Listening, Reading, Thinking, Shopping, Watching / 24

Elevator selfies and unreliable narrators; paper pelargoniums and trench coats for April days; Weekend Links returns to TIG; voice-first tools for creatives, masterpieces at The Courtauld, and more

This letter began from the bed of a hotel room overlooking a beautiful view of the cityscape just as the sun was setting in shades of violent oranges and reds, a Pad Thai delivery on the way, us sipping on cocktails while we waited. It is now three days later, and I'm writing from a window seat in a bustling West End café, where two empty flat whites with lingering foam rings sit to the right of my laptop as I contemplate this week's letter to you. The weather has been uncharacteristically lovely for being so far north, with full sunny days that have coaxed the cherry and magnolia blossoms into bloom. Busy terraces, short shorts and sundresses, people loitering in parks and enjoying picnic lunches—all signs of the season's shift.

P.

wrote last week's letter (for Paid Subscribers), about Thinking Beyond Your Brain, a thoughtful essay on hacking your creative process: “Our cognitive processes aren't confined to our brains. They extend into the world through the tools we use.” This week, we’re back with our regular series, “Listening, Reading, Thinking, Shopping, Watching”—a glimpse into my digital life through open tabs, screenshots, search history, and notes. This week's edition weaves together themes of self-perception through elevator selfies; explores our nature as unreliable narrators of our own experiences; celebrates paper pelargoniums as exquisite artworks; offers trench coats for changeable April days; presents an AI-powered deep-dive into the digital DNA of TIG; and unfolds much more.

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