Recently, as of late, not long ago.
I apologize for being MIA.
It’s been a while! Writer’s block, paired with a never-ending to-do list, has kept me from sitting down to write. Here’s what’s new:
Openhouse has been crushing. We’ve launched our winter collection and the list of partners is growing as we’ve crossed 17k custom items shipped. Upcoming partnerships include McGolrick Bird Club (shoutout to Michael), Othership, Loge Camps, ASH hotels, and more. Next up: an exciting 2.0 mock-up collection with Maneken, a project close to my heart with friends Marvin and Jesper, and a move toward the long-dreamed-of self-checkout “heaven.” A special shoutout to Max Kütz for the stunning photography—these collections wouldn’t look half as good without you.
I attended a Tiny Dinner Saturday night. It’s a start-up founded by my friend, Morgan Hirsh, who founded Public Goods. It was incredible. The attendance was fascinating personalities including physicists, musicians, marketers, and artists—each bringing unique perspectives. Not to mention the delicious spicy rigatoni.
Aimed at solving the broader loneliness epidemic, the model right now in beta is invite-only and a pay-what-want membership. They are active in Miami, NY, and SF. If you’re into it, let me know, I’d love to help host a dinner soon.
Firsthand rebranded with the backing and creativity of Parker Studio after an almost year-long process of planning this development. We’re looking to communicate that by infusing beauty, care, & aspiration into daily life, you can unearth potential already in your nature—your dreams, passions, & ambitions. We’ll launch some big hotel partnerships soon that I’m very excited to share.
My focus right now is bigger and bigger partnerships, product development, and creative marketing/story-telling.
On my mind: I got lunch with my dear friend Ally Soule, and we chatted about creative/work/passion projects and how we split up our time between them.
Everyone, keep an eye out for Pilosoule’s 2025 collection dropping soon (December 1st).
It got me thinking about two things: 1. Our limiting factors, and 2. How we work is changing rapidly.
Our limiting factors are time, and our ability to focus our attention. Working now is about optimization and efficiency. We can change how we spend time and we can allocate more of it, but once it’s spent, it’s spent.
How we work is changing rapidly. We’ve all got a different hand to deal with day-to-day—families, pets, health requirements, the amount of sleep we need to feel good, travel, and more.
Some are more burdened by particular responsibilities. Then some simply enjoy “working” more, are highly driven, and are willing to spend long hours immersed in work-related things. What I’ve noticed, though, is that the world is becoming increasingly flexible, allowing for fractional time spent on varying commitments. What used to be a rigid 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday structure is now being divided into “buckets”—primary commitments, secondary ones, tertiary ones, and so on. Of course, there are still people working traditional full-time jobs, fully committed, but let me elaborate.
As you gain a following, grow in experience, and build a reputation, your value rises. This creates more opportunities, more demand, and the need to allocate your time wisely. I’m seeing CEOs and founders take on advisory or consulting roles, sitting on various boards, and building worlds around their brands and missions. Some even add additional revenue streams, like real estate, alongside their already demanding careers. Creative directors are splitting their time between corporate gigs and their start-ups. Freelancers are simultaneously managing roles where they might be a manager in one organization and an individual contributor in another. Single or two-person agencies are taking on consulting contracts with 3–7 companies, promising 30 hours a week to each and moving incredibly fast to deliver.
Earning potential and purpose are the new metrics of success.
This isn’t just a celebrity trend; it’s a reflection of how modern careers are evolving. People like Virgil Abloh, Tyler the Creator, and Pharrell Williams have redefined what it means to wear multiple hats at the highest level collaborating on projects across industries, they show how diverse pursuits can feed into a cohesive, fulfilling career. We can learn a lot, even without the huge following and status.
Maybe this dynamic is something many people try and keep close to their chest for fear of letting one commitment feel burdened by another. But, it’s opened my eyes to how people have adapted their “work” to fit within their lives. But I also am sure that with AI adding efficiency to all of our roles, the rising cost of life, and the war on attention, all of these variables have likely contributed to this fractionalized workforce. To me, it’s a win-win if you can have the “work” complementary to how you like to spend your time. A lesson learned is a lesson learned. When you arrive at these key knowledge points as we gain experience — that can applied evenly to any “work” requirements we’re undertaking. My translation to this shift is that we’re all looking to maximize our earning potential while finding purpose and fulfillment. It’s a big game of testing and learning as we age and no one learns a damn thing unless we give those big ideas a try.
That’s all for now - till next time!
