreciative of me. But I’ve heard of some cultures where people are judged by people of their own ethnicity just for attempting to speak in their native tongue. I can’t fathom the idea around this because that would mean the language would start going away. There are languages that have been lost in time because people were shunned from speaking their native tongue as a result of colonization. But for someone to do this to their own is disgusting. They’re essentially getting rid of their own culture by not letting others carry it on.

All of this needs to stop. Things are going to die out if they don’t let others enjoy the same things as themselves. Fandoms are just going to get bad reps and cultures are going to be wiped out. If I had the power, I would make gatekeeping illegal so people can enjoy what they like and cultures can’t slowly wipe away. There will be a better world for those that want to get into something. You should be able to play that video, listen to that song, or learn that language and not be judged by others.

How and Why I Force Myself To Wake Up Early

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No one likes waking up in the morning. However, it is something we need to do. We all use alarm clocks to wake up our bodies. There is one part of an alarm clock we tend to abuse; the snooze button. We keep pressing that thing until it’s too late. You’re now running late all because you pressed that button. But even when we just turn it off, sometimes we fall asleep right away. I still sometimes do this which has screwed me over a few times.

One day, I thought of a way to finally get up. My solution was to put my alarm clock in a place that forces me to get out of bed. That means I have to actually get out of bed just to turn off my alarm. You might think that I’m torturing myself. And you’re right, it is torture. I have to hear the sound of my alarm at 5 in the morning for a bit. But it’s something I got used to over time.

I started doing this during 9th grade. This was a time when I was forced to wake up early so I can go to my jazz band rehearsal at 7 AM. Not a great age to start waking up early like this but I did it anyways. It started affecting me every day since I would wake up around 5 AM. It can be the weekend and I would wake up at 5. It also affects me during the breaks to the point where vacations felt useless. Thankfully it got better over time and there were days during last summer when I would wake up at 6-8. I’m not the type to wake up super late on days off but sometimes I wish I can just do that. Some people see waking up early as a weird thing to do. However, it made me realize how much I like them. It allows me to cook breakfast, clean up, and plan for my day before it even starts.

I’ve even used mornings to finish up on homework. I would not recommend doing that. That was something I learned a long time ago. I would make sure to finish it the night before so my morning isn’t so stressful. I will still study for tests early in the morning. Sometimes the last few days aren’t enough and I need to look at my notes on the day of an exam. It might not guarantee an A but it does take some of the stress off.

Another thing I would use my mornings for is playing video games. Games put my mind at ease but also wakes it up. Getting something to activate my brain is necessary for me to get through my day and having something that plays with my hand-eye coordination helps a lot. Besides, who doesn’t like having a little fun in the morning? Wouldn’t you like to start off your day with something fun rather than being reminded that you need to be serious on a day that doesn’t feel important?

It also gives me sufficient time to eat breakfast in the morning. This is why I hated lunch breaks during elementary school. Only getting 20 minutes to eat blows and you can’t enjoy your food properly. The same can apply to breakfast if you’re rushing. However, waking up early lets me enjoy breakfast every day, regardless of what I’m having. It even gives me time to sip a cup of tea. You can’t get that when you wake up late. I can even watch TV while having breakfast on those days since there’s no need for urgency.

Cleaning in the morning is satisfying since it gives you a victory early on. Something simple as making your bed is pretty effective. I can also wash dishes or do laundry before my day starts since it gives me less I have to do in a day. Your brain likes tasks like this since it makes you more organized during the day. No need for having to do big cleanings in your home if you just do a little bit every day.

The biggest benefit this has for me is the ability to be by myself for a good amount of time. I have to be surrounded by people almost every day and having at least 2-3 hours of alone time beforehand helps me out. There’s no one to bother you when you’re still getting up and nothing is in your way. The chances of it being super chaotic everywhere at 6 AM are unlikely which makes it a good environment for your body to get used to being up. Waking up with stress is one of the worst feelings in the world especially if you wake up to chaos.

Watching the sunrise is also something you don’t get just by waking up to it. Some people go out just to see it rise like it’s some special event. I can enjoy it every day just by waking up early. I don’t need to drive out to some special mountain or beach just to see it rise. I can just open my window to see it happen without just sitting there. It’s even better in the winter since the sun goes down super early. You might as well see the sun for the entirety of the day.

Mornings aren’t for everyone. Some people still can’t get around the idea of waking up in the morning. Sometimes staying up late is fun. Sometimes it feels great to just press snooze and sleep for a few more minutes. Some people have to be awake during the night which I get. The world can’t operate if we all wake up and go to bed at the same time. But for those that can wake up early, I would recommend doing it. You will realize how much you can get done just by waking up at 5 AM. Nothing will be in your way since there are fewer people around or stuff going on.

Modern Designs and Minimalism

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Look at something modern for a moment. Look at modern furniture. Look at modern architecture. Look at modern mainstream fashion. Do you notice anything? You probably see something clean. Maybe something with little to no colour or wild designs. But does it mean it’s any good? The answer is absolutely not.

Modern design has gone down the path of minimalistic design. On paper, it’s not a bad idea. If your wall is white, it supposedly gives you a clear mind. Or if you have less in general it looks less busy. Not a bad concept but to me, it just feels like all the soul has been sucked out when designing something.

It has ruined some of the greatest things for me. I know someone who painted over a cool paint design in their house because they wanted it to look clean. I can’t tell them what to do with their home but it shows what modernism is doing to people. It lacks creativity and looks less fun.

Look at fast food restaurants. Remember when these things were loud? McDonald’s was filled with the rainbow. Taco Bell had cool patterns. Now, these places are just filled with greys, browns, and other dull colours. I would say there’s nothing bad about this but I can’t ignore it anymore. Entering these places back then felt like I was getting something that was playful. When I enter these places now, I’m just reminded of the fact that I chose to have fast food.

However, it has gone past the places themselves and has now affected their brand. Look at the Popeye’s logo. It used to look playful with the letters all jagged and filled with colour. Today, that’s gone and instead, it looks like something you can type up and it the only colours that are present are orange and white if you count it as a colour.

Not only fast food establishments are affected by this, but also other things you buy. The old Smuckers logo had a strawberry on the front. It felt like I was looking at a food company. The new one looks like I’m looking at the logo for an accounting firm. I already don’t like jam and the new logo isn’t convincing me to buy it. If anything, it makes me not want to be near it. It feels like the people buying it are uptight and boring to be around. I also freaked out when Tropicana was planning to change its logo. Something about it felt flat and lifeless to me. I would no longer feel like I was drinking orange juice. I would’ve felt like I was drinking an orange product instead. Thankfully it didn’t go through but if it did, it would feel like a huge portion of my childhood disappeared. We don’t need brands to grow up with us. We need them to keep us happy for as long as they can.

Back to modern architecture, look at what they did to telephone booths. The old ones have character and feel interesting. The modern ones people are designing feel uninspired and just blend in with everything else. Or worse, when they modernize old homes. A lot of old homes were made of brick and it felt lively. Something about the brick pattern especially when they don’t 100% match feels interesting. When they cover it up with white stucco, it looks lifeless and it makes me think the homeowners are the most pretentious people on this planet. The house feels expensive for no reason other than just being expensive.

On the tech side of things, look at what they did to user interfaces (UI) and websites. Scroll bars now disappear to make it look lean. Good in theory, but in practice it’s impractical. I have to hover my cursor on the side just to make it appear. Thankfully you can fix this in the settings but most people will probably not bother with it. Another one is YouTube changing its channel designs. The old one was better because your entire channel background was filled with personality. However, back in early 2013, they changed it so that the most you can design was the banner. All of a sudden, it gave me less incentive to explore the channel. Even when Instagram redesigned its UI, it felt less interesting to look at. I know it’s all about what’s being posted there but the UI should also live up to that expectation to make the parts that aren’t content worth looking at.

I don’t want companies to keep going down this path of sleek designs and things that lack personality for the sake of modernism. I want them to design things again. I don’t care if it’s a total fiasco. Bring back clear coloured computers. Bring back the over-the-top designs of McDonald’s. Bring back full-coloured backgrounds for YouTube channels. Bring back wallpaper. Bring back what things used to look like. Some of the ugliest things are more interesting to look at than minimalistic garbage.

Back To The Future should’ve been right. We should be in the era of going wild with aesthetics. What made people go down this path of minimalism is kind of a mystery. I’m now stuck with a bunch of boring squares who like “clean” looks. They’re also the type of people who don’t like “clutter” and things that look “ugly”. I don’t own a home yet but I know I’m not going to make it some uninspired Instagram new homeowner place. I need to give it life. I need to be free of people’s judgment so I can be surrounded by joy, not something that makes me miss being a child. So what if something looks out of place? It will at least be interesting.

Modern design is a plague. I think it’s time for things to look interesting again. No more minimalism. No more monochromatic dull colours. No more taking the joy away from our childhoods. I want the world to be different everywhere I look again.