#we’re an echo chamber of endless productivity

[castudies]

Ok the number of times I’ve seen that post “how to study when you’re tired” on my dash is genuinely concerning. Please don’t force yourself to study when you’re tired. Go to sleep. Take a nap. Close your eyes. I assure you that is the one and only correct response. If you’re tired, your body quite literally needs you to listen. I can promise you that following any advice which prioritizes productivity over basic needs like sleep will cause you so much more harm in the long run than it’s worth

[path-of-my-childhood]

The Rolling Stone Interview: Taylor Swift

By: Brian Hiatt for The Rolling Stone Magazine Date: September 18th 2019

In her most in-depth and introspective interview in years, Swift tells all about the rocky road to 'Lover' and much, much more.

Taylor Swift bursts into her mom’s Nashville kitchen, smiling, looking remarkably like Taylor Swift. (That red-lip, classic thing? Check.) “I need someone to help dye my hair pink,” she says, and moments later, her ends match her sparkly nail polish, sneakers, and the stripes on her button-down. It’s all in keeping with the pastel aesthetic of her new album, Lover; black-leather combat-Taylor from her previous album cycle has handed back the phone. Around the black-granite kitchen island, all is calm and normal, as Swift’s mom, dad, and younger brother pass through. Her mom’s two dogs, one very small, one very large, pounce upon visitors with slurping glee. It could be any 29-year-old’s weekend visit with her parents, if not for the madness looming a few feet down the hall.

In an airy terrace, 113 giddy, weepy, shaky, still-in-disbelief fans are waiting for the start of one of Swift’s secret sessions, sacred rituals in Swift-dom. She’s about to play them her seventh album, as-yet unreleased on this Sunday afternoon in early August, and offer copious commentary. Also, she made cookies. Just before the session, Swift sits down in her mom’s study (where she “operates the Google,” per her daughter) to chat for a few minutes. The black-walled room is decorated with black-and-white classic-rock photos, including shots of Bruce Springsteen and, unsurprisingly, James Taylor; there are also more recent shots of Swift posing with Kris Kristofferson and playing with Def Leppard, her mom’s favorite band.

In a corner is an acoustic guitar Swift played as a teenager. She almost certainly wrote some well-known songs on it, but can’t recall which ones. “It would be kind of weird to finish a song and be like, ‘And this moment, I shall remember,’'” she says, laughing. “‘This guitar hath been anointed with my sacred tuneage!'”

The secret session itself is, as the name suggests, deeply off-the-record; it can be confirmed that she drank some white wine, since her glass pops up in some Instagram pictures. She stays until 5 a.m., chatting and taking photos with every one of the fans. Five hours later, we continue our talk at length in Swift’s Nashville condo, in almost exactly the same spot where we did one of our interviews for her 2012 Rolling Stone cover story. She’s hardly changed its whimsical decor in the past seven years (one of the few additions is a pool table replacing the couch where we sat last time), so it’s an old-Taylor time capsule. There’s still a huge bunny made of moss in one corner, and a human-size birdcage in the living room, though the view from the latter is now of generic new condo buildings instead of just distant green hills. Swift is barefoot now, in pale-blue jeans and a blue button-down tied at the waist; her hair is pulled back, her makeup minimal.

How to sum up the past three years of Taylor Swift? In July 2016, after Swift expressed discontent with Kanye West’s “Famous,” Kim Kardashian did her best to destroy her, unleashing clandestine recordings of a phone conversation between Swift and West. In the piecemeal audio, Swift can be heard agreeing to the line “…me and Taylor might still have sex.” We don’t hear her learning about the next lyric, the one she says bothered her — “I made that bitch famous” — and as she’ll explain, there’s more to her side of the story. The backlash was, well, swift, and overwhelming. It still hasn’t altogether subsided. Later that year, Swift chose not to make an endorsement in the 2016 election, which definitely didn’t help. In the face of it all, she made Reputation — fierce, witty, almost-industrial pop offset by love songs of crystalline beauty — and had a wildly successful stadium tour. Somewhere in there, she met her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, and judging by certain songs on Lover, the relationship is serious indeed.

Lover is Swift’s most adult album, a rebalancing of sound and persona that opens doors to the next decade of her career; it’s also a welcome return to the sonic diversity of 2012’s Red, with tracks ranging from the St. Vincent-assisted über-bop “Cruel Summer” to the unbearably poignant country-fied “Soon You’ll Get Better” (with the Dixie Chicks) and the “Shake It Off”-worthy pep of “Paper Rings.”

She wants to talk about the music, of course, but she is also ready to explain the past three years of her life, in depth, for the first time. The conversation is often not a light one. She’s built up more armor in the past few years, but still has the opposite of a poker face — you can see every micro-emotion wash over her as she ponders a question, her nose wrinkling in semi-ironic offense at the term “old-school pop stars,” her preposterously blue eyes glistening as she turns to darker subjects. In her worst moments, she says, “You feel like you’re being completely pulled into a riptide. So what are you going to do? Splash a lot? Or hold your breath and hope you somehow resurface? And that’s what I did. And it took three years. Sitting here doing an interview — the fact that we’ve done an interview before is the only reason I’m not in a full body sweat.”

When we talked seven years ago, everything was going so well for you, and you were very worried that something would go wrong. Yeah, I kind of knew it would. I felt like I was walking along the sidewalk, knowing eventually the pavement was going to crumble and I was gonna fall through. You can’t keep winning and have people like it. People love “new” so much — they raise you up the flagpole, and you’re waving at the top of the flagpole for a while. And then they’re like, “Wait, this new flag is what we actually love.” They decide something you’re doing is incorrect, that you’re not standing for what you should stand for. You’re a bad example. Then if you keep making music and you survive, and you keep connecting with people, eventually they raise you a little bit up the flagpole again, and then they take you back down, and back up again. And it happens to women more than it happens to men in music.

It also happened to you a few times on a smaller scale, didn’t it? I’ve had several upheavals in my career. When I was 18, they were like, “She doesn’t really write those songs.” So my third album I wrote by myself as a reaction to that. Then they decided I was a serial dater — a boy-crazy man-eater — when I was 22. And so I didn’t date anyone for, like, two years. And then they decided in 2016 that absolutely everything about me was wrong. If I did something good, it was for the wrong reasons. If I did something brave, I didn’t do it correctly. If I stood up for myself, I was throwing a tantrum. And so I found myself in this endless mockery echo chamber. It’s just like — I have a brother who’s two and a half years younger, and we spent the first half of our lives trying to kill each other and the second half as best friends. You know that game kids play? I’d be like, “Mom, can I have some water?” And Austin would be like, “Mom, can I have some water?” And I’m like, “He’s copying me.” And he’d be like, “He’s copying me.” Always in a really obnoxious voice that sounds all twisted. That’s what it felt like in 2016. So I decided to just say nothing. It wasn’t really a decision. It was completely involuntary.

But you also had good things happen in your life at the same time — that’s part of Reputation. The moments of my true story on that album are songs like “Delicate,” “New Year’s Day,” “Call It What You Want,” “Dress.” The one-two punch, bait-and-switch of Reputation is that it was actually a love story. It was a love story in amongst chaos. All the weaponized sort of metallic battle anthems were what was going on outside. That was the battle raging on that I could see from the windows, and then there was what was happening inside my world — my newly quiet, cozy world that was happening on my own terms for the first time. . . . It’s weird, because in some of the worst times of my career, and reputation, dare I say, I had some of the most beautiful times — in my quiet life that I chose to have. And I had some of the most incredible memories with the friends I now knew cared about me, even if everyone hated me. The bad stuff was really significant and damaging. But the good stuff will endure. The good lessons — you realize that you can’t just show your life to people.

Meaning? I used to be like a golden retriever, just walking up to everybody, like, wagging my tail. “Sure, yeah, of course! What do you want to know? What do you need?” Now, I guess, I have to be a little bit more like a fox.

Do your regrets on that extend to the way the “girl squad” thing was perceived? Yeah, I never would have imagined that people would have thought, “This is a clique that wouldn’t have accepted me if I wanted to be in it.” Holy shit, that hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, “Oh, this did not go the way that I thought it was going to go.” I thought it was going to be we can still stick together, just like men are allowed to do. The patriarchy allows men to have bro packs. If you’re a male artist, there’s an understanding that you have respect for your counterparts.

Whereas women are expected to be feuding with each other? It’s assumed that we hate each other. Even if we’re smiling and photographed together with our arms around each other, it’s assumed there’s a knife in our pocket.

How much of a danger was there of falling into that thought pattern yourself? The messaging is dangerous, yes. Nobody is immune, because we’re a product of what society and peer groups and now the internet tells us, unless we learn differently from experience.

You once sang about a star who “took the money and your dignity, and got the hell out.” In 2016, you wrote in your journal, “This summer is the apocalypse.” How close did you come to quitting altogether? I definitely thought about that a lot. I thought about how words are my only way of making sense of the world and expressing myself — and now any words I say or write are being twisted against me. People love a hate frenzy. It’s like piranhas. People had so much fun hating me, and they didn’t really need very many reasons to do it. I felt like the situation was pretty hopeless. I wrote a lot of really aggressively bitter poems constantly. I wrote a lot of think pieces that I knew I’d never publish, about what it’s like to feel like you’re in a shame spiral. And I couldn’t figure out how to learn from it. Because I wasn’t sure exactly what I did that was so wrong. That was really hard for me, because I cannot stand it when people can’t take criticism. So I try to self-examine, and even though that’s really hard and hurts a lot sometimes, I really try to understand where people are coming from when they don’t like me. And I completely get why people wouldn’t like me. Because, you know, I’ve had my insecurities say those things — and things 1,000 times worse.

But some of your former critics have become your friends, right? Some of my best friendships came from people publicly criticizing me and then it opening up a conversation. Hayley Kiyoko was doing an interview and she made an example about how I get away with singing about straight relationships and people don’t give me shit the way they give her shit for singing about girls — and it’s totally valid. Like, Ella — Lorde — the first thing she ever said about me publicly was a criticism of my image or whatever. But I can’t really respond to someone saying, “You, as a human being, are fake.” And if they say you’re playing the victim, that completely undermines your ability to ever verbalize how you feel unless it’s positive. So, OK, should I just smile all the time and never say anything hurts me? Because that’s really fake. Or should I be real about how I’m feeling and have valid, legitimate responses to things that happened to me in my life? But wait, would that be playing the victim?

How do you escape that mental trap? Since I was 15 years old, if people criticized me for something, I changed it. So you realize you might be this amalgamation of criticisms that were hurled at you, and not an actual person who’s made any of these choices themselves. And so I decided I needed to live a quiet life, because a quiet personal life invites no discussion, dissection, and debate. I didn’t realize I was inviting people to feel they had the right to sort of play my life like a video game.

“The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s dead!” was funny — but how seriously should we take it? There’s a part of me that definitely is always going to be different. I needed to grow up in many ways. I needed to make boundaries, to figure out what was mine and what was the public’s. That old version of me that shares unfailingly and unblinkingly with a world that is probably not fit to be shared with? I think that’s gone. But it was definitely just, like, a fun moment in the studio with me and Jack [Antonoff] where I wanted to play on the idea of a phone call — because that’s how all of this started, a stupid phone call I shouldn’t have picked up.

It would have been much easier if that’s what you’d just said. It would have been so, so great if I would have just said that [laughs].

Some of the Lover iconography does suggest old Taylor’s return, though. I don’t think I’ve ever leaned into the old version of myself more creatively than I have on this album, where it’s very, very autobiographical. But also moments of extreme catchiness and moments of extreme personal confession.

Did you do anything wrong from your perspective in dealing with that phone call? Is there anything you regret? The world didn’t understand the context and the events that led up to it. Because nothing ever just happens like that without some lead-up. Some events took place to cause me to be pissed off when he called me a bitch. That was not just a singular event. Basically, I got really sick of the dynamic between he and I. And that wasn’t just based on what happened on that phone call and with that song — it was kind of a chain reaction of things.

I started to feel like we reconnected, which felt great for me — because all I ever wanted my whole career after that thing happened in 2009 was for him to respect me. When someone doesn’t respect you so loudly and says you literally don’t deserve to be here — I just so badly wanted that respect from him, and I hate that about myself, that I was like, “This guy who’s antagonizing me, I just want his approval.” But that’s where I was. And so we’d go to dinner and stuff. And I was so happy, because he would say really nice things about my music. It just felt like I was healing some childhood rejection or something from when I was 19. But the 2015 VMAs come around. He’s getting the Vanguard Award. He called me up beforehand — I didn’t illegally record it, so I can’t play it for you. But he called me up, maybe a week or so before the event, and we had maybe over an hourlong conversation, and he’s like, “I really, really would like for you to present this Vanguard Award to me, this would mean so much to me,” and went into all the reasons why it means so much, because he can be so sweet. He can be the sweetest. And I was so stoked that he asked me that. And so I wrote this speech up, and then we get to the VMAs and I make this speech and he screams, “MTV got Taylor Swift up here to present me this award for ratings!” [His exact words: “You know how many times they announced Taylor was going to give me the award ’cause it got them more ratings?”] And I’m standing in the audience with my arm around his wife, and this chill ran through my body. I realized he is so two-faced. That he wants to be nice to me behind the scenes, but then he wants to look cool, get up in front of everyone and talk shit. And I was so upset. He wanted me to come talk to him after the event in his dressing room. I wouldn’t go. So then he sent this big, big thing of flowers the next day to apologize. And I was like, “You know what? I really don’t want us to be on bad terms again. So whatever, I’m just going to move past this.” So when he gets on the phone with me, and I was so touched that he would be respectful and, like, tell me about this one line in the song.

The line being “. . . me and Taylor might still have sex”? [Nods] And I was like, “OK, good. We’re back on good terms.” And then when I heard the song, I was like, “I’m done with this. If you want to be on bad terms, let’s be on bad terms, but just be real about it.” And then he literally did the same thing to Drake. He gravely affected the trajectory of Drake’s family and their lives. It’s the same thing. Getting close to you, earning your trust, detonating you. I really don’t want to talk about it anymore because I get worked up, and I don’t want to just talk about negative shit all day, but it’s the same thing. Go watch Drake talk about what happened. [West denied any involvement in Pusha-T’s revelation of Drake’s child and apologized for sending “negative energy” toward Drake.]

When did you get to the place that’s described on the opening track of Lover, “I Forgot That You Existed”? It was sometime on the Reputation tour, which was the most transformative emotional experience of my career. That tour put me in the healthiest, most balanced place I’ve ever been. After that tour, bad stuff can happen to me, but it doesn’t level me anymore. The stuff that happened a couple of months ago with Scott [Borchetta] would have leveled me three years ago and silenced me. I would have been too afraid to speak up. Something about that tour made me disengage from some part of public perception I used to hang my entire identity on, which I now know is incredibly unhealthy.

What was the actual revelation? It’s almost like I feel more clear about the fact that my job is to be an entertainer. It’s not like this massive thing that sometimes my brain makes it into, and sometimes the media makes it into, where we’re all on this battlefield and everyone’s gonna die except one person, who wins. It’s like, “No, do you know what? Katy is going to be legendary. Gaga is going to be legendary. Beyoncé is going to be legendary. Rihanna is going to be legendary. Because the work that they made completely overshadows the myopia of this 24-hour news cycle of clickbait.” And somehow I realized that on tour, as I was looking at people’s faces. We’re just entertaining people, and it’s supposed to be fun.

It’s interesting to look at these albums as a trilogy. 1989 was really a reset button. Oh, in every way. I’ve been very vocal about the fact that that decision was mine and mine alone, and it was definitely met with a lot of resistance. Internally.

After realizing that things were not all smiles with your former label boss, Scott Borchetta, it’s hard not to wonder how much additional conflict there was over things like that. A lot of the best things I ever did creatively were things that I had to really fight — and I mean aggressively fight — to have happen. But, you know, I’m not like him, making crazy, petty accusations about the past. . . . When you have a business relationship with someone for 15 years, there are going to be a lot of ups and a lot of downs. But I truly, legitimately thought he looked at me as the daughter he never had. And so even though we had a lot of really bad times and creative differences, I was going to hang my hat on the good stuff. I wanted to be friends with him. I thought I knew what betrayal felt like, but this stuff that happened with him was a redefinition of betrayal for me, just because it felt like it was family. To go from feeling like you’re being looked at as a daughter to this grotesque feeling of “Oh, I was actually his prized calf that he was fattening up to sell to the slaughterhouse that would pay the most.”

He accused you of declining the Parkland march and Manchester benefit show. Unbelievable. Here’s the thing: Everyone in my team knew if Scooter Braun brings us something, do not bring it to me. The fact that those two are in business together after the things he said about Scooter Braun — it’s really hard to shock me. And this was utterly shocking. These are two very rich, very powerful men, using $300 million of other people’s money to purchase, like, the most feminine body of work. And then they’re standing in a wood-panel bar doing a tacky photo shoot, raising a glass of scotch to themselves. Because they pulled one over on me and got this done so sneakily that I didn’t even see it coming. And I couldn’t say anything about it.

In some ways, on a musical level, Lover feels like the most indie-ish of your albums. That’s amazing, thank you. It’s definitely a quirky record. With this album, I felt like I sort of gave myself permission to revisit older themes that I used to write about, maybe look at them with fresh eyes. And to revisit older instruments — older in terms of when I used to use them. Because when I was making 1989, I was so obsessed with it being this concept of Eighties big pop, whether it was Eighties in its production or Eighties in its nature, just having these big choruses — being unapologetically big. And then Reputation, there was a reason why I had it all in lowercase. I felt like it wasn’t unapologetically commercial. It’s weird, because that is the album that took the most amount of explanation, and yet it’s the one I didn’t talk about. In the Reputation secret sessions I kind of had to explain to my fans, “I know we’re doing a new thing here that I’d never done before.” I’d never played with characters before. For a lot of pop stars, that’s a really fun trick, where they’re like, “This is my alter ego.” I had never played with that before. It’s really fun. And it was just so fun to play with on tour — the darkness and the bombast and the bitterness and the love and the ups and the downs of an emotional-turmoil record.

“Daylight” is a beautiful song. It feels like it could have been the title track. It almost was. I thought it might be a little bit too sentimental.

And I guess maybe too on-the-nose. Right, yeah, way too on-the-nose. That’s what I thought, because I was kind of in my head referring to the album as Daylight for a while. But Lover, to me, was a more interesting title, more of an accurate theme in my head, and more elastic as a concept. That’s why “You Need to Calm Down” can make sense within the theme of the album — one of the things it addresses is how certain people are not allowed to live their lives without discrimination just based on who they love.

For the more organic songs on this album, like “Lover” and “Paper Rings,” you said you were imagining a wedding band playing them. How often does that kind of visualization shape a song’s production style? Sometimes I’ll have a strange sort of fantasy of where the songs would be played. And so for songs like “Paper Rings” or “Lover” I was imagining a wedding-reception band, but in the Seventies, so they couldn’t play instruments that wouldn’t have been invented yet. I have all these visuals. For Reputation, it was nighttime cityscape. I didn’t really want any — or very minimal — traditional acoustic instruments. I imagined old warehouse buildings that had been deserted and factory spaces and all this industrial kind of imagery. So I wanted the production to have nothing wooden. There’s no wood floors on that album. Lover is, like, completely just a barn wood floor and some ripped curtains flowing in the breeze, and fields of flowers and, you know, velvet.

How did you come to use high school metaphors to touch on politics with “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince”? There are so many influences that go into that particular song. I wrote it a couple of months after midterm elections, and I wanted to take the idea of politics and pick a metaphorical place for that to exist. And so I was thinking about a traditional American high school, where there’s all these kinds of social events that could make someone feel completely alienated. And I think a lot of people in our political landscape are just feeling like we need to huddle up under the bleachers and figure out a plan to make things better.

I feel like your Fall Out Boy fandom might’ve slipped out in that title. I love Fall Out Boy so much. Their songwriting really influenced me, lyrically, maybe more than anyone else. They take a phrase and they twist it. “Loaded God complex/Cock it and pull it”? When I heard that, I was like, “I’m dreaming.”

You sing about “American stories burning before me.” Do you mean the illusions of what America is? It’s about the illusions of what I thought America was before our political landscape took this turn, and that naivete that we used to have about it. And it’s also the idea of people who live in America, who just want to live their lives, make a living, have a family, love who they love, and watching those people lose their rights, or watching those people feel not at home in their home. I have that line “I see the high-fives between the bad guys” because not only are some really racist, horrific undertones now becoming overtones in our political climate, but the people who are representing those concepts and that way of looking at the world are celebrating loudly, and it’s horrific.

You’re in this weird place of being a blond, blue-eyed pop star in this era — to the point where until you endorsed some Democratic candidates, right-wingers, and worse, assumed you were on their side. I don’t think they do anymore. Yeah, that was jarring, and I didn’t hear about that until after it had happened. Because at this point, I, for a very long time, I didn’t have the internet on my phone, and my team and my family were really worried about me because I was not in a good place. And there was a lot of stuff that they just dealt with without telling me about it. Which is the only time that’s ever happened in my career. I’m always in the pilot seat, trying to fly the plane that is my career in exactly the direction I want to take it. But there was a time when I just had to throw my hands up and say, “Guys, I can’t. I can’t do this. I need you to just take over for me and I’m just going to disappear.”

Are you referring to when a white-supremacist site suggested you were on their team? I didn’t even see that, but, like, if that happened, that’s just disgusting. There’s literally nothing worse than white supremacy. It’s repulsive. There should be no place for it. Really, I keep trying to learn as much as I can about politics, and it’s become something I’m now obsessed with, whereas before, I was living in this sort of political ambivalence, because the person I voted for had always won. We were in such an amazing time when Obama was president because foreign nations respected us. We were so excited to have this dignified person in the White House. My first election was voting for him when he made it into office, and then voting to re-elect him. I think a lot of people are like me, where they just didn’t really know that this could happen. But I’m just focused on the 2020 election. I’m really focused on it. I’m really focused on how I can help and not hinder. Because I also don’t want it to backfire again, because I do feel that the celebrity involvement with Hillary’s campaign was used against her in a lot of ways.

You took a lot of heat for not getting involved. Does any part of you regret that you just didn’t say “fuck it” and gotten more specific when you said to vote that November? Totally. Yeah, I regret a lot of things all the time. It’s like a daily ritual.

Were you just convinced that it would backfire? That’s literally what it was. Yeah. It’s a very powerful thing when you legitimately feel like numbers have proven that pretty much everyone hates you. Like, quantifiably. That’s not me being dramatic. And you know that.

There were a lot of people in those stadiums. It’s true. But that was two years later. . . . I do think, as a party, we need to be more of a team. With Republicans, if you’re wearing that red hat, you’re one of them. And if we’re going to do anything to change what’s happening, we need to stick together. We need to stop dissecting why someone’s on our side or if they’re on our side in the right way or if they phrased it correctly. We need to not have the right kind of Democrat and the wrong kind of Democrat. We need to just be like, “You’re a Democrat? Sick. Get in the car. We’re going to the mall.”

Here’s a hard question for you: As a superfan, what did you think of the Game of Thrones finale? Oh, my God. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. So, clinically our brain responds to our favorite show ending the same way we feel when a breakup occurs. I read that. There’s no good way for it to end. No matter what would have happened in that finale, people still would have been really upset because of the fact that it’s over.

I was glad to see you confirm that your line about a “list of names” was a reference to Arya. I like to be influenced by movies and shows and books and stuff. I love to write about a character dynamic. And not all of my life is going to be as kind of complex as these intricate webs of characters on TV shows and movies.

There was a time when it was. That’s amazing.

But is the idea that as your own life becomes less dramatic, you’ll need to pull ideas from other places? I don’t feel like that yet. I think I might feel like that possibly when I have a family. If I have a family. [Pauses] I don’t know why I said that! But that’s what I’ve heard from other artists, that they were very protective of their personal life, so they had to draw inspiration from other things. But again, I don’t know why I said that. Because I don’t know how my life is going to go or what I’m going to do. But right now, I feel like it’s easier for me to write than it ever was.

You don’t talk about your relationship, but you’ll sing about it in wildly revealing detail. What’s the difference for you? Singing about something helps you to express it in a way that feels more accurate. You cannot, no matter what, put words in a quote and have it move someone the same way as if you heard those words with the perfect sonic representation of that feeling... There is that weird conflict in being a confessional songwriter and then also having my life, you know, 10 years ago, be catapulted into this strange pop-culture thing.

I’ve heard you say that people got too interested in which song was about who, which I can understand — at the same time, to be fair, it was a game you played into, wasn’t it? I realized very early on that no matter what, that was going to happen to me regardless. So when you realize the rules of the game you’re playing and how it will affect you, you got to look at the board and make your strategy. But at the same time, writing songs has never been a strategic element of my career. But I’m not scared anymore to say that other things in my career, like how to market an album, are strictly strategic. And I’m sick of women not being able to say that they have strategic business minds — because male artists are allowed to. And so I’m sick and tired of having to pretend like I don’t mastermind my own business. But, it’s a different part of my brain than I use to write.

You’ve been masterminding your business since you were a teenager. Yeah, but I’ve also tried very hard — and this is one thing I regret — to convince people that I wasn’t the one holding the puppet strings of my marketing existence, or the fact that I sit in a conference room several times a week and come up with these ideas. I felt for a very long time that people don’t want to think of a woman in music who isn’t just a happy, talented accident. We’re all forced to kind of be like, “Aw, shucks, this happened again! We’re still doing well! Aw, that’s so great.” Alex Morgan celebrating scoring a goal at the World Cup and getting shit for it is a perfect example of why we’re not allowed to flaunt or celebrate, or reveal that, like, “Oh, yeah, it was me. I came up with this stuff.” I think it’s really unfair. People love new female artists so much because they’re able to explain that woman’s success. There’s an easy trajectory. Look at the Game of Thrones finale. I specifically really related to Daenerys’ storyline because for me it portrayed that it is a lot easier for a woman to attain power than to maintain it.

I mean, she did murder... It’s a total metaphor! Like, obviously I didn’t want Daenerys to become that kind of character, but in taking away what I chose to take away from it, I thought maybe they’re trying to portray her climbing the ladder to the top was a lot easier than maintaining it, because for me, the times when I felt like I was going insane was when I was trying to maintain my career in the same way that I ascended. It’s easier to get power than to keep it. It’s easier to get acclaim than to keep it. It’s easier to get attention than to keep it.

Well, I guess we should be glad you didn’t have a dragon in 2016... [Fiercely] I told you I don’t like that she did that! But, I mean, watching the show, though, maybe this is a reflection on how we treat women in power, how we are totally going to conspire against them and tear at them until they feel this — this insane shift, where you wonder, like, “What changed?” And I’ve had that happen, like, 60 times in my career where I’m like, “OK, you liked me last year, what changed? I guess I’ll change so I can keep entertaining you guys.”

You once said that your mom could never punish you when you were little because you’d punish yourself. This idea of changing in the face of criticism and needing approval — that’s all part of wanting to be good, right? Whatever that means. But that seems to be a real driving force in your life. Yeah, that’s definitely very perceptive of you. And the question posed to me is, if you kept trying to do good things, but everyone saw those things in a cynical way and assumed them to be done with bad motivation and bad intent, would you still do good things, even though nothing that you did was looked at as good? And the answer is, yes. Criticism that’s constructive is helpful to my character growth. Baseless criticism is stuff I’ve got to toss out now.

That sounds healthy. Is this therapy talking or is this just experience? No, I’ve never been to therapy. I talk to my mom a lot, because my mom is the one who’s seen everything. God, it takes so long to download somebody on the last 29 years of my life, and my mom has seen it all. She knows exactly where I’m coming from. And we talk endlessly. There were times when I used to have really, really, really bad days where we would just be on the phone for hours and hours and hours. I’d write something that I wanted to say, and instead of posting it, I’d just read it to her.

I somehow connect all this to the lyric in “Daylight,” the idea of “so many lines that I’ve crossed unforgiven” — it’s a different kind of confession. I am really glad you liked that line, because that’s something that does bother me, looking back at life and realizing that no matter what, you screw things up. Sometimes there are people that were in your life and they’re not anymore — and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t fix it, you can’t change it. I told the fans last night that sometimes on my bad days, I feel like my life is a pile of crap accumulated of only the bad headlines or the bad things that have happened, or the mistakes I’ve made or clichés or rumors or things that people think about me or have thought for the last 15 years. And that was part of the “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, where I had a pile of literal old selves fighting each other.

But, yeah, that line is indicative of my anxiety about how in life you can’t get everything right. A lot of times you make the wrong call, make the wrong decision. Say the wrong thing. Hurt people, even if you didn’t mean to. You don’t really know how to fix all of that. When it’s, like, 29 years’ worth.

To be Mr. “Rolling Stone” for a second, there’s a Springsteen lyric, “Ain’t no one leaving this world, buddy/Without their shirttail dirty or hands a little bloody.” That’s really good! No one gets through it unscathed. No one gets through in one piece. I think that’s a hard thing for a lot of people to grasp. I know it was hard for me, because I kind of grew up thinking, “If I’m nice, and if I try to do the right thing, you know, maybe I can just, like, ace this whole thing.” And it turns out I can’t.

It’s interesting to look at “I Did Something Bad” in this context. You pointing that out is really interesting because it’s something I’ve had to reconcile within myself in the last couple of years — that sort of “good” complex. Because from the time I was a kid I’d try to be kind, be a good person. Try really hard. But you get walked all over sometimes. And how do you respond to being walked all over? You can’t just sit there and eat your salad and let it happen. “I Did Something Bad” was about doing something that was so against what I would usually do. Katy [Perry] and I were talking about our signs. . . . [Laughs] Of course we were.

That’s the greatest sentence ever. [Laughs] I hate you. We were talking about our signs because we had this really, really long talk when we were reconnecting and stuff. And I remember in the long talk, she was like, “If we had one glass of white wine right now, we’d both be crying.” Because we were drinking tea. We’ve had some really good conversations.

We were talking about how we’ve had miscommunications with people in the past, not even specifically with each other. She’s like, “I’m a Scorpio. Scorpios just strike when they feel threatened.” And I was like, “Well, I’m an archer. We literally stand back, assess the situation, process how we feel about it, raise a bow, pull it back, and fire.” So it’s completely different ways of processing pain, confusion, misconception. And oftentimes I’ve had this delay in feeling something that hurts me and then saying that it hurts me. Do you know what I mean? And so I can understand how people in my life would have been like, “Whoa, I didn’t know that was how you felt.” Because it takes me a second.

If you watch the video of the 2009 VMAs, I literally freeze. I literally stand there. And that is how I handle any discomfort, any pain. I stand there, I freeze. And then five minutes later, I know how I feel. But in the moment, I’m probably overreacting and I should be nice. Then I process it, and in five minutes, if it’s gone, it’s past, and I’m like, “I was overreacting, everything’s fine. I can get through this. I’m glad I didn’t say anything harsh in the moment.” But when it’s actually something bad that happened, and I feel really, really hurt or upset about it, I only know after the fact. Because I’ve tried so hard to squash it: “This probably isn’t what you think.” That’s something I had to work on.

You could end up gaslighting yourself. Yeah, for sure. ’Cause so many situations where if I would have said the first thing that came to my mind, people would have been like, “Whoa!” And maybe I would have been wrong or combative. So a couple of years ago I started working on actually just responding to my emotions in a quicker fashion. And it’s really helped with stuff. It’s helped so much because sometimes you get in arguments. But conflict in the moment is so much better than combat after the fact.

Well, thanks. I do feel like I just did a therapy session. As someone who’s never been to therapy, I can safely say that was the best therapy session.

[ill-will-editions]

QUARANTINE LETTER #4

A fourth letter in our quarantine series, from our friend Icarus.

-----

EVERYTHING IS TRUE, NOTHING IS PERMITTED

“They’ve already destroyed everything, all the structures we believed in, trusted. Maybe we’re in a transitional phase, you know? There’s some sort of substitution going on. Meanwhile, we’re navigating in a tremendous vacuum, vaguely oriented by the stars but with no true reference point. Our compasses have gone wild, spinning madly, attracted by thousands of magnetic poles. We might as well throw them out the window, they’re obsolete. It’s just us and the night sky, like it was for the early explorers, while we wait for new, more advanced navigational devices to be invented. My only fear is that the stars have somehow gotten out of place and will be no help as references either.”

- Ignacio de Loyola Brandao, “And Still the Earth”

Dear friends,

It can be strange to intervene in someone else’s debate, but I don’t believe you’ll hold it against me if I do. Over the past weeks, I’ve rather enjoyed the commentary and exchange of letters between my friends, August, Kora, and Orion.  Something about the reflections of my friends is missing for me still, so I’ll chime in without wasting too much time, I hope.

QUARANTINE: INCOMPLETE—WHAT WE THINK IS HAPPENING IS ONLY SOMEWHAT ACCURATE

Today, millions of people are working. In warehouses, in offices, in fields, kitchens and storerooms; from the computer, the sorting room and at construction sites, millions of Americans are sharing the coronavirus with each other and with their neighbors. Many of them are asymptomatic, a portion are not sick yet, and certainly some of them are still hiding their symptoms from their families, employers, and coworkers. No zombie apocalypse is complete without the inconsiderate hot-head who insists, deceptively, that his injury is “nothing, it’s fine, let’s keep moving”. Orion wrote that the virus imposes “its own temporality, which immobilizes everything.” If only.  

   Logistics, shipping, freight, warehousing: these are some of the largest sectors of the 21st century workforce, and they are all on overtime. From Whole Foods to Old Dominion, these disposable workers are simultaneously killable - insofar as the market facilitates their endangerment via assured contact with the virus - and indispensable, insofar as they must not be allowed to strike, unionize, or cease working that this society may minimally function. In these industries, overwhelmingly, black men and immigrants are crammed into job sites without any protective equipment. In other words, they are proletarians in the classical sense, and they are still at work. A true quarantine, a dignified exodus from the commodity society and its extensive productive apparatus, would halt all forms of labor and toil, a circumstance as yet unrealized. If we can say we are living in a quarantine, we must say that it is still incomplete.

AUTONOMY OR AUTOMATA?—THE PANDEMIC AFFECTS ALL OF HUMANITY—WHICH NO LONGER EXISTS AS SUCH

What we once called "society" (an entity which now insists it can survive unity and distance simultaneously, even distance for the sake of unity), has been replaced by billions of apparatuses. These apparatuses constitute a vast ACEPHALOGRAM - a system of machines designed to trace and retrace the consciousness of a world that has definitively lost its head.

The period of real domination opened by the aggressive economic and political restructuring in the 70s, 80s, and 90s - “globalization” - has pushed a vast quantity of workers out of manufacturing and into service related industries. Services being overall less profitable then commodity manufacturing and heavy industry, other technological implements such as we see emerge from Silicon Valley have filled the gap, so to speak, of lost profits for the economy by allowing large advertising and analysis firms to mine directly the collective human ambitions in art, sex, politics, culture, and society. To open up this mine, which has produced an existential ruin comparable to the environmental ruin associated with mineral mining, the internet has developed as a global network of pseudo participatory information systems. The data thirst of these industries cannot be sated by the administration of facts from the center or top, they must be produced by the masses directly. But technology does not simply catch data falling naturally from the sky or running off the gutters of consciousness. It produces data by arranging relations such that they produce content that can be bought and sold. Under such conditions, the medical, political, technological and ontological crisis of a pandemic cannot help but be experienced as a video, a collection of tweets, graphs, memes, as background noise, as a conspiracy theory, as a genre in the endless relay of notifications.  

THE MIDDLE OF THE BEGINNING OF THE END—WHAT MAKES INDIVIDUAL INTERPRETATION POSSIBLE, MAKES COMMON UNDERSTANDING IMPOSSIBLE.

The truth is that social media has allowed billions of people to coordinate themselves into large and small containers of meaning and virtual energy. These containers, ecosystems of signs and signifiers, by dint of their polycentralized arrangement, function as an epistemological subversion of established truth-making infrastructures that require a certain amount of hegemony or global purchase: the scientific method, fact-checking, and debate. Occasionally, the understanding produced in these containers, theory-fictions more than anything else, incidentally conform to an intensity with physical correlatives capable of overpowering police infrastructures and seizing public space, as we saw across the world in 2019. More often, the echo chambers, as they are often called, curtail feelings of common dialogue and the perception of shared futurity that would be seemingly embedded in such a “global” sharing of information. This curtailing allows people of all “types” to be bundled together as data sets, insulated from the experience of true diversity of thought, of experience, of analysis. The polycentralized arrangement of the internet today may be even less participatory than previous eras of information sharing, even though it doesn’t feel that way.

Commentators and critics have used the ongoing crisis to delay the moment of our collective education with unwavering ideological entrenchment. At work, it is not uncommon for me to hear small business owners and day traders talk about the failures of socialized medicine in  Italy, implicitly endorsing greater privatization in the US. Among activists, liberals, and leftists, it is impossible to imagine a greater indictment on the privatized, decentralized, healthcare system than what is taking place. Apocalyptic Christian sects believe the government is going to repress churches for gathering, and social justice advocates believe the coronavirus crisis will be “the same, but worse” on every oppressive axis. It’s hard to imagine another reflex.

While they recognize that the internet has plunged billions of people into a pulverized simulacrum, some of my comrades would have us devote ourselves to the dissemination of real news, of verified and sober analysis, of scientific rigor, in order to combat the prevailing disarray. This warms my heart just as it saddens my intellect. We have always been machine-breakers, in a way, revolting against the forward and crushing movement of industry to preserve a less alienated experience of reality, labor, and community. We aren’t wrong for that. We should be reliable sources of information, but not because we will convince people with our reports — which may no longer be so possible online — rather because we believe it is the right thing to do, and because we can at least proceed on a clear and shared basis with each other. But what other strategies could we utilize for analyzing the world that would allow us to act within the protracted vertigo, without trapping ourselves or others in ideological camps, and without losing revolutionary aspirations in a world where global verification of facts seems impossible, but where universal need for a transformation, fascistic or revolutionary, feels like common sense?

EVERYTHING IS TRUE, NOTHING IS PERMITTED—THE SYSTEM REDUCES ITSELF TO A PURE FLUX OF DYNAMICS

“We dreamed of utopia and woke up screaming

A poor lonely cowboy that comes back home, what a wonder”

-Roberto Bolano, “Leave Everything, Again”

For millennia, the administration of public facts was the cornerstone of political power, and stamping out alternative readings the chief objective of the repressive machinery. The ruling bureaucracy has organized itself to prevent any global loss of control. They’ve always done that. What is surprising is how readily, since 9/11 at least, perhaps much earlier, they have abandoned many important methods for doing so. As the possibility of imagining its own future became increasingly stamped-out, the reigning order abandoned any pretense of pursuing the ideals it propped itself up on, its sole promise being to ward-off unforeseen eventualities. Without embarrassing myself with long-winded arguments about things I am ill-equipped to discuss - certainly less knowledgeable than my dear friends are on such matters as philosophy and critical works - I’d prefer to refer to an argument advanced by Brian Massumi in his essay “National Emergency Enterprise”. In this piece, he argues that a primary strategy of governance is to identify all possible causes of a scenario. The market refashions environments that submit the living tissue of relations one and all to technological “dataveillance”, information which, in principle, allows the administrators of such a system to model its every possible outcome, translating every action into a trans-action, while ensuring that every aberration meets a form of control. He utilizes the example of a forest fire, but we can just look at the pandemic and it’s consequences.

   The ruling class everywhere, has argued and governed as if the coronavirus is "merely the flu", justifying late responses and insufficient care, while also closing borders and taking emergency measures as if we are living in a veritable plague. There are strategies attached to every discourse, interests silently advanced with each interpretation, and powers produced and mobilized by every kind of theory and operation. Anyway, we have been living in the fall out of multiple convergent strategies for controlling and responding to this situation.  The governors of the world, at least of the democratic countries, are basically throwing things against a wall and seeing what sticks.  We can imagine that modeling and predictions are conducted endlessly based on analytics produced through data mining and network analysis purchased from Google, Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere. As technocratic governments subordinate welfare states to the "science" of neoliberalism, the nihilism of the powerful today subordinates everything to the "science" of control.

Anyway, who organizes oblivion today acts with no principles and can only speak in lies. What does this mean for the rest of us?

NOTHING IS EVERYTHING, TRUE IS PERMITTED—TRUTH DOES NOT REQUIRE A SUBJECT ONLY LIES DO. LET'S KEEP IT REAL, WHATEVER THAT IS.

   We can and are responding to this situation. The most important thing, from my perspective, is that we develop a vibrant enough ecosystem of strategies, corresponding to the largest possible interpretation of facts, without dividing our sympathies and concerns into rival fiefdoms and ideological sects. There are benefits to arguing that nothing of the situation is unique, that in fact the worst off before are the worst off now, that today simply represents an opportunity for us, etc. I am not among the comrades advancing this position, but I want to see the results of that framework as soon as possible, if it does not in fact raise the threshold for meaningful interventions. There are benefits to arguing that the quarantine is not deep enough, that the politics of mobilization have failed utterly to devastate the economy, but that a true lock down of the world could resemble the worlds first ever international wildcat general strike. I want to hear advocates of this position contend with the possibility of carceral interpretations of this argument. For those planting survival gardens, for those running autonomous rent strike hotlines, for those training in firearms, I want us to develop a shared enough perspective to see that there is a simple unity in our strategies, which is what is precisely, and incorrectly, attacked in Kora’s most recent letter to Orion: our autonomy. Beyond any individualistic misinterpretations, it is my perspective that the ability of human beings to self-authorize our activity, to determine our shared destinies, to control supply chains, vital infrastructures, and means of subsistence without the mediating factors of the market, are necessary prerequisites for a dignified life on earth. This is not to say, as Kora has intelligently argued, that anyone could come to control the unfolding course of history - a delusion that preppers, governors, and revolutionaries have all held - but precisely that autonomous, self-organized, structures are the only structures capable of responding quickly enough to the destabilizing, frightening, and uncertain futures lying in wait regardless of what we or anyone else do. We must utilize the current situation to repolarize the circumstances to the best of our ability around foundational concerns of power: on the one hand, there are all of the people of the world, some of them bastards we would not live with, and our shared need for dignified healthcare, housing, sustenance, and livelihood; and on the other hand there are all of the bastards waiting this out on yachts, manipulating public data for the sake of a geopolitical PR battle, utilizing the pandemic to pursue totalitarian power fantasies and clampdowns. We don’t need to steer the ship forward, we need to be able to swim in the wreckage.

Sorry, I wrote too much. Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading what others think soon.

-- Icarus

04.11.2020

STATE OF EMERGENCY, DAY 40

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

[fortunefishsalad]

11/2/21

Everyday ||

i live in a world where everyone’s guessing i’m sure someone’s guessed hard enough to be right we decide and we live and we hope and we close our eyes and then they have to open again

i’ve been guessing everyday of my life and with no hand holding, even my first steps were self-driven

i’m a piece of art that no one started, but people would add to when they could at night, it would grow brushes from its sides and move the colors and perfect itself in hours of endless thoughts leading down a tunnel of ‘better’

art is confusing and i am confused but i could read about the production of textiles and until someone helps me make a t-shirt i’ll go on thinking the tooth fairy spins those strings

and so we guess i guessed so much that midday revelations and groundbreaking statements litter my every conversation, and my childlike ‘oh my god’ into a four minute rant and series of questions

work a job where they cut the bread little squares and into the oven crouton birth wasn’t something i’d guessed at before i just assumed they were a pastry i’d brushed past in the cook book simple and obviously but the better it made my day to watch a smudge on my perspective wipe itself clear

baby boy at nineteen facial hair and a guess shaving cream because the name says so leave somethings to guesswork and color within my blurry lines

Untitled Quarantine Project ||

there's a house on every street a house that doubles as a prison a prison that doubles as a haven a haven where you live with your family a family that’s on fire In a world that’s on fire and the fire’s coming from outside so we stay inside but there’s fire inside too and it’s burning this house and it’s burning me up and it’s burning my family and it’s burning my heart and there’s crackling noises and they’re louder than the screams and we’re all screaming and when someone stops screaming i can’t hear them i can see their mouth moving and i know they’re staying positive and i know they’re working out And i know this is the time to do it all and i see them finishing their bucket list alone but this screaming and i’m screaming and i can’t stop screaming and i think i like the noise and i think i’m screaming but not like everyone else for the first time ever i’m screaming cause i’m free and in this void where life can’t reach me, and i can experience a new universe no money no job no anything just this ivory tower and my infinite mind i scream in song i scream to celebrate as everyone screams in fear

untitled car ride project ||

i think i blinked and i think a year went by and now my rooms in two boxes and my style is in a garbage bag and my future is three hours away in a building i’ve never set foot in in a room i’ve never seen before and the world’s still and i don’t have my diploma i’ve never seen it but i’m going to get another one and i think i blinked i think i blinked and now it’s september

where everyone knows the answer ||

there’s these castles of knowledge where kings of their fields fill their pockets ( not as much as the administrators ) a guild in the modern world where apprentices appear to meet a glimpse at who they could be where nepotism downs a forty and snorts some crack and the crossroads of ‘what am i doing’ and ‘who am i’ scream into your heart so loud that the vibrations force you to make a choice to choose to choose to decide to make a decision to settle on a something that will make money all in the name of eighty thousand you’ll never pay back

in one million different rooms ||

who put that scratch in the paint what left this mark on the floor that stain of the ceiling looks like a story someone can tell and those sheets are probably on everyone else’s beds too and my room back home is empty tonight but i wonder if it knows that i won’t be back tomorrow will my cats have a funeral for me can i hear my dogs confused worries in my dreams

i can hear my thoughts in this echo chamber i can see everyone’s lights on those who have felt this before and those who don’t feel is anymore and little me’s in one million different rooms with their lights on and their phones off we’re crying

should i run away from this for one more year may i call my parents and tell them i was wrong am i man enough to admit im a child and i miss my mommy or am i childish enough to suffer for my independence maybe i can do this is anyone listening

some place no one knows my name ||

there are two hills and in between them are eighteen years of my life

so here, where my curls are a reason to keep looking and not a ‘oh there he is!’

and that’s the scary part in this hallway we live in in these lives we are starting where you’ve been living for two years i’m nobody, and i know nobody

settle, for us ||

i don’t care about who you are if you’ll tell me about your anything and let this room be full of a voice that isn’t mine i’ll be whoever you want just be someone who would say they know me on purpose

your mother raised you to keep going on my mother raised me to learn before i speak i know your father’s brother’s daughter’s name you might remember where i’m from (on a day i’d mentioned it again)

but you’ll walk with me on a sidewalk so i’ll listen to your memoir even that chapter you mentioned before and you’re telling like it’s the hottest piece of hollywood gossip i see the subtitles completed under you before you finish the line but lets keep walking together

empty barn, just like new ||

someone pays the janitors i’m not sure why they pay the janitors i’m not sure why the doors stay unlocked i’m not sure why this table’s clean and dusted this is rome except it’s the twenty first century and they just brushed off the dirt, pompeii looks just like the day before it was black and i’m using this chalkboard in a lecture room full of the sounds of white on black this chalkboard someone’s paid to clean i’ll leave my words so you have something to read so you have someone who appreciates the work

the first people to catch my eye ||

before we let you get a pet, we need to know you’re responsible! i don’t want to be taking care of it for you, so make sure you can handle it!

most people don’t just pick up the dog that runs up to their leg but i must’ve been awfully cute because we had nothing in common and i said: you’re all i’ve ever wanted ( the bar was breathing and i see your chest expand! )

nothing said ||

now that doesn’t come without wanting jeff bezos has everything and he still can’t pay a living wage because nothings enough for nobody i take the scraps of this sick world whatever god coughed up and fell in front of my feet i will talk you to shit behind your back and love you to eden when we chat it up because you’re anyone and i don’t care about your fish but i know their names over and over again

naive know it all ||

stupid babies playing with toys writing a paper in the name of ‘maybe this forever’ undecided on a ‘till i die’ interest well, i’m better than that i know what i will always im here with purpose find one or stay stupid stay stupid and wasting in the name of ‘please be proud of me’

early like how ||

i would wake up at 7:20 for highschool i would wake up at 6:30 for elementary i can’t move my body until 8:30 and i have a 9 am i chose this i like this! so why when i chose it and i like it, can i not even listen to my alarm she’s just reminding me I want(ed) this!

in a sea of black squares ||

you must’ve aced your PhD in talking like a robot were you the president of the bedtime story club you can tell me all about immigration and climate change and my eyes get heavier and heavier each time you speak

dense on purpose ||

academic integrity with a dash of ‘if you know what’s good for you’ google translate sure is my open book i can see the world and everyone's thoughts just as clearly as i can read this question is this a gift and are we all screaming is this your way of giving me a foot massage in the middle of the desert i’d love a bottle of water, but i’m not mad about this either

me and my car 1 ||

theres a bug on the road it likes the beaches it compliments my outfits and the world designs these pretty set my instagram feed says: vanity and boredom! but i love chasing that bug he’s so informative i get lost with him, and i burn family money just to see the next line of pavement just to see those yellow lines! maybe right here they’ll be purple instead!

oh wait no these are yellow too, maybe next time!

consistent strangers ||

i chose to come to this dinner that you chose to invite me to that i chose to listen during that you chose to be kind to me that i felt welcomed by scared strangers that you opened your fears up and shared maybe i can do this more often maybe we can get a cup of this again maybe once a week so as not to scare you

but suddenly i'm back in this seat for the thirteenth time this week and you all are in those chairs and our mouths are moving and i’m referencing something you said and i’m smiling and i think i could do this tomorrow too

group chat ||

when i can’t see my new family we pretend to care about this thing that costs so much money when they can’t see me do we do what we’re supposed to or do we eat up any garbage we can find online impatiently waiting to be in a room with someone who knows my middle name again

i’m tapping my foot i’m taking a shot i’m rubbing one out i’m sweating and wondering when i won’t have to be alone again

too much ||

needs are strange everyone shares few need to eat need to breathe need to shit need to die need to drink but after that, it’s personal

i need to get out of this room i need to hear someones mouth moving i need to see your eyes look at things mine don’t if i could have it my way i would live next to you i’m so afraid to be alone i need to be with you with anyone and i’m comfortable being with you any of you new family am i too much is everyday too much to ask is every second too much to ask i’d rather be around your worst mood than in that room Alone

a walk around rome ||

empty hallways save for one body one laptop using an outlet one body has never been so loud in this empty lecture hall, fit for hundreds the eyes of one body are more territorial than her boyfriend

this sign on a door closed locations and empty mess halls paper, yet undefaced or torn a unison idea of respect for all this empty a human humming of ‘is there another side’

i wondered if this would be like regular college but this is all i know i wondered if there would be anything more to this but there isn’t this is what college is even if it’s not, how could i know anything else

all i know is tables are heaven we can’t die at tables somehow, when food’s involved in those brief escapes from the fire we feel invincible is any of this worth worrying about is it even real? not to be a conspiracy theorist but we’re all so relaxed i’m sure someone’s dying i know thousands have died but here, we’re playing pretend and we’re playing house and we’re playing adult without any semblance of guidelines we’re a daycare with no staff and what better way to learn than to live is this any way to live?

the rug 1 ||

i have this pretty broom where people who stopped screaming let people who stopped screaming sweep because we bought this pretty rug and i can just sweep every time you let a comment fall out of your pocket every time my dignity is on the line i would clean as a chore when i was younger now i stress clean so i will sweep and sweep so i can wake up and know someone will stand in an empty room with me

lost little boys ||

that’ll be twenty thousand dollars for what you ask? for you to pay me twenty thousand next year for what you ask? for me to give you night terrors for you to lose sleep over a number for you to pretend to learn something for you to take the same course seventeen times and for us to call it something new each time you do for this piece of paper that isn’t worth the same as hers for you to regret this for the rest of your life so when you have no job and you’re eating out of the palm of your parents you can say with your chest i did what you said and for them to look you in the heart and say you could always do more so at the end of all of it, you can always have a better shot than this imaginary person who failed without it so what is it mom do i go to harvard or become the next steve jobs and why is an untouchable billionaire the bar for an eighteen year old baby lemon ||

i saw a professor fall today they fell and scraped their knee and my world fell apart

children do that but people help children they neosporin their booboos and kisses to numb the pain

i guess people just don’t help the bigger ones the numbness of today is the same as the last must be better than any kiss the four people who witnessed and kept walking and the professor who let their leg bleed into their work pants because they have a job to do and my world fell apart

scab ||

i’ve been alone for the last three days because an adult with a tenure fell on a walk my world is falling apart

here i am at the corner of responsible and a responsibility and my body looks in between innocent and exploitable staring the real world dead in the eyes as it’s eyes, glassy and empty, miss mine by only an inch looking rather at what i can do more than who i am

i’ve been rolling this ball around in my head the ceiling looks like the only place my thoughts can gather and i haven’t opened my classes in three days so i’ll scream them out of my head

why did the professor get up and keep walking why did the red stain on his cheap khakis look like a new accessory how did he know to balance his hand just right so his coffee wouldn’t spill is being older just being numb is being older just getting over it is being older losing a leg and showing up to work the next day

does anyone know anything is confidence the decision to be terrified is being terrified the only way to do the things that scare us does anyone know anything did my elementary teachers not know how to handle children when the monitors at lunch screamed at us for being loud was there a reason, or were they just annoyed? was it just their availability and age that separated us were the good teachers trying to live out their youth again and are the highschool student wannabes just pretending to know what a lesson plan is does my doctor go home and beat his wife does he know what else he would do if he didn’t do that does my dentist know how to do taxes or is everyone just pretending to know what a tax is anyways i knew we were guessing but i didn’t realize it was serious i didn’t realize this is it, there’s nothing more or less than this and then tomorrow comes ||

do i start a fire do i start a business do i marry the next thing to love me do i jump off the next bridge i see do i swerve into oncoming traffic do i lick my wounds and really try and taste the blood this time do i try heroine because the clock won’t stop ticking do i blackout in the library because nothing matters does anything i do matter if everyone is making this up if no one knows what they’re doing why did everything feel so taken care of why did everything make so much sense until so recently

the rug 2 ||

my arms are heavy i speak less words my head is so heavy i am terrified to speak if i say the wrong thing could this gorgeous picture i’m in could the frame to this picture shatter so i sit and i anger and i suffer and i silent i am my own worst enemy but i am alone and you’re not all making this easy now, when people walk on this rug they mention the bumps there’s places i tell them to watch their step and my broom is worn and my heart is worn and i can only hear you call me stupid one more time but it’s this It’s this or be alone And i can’t

Poorly ||

everything in comparison i smell smoke every time i breathe is it this world this world that told me to blink harder and harder was the word blink or was it squint is the fire in me am i the fire is the world on fire ( dumb question, can you see the cashier’s mouth yet? ) if i touch you will you burn will passive aggressive agressions eat this friendship from the inside out i lit a fuse and i’ve been chasing the flame ever since, but i am i am the fire in comparison the the blaze i was a month ago, i never knew i could burn so intensely i should have been grateful

randomly ||

i got up today and brushed my teeth i took a shower and brushed my hair i made my bed i went to class i spoke clearly i shut up that stupid record in my head the one that says things healthy people don’t think i ate food i saw my friends they’re colder now, they’re ashes, and i’ll hold onto them until they’re blown away

Simultaneously, ||

when my thoughts became gasoline and my mind tied cement bricks to it’s legs turned the car on and shut the garage door my hands kept moving my mouth kept moving and now i have opportunities i funcitoned i succeeded i landed one in a millions i networked i college’d and now my body is thriving and my mind is crying it’s screaming: where are the brakes and my body is sweating it’s screaming: please don’t ruin this i am the factory and i am the workers and i am the ceo and we are said to finish this project by two weeks from now but no one’s been talking to each other and my body is dying and my mind is terrified and i’m somewhere in this mess too

me and my car 2 ||

i am uber i drive these people around i am a freshman with a car i am privileged and i am kind or am i scared that i am this car and if this car doesn’t take them where they want to go that i will stop getting paid with their time with a conversation with an insult i will take any words given to me just please don’t stop getting in this car

Work ||

i am here to work i am here to prerequisite this is a main-story quest but it’s a fetch quest and i am not a dog

i am here because my parents did this i am doing this because it’s supposed to change me i am becoming disillusioned i remember thinking things in highschool until college so many ‘until college’s how stupid was i It’s becoming stupid again until i graduate until i get a job until i retire until i die

i chose this so why does it feel like any other decision would have been worse am i burning the wick can the fire stop smoking how big is the candle how much wax do i have

i read that there are no transitional periods in life there is no time when your life starts your life is and if you cannot see that and you waste it thinking you’re in between before and after that’s on you but there is no climax nothing is exciting mundane is reality this is all it is so why do i feel like these gears are rusted shut, and the only oil that will help them is a degree maybe it’s because of some uncovered trauma or maybe i have a hard time accepting that this is it and the movies are fiction for a reason and we keep making fiction for a reason, and maybe i need fiction more than i knew

shut up disappointed ||

younger me was so scared of drugs i bailed on these high school seniors once because they were going to roll a join no one taught me to hate them but i knew adults would love me for rejecting them now, i wonder how many of them thought i was a loser child for it feigning impressed to instill ‘good morals’ and ‘valuable ethics’ in me

but boy, does this make it live i can feel every corner of my body and i can taste the best ichor of this garbage food i don’t feel high i just feel like living got easier i don’t think weed effects me is what i thought, little did i know little me knew nothing a part of me is glad i waited until now to experience god a larger part of me is confused why i never did this before

i am not ashamed of this how could anyone hate this?

the rug 3 ||

this is where i find myself and the more i find out the more disappointed i become that reflection in the rear-view mirror is a road and that reflection in the bathroom mirror is a joke the worst part is it’s not even funny it’s just sad

and now i’m alone, and i'm unbothered because it’s a not a rug it’s a tarp covering a pile of intolerable garbage and there, sitting on your carpet is one thing one. thing. next to my living room full of your insecurities given to me, dressed as anything but what they are

and i’m smiling and i’m alone and i didn’t know i could smile and be alone and now it’s just me me and this room

expectations ||

unadding people i spent the last year with almost exclusively in the cold of my single i sit in review the college experience: adapting to the closure of every location we could be in the name of our safety playing cards to the point where making a new game seemed like an easy task learning how to make a conversation out of thin air, for the sake of having a reason to be around eachother drinking alone: finally learning how to relax liquid cocaine: productivity in a can! green heaven: do i look sexy when i smoke like a mother from the 50s? was this the college i dreamed of in highschool, will that place ever exist here me and my car 3 ||

i know all these roads, i remember being left out of infinite conversations on them and the hum of the engine and the music from my speakers and the bodies that have been in this car and the gas that has burned in this air and the responses i would have said had anyone asked me

and i can get me anywhere in this city i knew nothing about i’m a local on this roads and that’s mine, and i hear a noise, a sound of a bug i haven't heard in a while, as it hops to lead my car in a new direction

summer job ||

as the dust settles from the fire as the smoke clears and my breaths become more fulfilling i return to my room an empty room it’s bigger, but it’s lonely and that taste of anywhere else was so good the bitterness of this small town the enormous familiarness the allconsuming opinions this part of the earth has about me

and this is home but what was that and when i go back, will it be my first time on that campus

white table for fairies ||

pizza comes with an offhand comment, Before they knew how to make a stronger box, every child had the same running joke a piece of the world no one could see but us this little plastic three legged protector

but it was a second of fun for us and a function fulfilled and now the last hindrance for taller children i remember keeping one it could be anything creativity fueled grease fire in my mind and down i would scream into the kitchen and for a ten minute moment i was the sun except you wanted to look so bad you wanted this star to shine brighter you needed it to blind you faster

and then, back into the universe i faded then the tree fell, and it made no noise back to the background i knew

love if you can hear it ||

mountain dew fueled midnight excursions into the internet into the hopes and dreams of someone who couldn’t see the effort into my words and a conversation about my future everything was a life path if you love it, make it something worth buying if you’re good at it, sharpen your blade until you can cut steel marketable and unimpressed my misunderstanding everytime you scared me with talk of money Everytime you searched for colleges my eight year old artwork confused and distracted are you asking me to do this forever your support ( your love ) i couldn’t understand how hard you were trying you were speaking arabic and i was speaking persian, we caught the wrong words, and missed the meaning

[jmaria200]

Guidelines for Surviving American Culture Now

America is a country liberties, wealth, and technological advancement that are often unheard of in much of the world. We can generally marry who we choose, vote for who we want too, and our freedom of speech is protected. Our poorest citizens still have more than most of Bangladesh. But it would be naive to think that such benefits do not come at a cost. We are a people with a crises of identity as we strive live up to lofty enlightenment goals set by our founding fathers and fail to repeatedly. Our current society is marked by predatory capitalism, degradation of social welfare, and inequality fostered in part of a rapid technological expansion and a societal decline. We’re no where near anarchy but, realistically, these factors have eaten away at the organization foundations that support everyday life increasing the likelihood of being exploited. I’ve brought together guidelines, some which are researched and some common sense, to hopefully help bolster the chance of healthy living in today’s America.

1.) Avoid commercials in any form. They’re usually meant to make you feel insecure or sell you stuff you don’t need. Listen to public radio stations without commercials, mute or switch television, and radio stations when commercials come on. Subscribe to streaming channels that don’t have commercials like Netflix. Educate yourself on products and places out there instead of being fed information by advertisers.

2.) In fact, try to limit television and other media as much as possible. It is a very America past time and actually can keep you isolated from other people that can make your life more exceptional.

3.) Ditto for computer and your phone.(Wait did I advocate for putting down the phone. Oh, no. Not one of those people!) Yes, these are tools that have their place in our society and should remain there.  When they become almost a way of life (think of two people sitting at a table together looking at their phones) things have gone to far.

4.) Instead have real hobbies. After you pull away from the electronics, you might find that you have time for maybe taking up dancing or building models.

5.) Avoid the typical American diet, especially processed sugars. I recommend reading books by authors like Michael Pollan that advocate for whole, natural foods. You’ll probably lose weight and feel much better.

6.) Cook your own food and eat in as much as possible. If the food is tasty and relatively healthy, the company is welcome, and the ambience is amazing, yes, enjoy your night out at a restaurant. This is a special moment. Eating out should be special. I think in this country we’ve become enamored with eating out because we’re tired, lazy, busy, etc. We drag ourselves to grim, sterile places and suck down greasy food. This perspective has spawned America’s fast food nation and it has helped make us sickly.  We even export fast food to other countries. It is something we are known for and that is not good. This is a case again where people who want to make money don’t always have our best interest at heart. Even sit down restaurants can put a lot of fat, salt, and sugar in their foods. Sometimes it’s just about appealing to our urges. When someone else prepares our food we just don’t really know what is in there. When we make our own food, we can have more control over our diet and what we put in our bodies. We can choose to eat whole, natural foods instead of stuff created in laboratories. If we are demoralized about our lives then we will often won’t care what we put in our bodies, which is not caring about ourselves.

7.) Treat media, social, and otherwise, with care. Just like we should be careful what we let in our bodies so should we be with what we let in our heads. Yes, I have a Facebook account, but no I don’t believe it is anyway a true substitute for a face to face friendship. Once again use social media a tool to get something done or keep in touch with already established friends, but you’ll probably end up alone and depressed if you actually think most of those followers are true friends or that everyone else’s life is perfect as seen in posted pictures. Media in general can sell you on many opinions and ideas. It’s up to you to decide who you are going to listen too and about what. This is when being educated and a critical thinker really helps.

8.) So read (and sometimes watch) stuff that informs you, challenges you, and gets you thinking. Yes,we can all veg out on mindless entertainment. The American movie industry has proven that time and again through the years. You can also go through life mindlessly as well unsure and afraid about what is happening around you and rallying to causes you don’t know much about and watching the institutions of this country crumble. Plenty of business people and crooked politicians will love you for it. But if you come armed with an informed perspective then you can be an active citizen of a democracy and standing for something.

9.) On that note, get out and make connections. Join associations. Volunteer. Attend a civic meeting. These have become lost arts in our culture of sitting home and streaming media. Such activities will almost always improve your life as you meet new people. Don’t worry so much about what people think. If you’re authentic people will connect with you. Everyone is insecure out there in some way like you.

10.) Really understand what it means to be authentic vs inauthentic. I didn’t know the answer to this riddle for most of my life. I usually thought being authentic as having the near perfect life, but that is a distortion like the pictures on Facebook. Authenticity is something that comes from knowing and loving who you are and accepting that faults and all. It also means that because you are comfortable and compassionate with yourself you will want to be that way with others. Being inauthentic is often connected to fear and anxiety about ourselves and the world around us. Fear contributes to insecurity and making poor choices especially in the face of stress. Modern American life has gotten especially stressful as we are afforded less and less control over our lives therefore...

11.) You will need to learn how to manage chronic stress, anxiety, and other negative thoughts and emotions if you want to live authentically. Human beings were designed with the same fight or flight response as all other living things on this planet. It helps keep us alive. But modern society has plenty of ways to send this system into overdrive where we find ourselves anxious and worrying. Fear and anxiety contribute to poor values and a break down of social ties.  Rule of thumb is if your doing productive worrying over real problems that’s okay but if it’s just plain general anxiety, that is probably a bigger problem that needs to be rooted out. You will probably have to make some decisions about changing your values and your lifestyle, which can be good.

12.) Beware of those who are inauthentic. They’re more common than you think. Human beings are social creatures who are actually designed to bond with each other with compassion and empathy and, while we are all inauthentic or insecure at times to others, there are those who are inauthentic about who they are. They often lack empathy and seek to antagonize and take advantage others. These are often people who were raised by insensitive parents or caretakers and developed personality disorders like narcissism, Machiavellian, or psychopathy.  Essentially they are people who are self centered and have questionable or no morality. Often they can end up in positions of power as they are ambitious and savvy. In a climate of fear these personalities can gain influence and control by manipulating others as is increasingly common in modern America. Being self loving and compassionate towards ourselves and each other is the best defense.

13.) But do listen to reasonable people with different opinions. Our somewhat quarantined lifestyles combined with the constant influx of information has divided Americans along many different lines. We tend to exist in echo chambers where we can hear our opinions and beliefs bounced back at us and never really know what the other side believes. You might be surprised that if they’re rationale they’re probably more similar than you think. 

14.) Get out in nature. Today there is so much living we can do in our houses and office buildings staring at screens. But I’m not sure I would call that living. Even on nice days I rarely see people outside or outside for long in my neighborhood. Humans lived close to nature for thousands of years. Our separation from it is only a recent phenomenon. Research has shown that nature can help with emotional and psychological well being and it’s good exercise. Also you’ll be more likely to go green as much as possible if you actually see what is out there to save.

15.) Opt for public transportation whenever possible. America fell in love with the automobile and fell hard. After all it contributes to our privacy and sense of independence. One could say now we’re having some buyers remorse as we sit in seemingly endless traffic jams. I don’t know about you, but I think driving brings out some of the worst in people too especially in a time of social corrosion where road rage incidents are climbing. Yes, your city may not have much in the way of a public transportation system, like many American cities, but still use it when you can. Again you will be helping the environment.

16.) Go green whenever possible.  At this point in human history, this guideline is common sense.  We depend on this planet and we have damaged it. Not trying to something about this issue is more about lack of willpower than lack of information and understanding. Yes, going cold turkey on driving a car or using plastic is probably not realistic right now, but do the little things like recycling, limiting water usage, pushing for greener options with your wallet, etc.

17.) Be educated about education. Sure it is mandated and can be great  to have an education in this country. Life today requires too much not to be. But be smart about your education. Be aware of the state of American public school systems that still churn out students on an industrial level. Be aware of the business nature of colleges that often sell one on the promise of a bright future with a large price tag attached. Determine first if college is even right for you.

18.) Football is a game.  I have often considered European futbol (soccer) a drawn out, dull sport. What the hell is so exciting about people running up and down a field for hours? Where’s the big scores, amazing tackles, and seemingly constant last minute heroics of American football? Yes, the National Football League boasts huge scores, salaries, and profits. Sunday is the day devoted to football and the Superbowl is practically a holiday. Fans often live and die by their team. Heaven help a losing season. On the other hand, my concern is how the NFL is really slick marketing of a product where the more superficial aspects of current American ideology: winning and celebrity leave behind good solid character and sportsmanship that people should be aspiring too in society, especially children. How often do you hear about a player that is cheered for getting out there and just doing a solid job? Football tends to play into the cultural paradigm that being exceptional is what matters and anything less, well, ends up in the Canadian Football League. Not to mention the most exceptional team today, the New England Patriots, has constantly been accused of cheating and stealing. It is a league whose power often allows it to defines it’s own narrative forgetting the darker side of what is by definition a violent sport where people sacrifice their bodies( Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy anyone?). Also when it comes to the endless excitement, I’ve heard there is only eleven minutes of actual action in a football game. Eleven minutes! The rest of that three to four hour game is people walking up and down a field, huddling up, kicking off, and most of all commercials poured on so thick that it is nearly suffocating.(Take that soccer). Consider the cost of a single football game with parking, food, beer, etc can range into the hundreds of dollars for that eleven minutes of action. Whether the experience is worth the money depends on the person, but, in an age when less and less of us have expendable income, the ‘true’ fans still seem to fork over the money without a second thought. When it comes the fanatics raging in their chairs, it generally it’s just not healthy when one’s emotional well being hinges on anything outside of themselves, sports or otherwise. The guys on the field should know this as well. Either way it is awkward to watch a grown man have temper tantrum in his living room or on the sidelines over a lost game. Don’t get me wrong. Many NFL players, staff, etc. are amazing people and athletes who work their asses off and deserve what they earn, but these achievements and the league as a whole should be kept in a realistic light.  The NFL is an organization that needs to be held accountable for what it does and how it treats its players, its fans, and, in the end, football, like a soccer, is a game for entertainment.  We are entertained and then we turn off the TV or drive home from the stadium.

19.) Spirituality and religion: Anyone who has lived in America realizes that American life is heavily influenced by organized religion especially the many forms of Christianity. While some form of spirituality, or belief in something bigger than oneself, is considered part of emotional maturity being part of a organized religion is a choice. This idea tends to get lost as people are often indoctrinated by their parents, or other caregivers, and this grooming is reinforced by the large community or society.  Such an omission is common as it opens the door for dissension in faiths. In other words, while one can leave a religion, one often doesn’t because of potentially being ostracized. I believe that if the faith one was brought up in no longer fits, then one has the right to follow their desires and beliefs on what spirituality means to them.  If one does remain in an organized religion I heavily recommend doing so with eyes wide open. While there are plenty of decent people serving religious mission, the blind faith religions engender is often allows exploitation especially in current times when people can feel lost and vulnerable and are looking for answers. Despite their supernatural underpinnings, religious organizations are organizations run by humans, therefore, they are vulnerable to human error.

20.) Get enough sleep: Today’s America wants to keep you doing things and distracted as much as possible, which keeps you off the sheets. Since the invention of the light bulb and the electric grid, humans can now live well into the night, however no one told our biorhythms that still operate on the original daylight schedule. Less than seven hours of sleep is typically not enough for the average human being despite the modern ‘remedy’ that is caffeine. A self professed night owl, I’m as guilty as the next guy when it comes to staying up late. Daily life is taxing on living creatures and sleep is the brain and bodies way of hitting the pause button to regroup and heal. Putting it bluntly, if you don’t sleep enough you are wearing your body and mind down overtime and you can probably expect a host of health problems.

21.) Be skeptical of mainstream culture and “common sense”. Doing what everyone else is doing seems mandated especially when you’re a teenager and trying to figure out who the hell you are. When you mature enough you figure out who you are and understand just pointless it was to want to be like others.  

[swiftlyrics13-blog]

The Rolling Stone Interview: Taylor Swift

In her most in-depth and introspective interview in years, Swift tells all about the rocky road to 'Lover' and much, much more

By BRIAN HIATT

Taylor Swift bursts into her mom’s Nashville kitchen, smiling, looking remarkably like Taylor Swift. (That red-lip, classic thing? Check.) “I need someone to help dye my hair pink,” she says, and moments later, her ends match her sparkly nail polish, sneakers, and the stripes on her button-down. It’s all in keeping with the pastel aesthetic of her new album, Lover; black-leather combat-Taylor from her previous album cycle has handed back the phone. Around the black-granite kitchen island, all is calm and normal, as Swift’s mom, dad, and younger brother pass through. Her mom’s two dogs, one very small, one very large, pounce upon visitors with slurping glee. It could be any 29-year-old’s weekend visit with her parents, if not for the madness looming a few feet down the hall.

In an airy terrace, 113 giddy, weepy, shaky, still-in-disbelief fans are waiting for the start of one of Swift’s secret sessions, sacred rituals in Swift-dom. She’s about to play them her seventh album, as-yet unreleased on this Sunday afternoon in early August, and offer copious commentary. Also, she made cookies. Just before the session, Swift sits down in her mom’s study (where she “operates the Google,” per her daughter) to chat for a few minutes. The black-walled room is decorated with black-and-white classic-rock photos, including shots of Bruce Springsteen and, unsurprisingly, James Taylor; there are also more recent shots of Swift posing with Kris Kristofferson and playing with Def Leppard, her mom’s favorite band.

In a corner is an acoustic guitar Swift played as a teenager. She almost certainly wrote some well-known songs on it, but can’t recall which ones. “It would be kind of weird to finish a song and be like, ‘And this moment, I shall remember,’'” she says, laughing. “‘This guitar hath been anointed with my sacred tuneage!'”

The secret session itself is, as the name suggests, deeply off-the-record; it can be confirmed that she drank some white wine, since her glass pops up in some Instagram pictures. She stays until 5 a.m., chatting and taking photos with every one of the fans. Five hours later, we continue our talk at length in Swift’s Nashville condo, in almost exactly the same spot where we did one of our interviews for her 2012 Rolling Stone cover story. She’s hardly changed its whimsical decor in the past seven years (one of the few additions is a pool table replacing the couch where we sat last time), so it’s an old-Taylor time capsule. There’s still a huge bunny made of moss in one corner, and a human-size birdcage in the living room, though the view from the latter is now of generic new condo buildings instead of just distant green hills. Swift is barefoot now, in pale-blue jeans and a blue button-down tied at the waist; her hair is pulled back, her makeup minimal.

How to sum up the past three years of Taylor Swift? In July 2016, after Swift expressed discontent with Kanye West’s “Famous,” Kim Kardashian did her best to destroy her, unleashing clandestine recordings of a phone conversation between Swift and West. In the piecemeal audio, Swift can be heard agreeing to the line “…me and Taylor might still have sex.” We don’t hear her learning about the next lyric, the one she says bothered her — “I made that bitch famous” — and as she’ll explain, there’s more to her side of the story. The backlash was, well, swift, and overwhelming. It still hasn’t altogether subsided. Later that year, Swift chose not to make an endorsement in the 2016 election, which definitely didn’t help. In the face of it all, she made Reputation — fierce, witty, almost-industrial pop offset by love songs of crystalline beauty — and had a wildly successful stadium tour. Somewhere in there, she met her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, and judging by certain songs on Lover, the relationship is serious indeed.

Lover is Swift’s most adult album, a rebalancing of sound and persona that opens doors to the next decade of her career; it’s also a welcome return to the sonic diversity of 2012’s Red, with tracks ranging from the St. Vincent-assisted über-bop “Cruel Summer” to the unbearably poignant country-fied “Soon You’ll Get Better” (with the Dixie Chicks) and the “Shake It Off”-worthy pep of “Paper Rings.”

She wants to talk about the music, of course, but she is also ready to explain the past three years of her life, in depth, for the first time. The conversation is often not a light one. She’s built up more armor in the past few years, but still has the opposite of a poker face — you can see every micro-emotion wash over her as she ponders a question, her nose wrinkling in semi-ironic offense at the term “old-school pop stars,” her preposterously blue eyes glistening as she turns to darker subjects. In her worst moments, she says, “You feel like you’re being completely pulled into a riptide. So what are you going to do? Splash a lot? Or hold your breath and hope you somehow resurface? And that’s what I did. And it took three years. Sitting here doing an interview — the fact that we’ve done an interview before is the only reason I’m not in a full body sweat.”

When we talked seven years ago, everything was going so well for you, and you were very worried that something would go wrong.

Yeah, I kind of knew it would. I felt like I was walking along the sidewalk, knowing eventually the pavement was going to crumble and I was gonna fall through. You can’t keep winning and have people like it. People love “new” so much — they raise you up the flagpole, and you’re waving at the top of the flagpole for a while. And then they’re like, “Wait, this new flag is what we actually love.” They decide something you’re doing is incorrect, that you’re not standing for what you should stand for. You’re a bad example. Then if you keep making music and you survive, and you keep connecting with people, eventually they raise you a little bit up the flagpole again, and then they take you back down, and back up again. And it happens to women more than it happens to men in music.

It also happened to you a few times on a smaller scale, didn’t it?

I’ve had several upheavals in my career. When I was 18, they were like, “She doesn’t really write those songs.” So my third album I wrote by myself as a reaction to that. Then they decided I was a serial dater — a boy-crazy man-eater — when I was 22. And so I didn’t date anyone for, like, two years. And then they decided in 2016 that absolutely everything about me was wrong. If I did something good, it was for the wrong reasons. If I did something brave, I didn’t do it correctly. If I stood up for myself, I was throwing a tantrum. And so I found myself in this endless mockery echo chamber. It’s just like — I have a brother who’s two and a half years younger, and we spent the first half of our lives trying to kill each other and the second half as best friends. You know that game kids play? I’d be like, “Mom, can I have some water?” And Austin would be like, “Mom, can I have some water?” And I’m like, “He’s copying me.” And he’d be like, “He’s copying me.” Always in a really obnoxious voice that sounds all twisted. That’s what it felt like in 2016. So I decided to just say nothing. It wasn’t really a decision. It was completely involuntary.

But you also had good things happen in your life at the same time — that’s part of Reputation.

The moments of my true story on that album are songs like “Delicate,” “New Year’s Day,” “Call It What You Want,” “Dress.” The one-two punch, bait-and-switch of Reputation is that it was actually a love story. It was a love story in amongst chaos. All the weaponized sort of metallic battle anthems were what was going on outside. That was the battle raging on that I could see from the windows, and then there was what was happening inside my world — my newly quiet, cozy world that was happening on my own terms for the first time. . . . It’s weird, because in some of the worst times of my career, and reputation, dare I say, I had some of the most beautiful times — in my quiet life that I chose to have. And I had some of the most incredible memories with the friends I now knew cared about me, even if everyone hated me. The bad stuff was really significant and damaging. But the good stuff will endure. The good lessons — you realize that you can’t just show your life to people.

Meaning?

I used to be like a golden retriever, just walking up to everybody, like, wagging my tail. “Sure, yeah, of course! What do you want to know? What do you need?” Now, I guess, I have to be a little bit more like a fox.

Do your regrets on that extend to the way the “girl squad” thing was perceived?

Yeah, I never would have imagined that people would have thought, “This is a clique that wouldn’t have accepted me if I wanted to be in it.” Holy shit, that hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, “Oh, this did not go the way that I thought it was going to go.” I thought it was going to be we can still stick together, just like men are allowed to do. The patriarchy allows men to have bro packs. If you’re a male artist, there’s an understanding that you have respect for your counterparts.

Whereas women are expected to be feuding with each other?

It’s assumed that we hate each other. Even if we’re smiling and photographed together with our arms around each other, it’s assumed there’s a knife in our pocket.

How much of a danger was there of falling into that thought pattern yourself?

The messaging is dangerous, yes. Nobody is immune, because we’re a product of what society and peer groups and now the internet tells us, unless we learn differently from experience.

You once sang about a star who “took the money and your dignity, and got the hell out.” In 2016, you wrote in your journal, “This summer is the apocalypse.” How close did you come to quitting altogether?

I definitely thought about that a lot. I thought about how words are my only way of making sense of the world and expressing myself — and now any words I say or write are being twisted against me. People love a hate frenzy. It’s like piranhas. People had so much fun hating me, and they didn’t really need very many reasons to do it. I felt like the situation was pretty hopeless. I wrote a lot of really aggressively bitter poems constantly. I wrote a lot of think pieces that I knew I’d never publish, about what it’s like to feel like you’re in a shame spiral. And I couldn’t figure out how to learn from it. Because I wasn’t sure exactly what I did that was so wrong. That was really hard for me, because I cannot stand it when people can’t take criticism. So I try to self-examine, and even though that’s really hard and hurts a lot sometimes, I really try to understand where people are coming from when they don’t like me. And I completely get why people wouldn’t like me. Because, you know, I’ve had my insecurities say those things — and things 1,000 times worse.

But some of your former critics have become your friends, right?

Some of my best friendships came from people publicly criticizing me and then it opening up a conversation. Haley Kiyoko was doing an interview and she made an example about how I get away with singing about straight relationships and people don’t give me shit the way they give her shit for singing about girls — and it’s totally valid. Like, Ella — Lorde — the first thing she ever said about me publicly was a criticism of my image or whatever. But I can’t really respond to someone saying, “You, as a human being, are fake.” And if they say you’re playing the victim, that completely undermines your ability to ever verbalize how you feel unless it’s positive. So, OK, should I just smile all the time and never say anything hurts me? Because that’s really fake. Or should I be real about how I’m feeling and have valid, legitimate responses to things that happened to me in my life? But wait, would that be playing the victim?

How do you escape that mental trap?

Since I was 15 years old, if people criticized me for something, I changed it. So you realize you might be this amalgamation of criticisms that were hurled at you, and not an actual person who’s made any of these choices themselves. And so I decided I needed to live a quiet life, because a quiet personal life invites no discussion, dissection, and debate. I didn’t realize I was inviting people to feel they had the right to sort of play my life like a video game.

“The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s dead!” was funny — but how seriously should we take it?

There’s a part of me that definitely is always going to be different. I needed to grow up in many ways. I needed to make boundaries, to figure out what was mine and what was the public’s. That old version of me that shares unfailingly and unblinkingly with a world that is probably not fit to be shared with? I think that’s gone. But it was definitely just, like, a fun moment in the studio with me and Jack [Antonoff] where I wanted to play on the idea of a phone call — because that’s how all of this started, a stupid phone call I shouldn’t have picked up.

It would have been much easier if that’s what you’d just said.

It would have been so, so great if I would have just said that [laughs].

Some of the Lover iconography does suggest old Taylor’s return, though.

I don’t think I’ve ever leaned into the old version of myself more creatively than I have on this album, where it’s very, very autobiographical. But also moments of extreme catchiness and moments of extreme personal confession.

Did you do anything wrong from your perspective in dealing with that phone call? Is there anything you regret?

The world didn’t understand the context and the events that led up to it. Because nothing ever just happens like that without some lead-up. Some events took place to cause me to be pissed off when he called me a bitch. That was not just a singular event. Basically, I got really sick of the dynamic between he and I. And that wasn’t just based on what happened on that phone call and with that song — it was kind of a chain reaction of things.

I started to feel like we reconnected, which felt great for me — because all I ever wanted my whole career after that thing happened in 2009 was for him to respect me. When someone doesn’t respect you so loudly and says you literally don’t deserve to be here — I just so badly wanted that respect from him, and I hate that about myself, that I was like, “This guy who’s antagonizing me, I just want his approval.” But that’s where I was. And so we’d go to dinner and stuff. And I was so happy, because he would say really nice things about my music. It just felt like I was healing some childhood rejection or something from when I was 19. But the 2015 VMAs come around. He’s getting the Vanguard Award. He called me up beforehand — I didn’t illegally record it, so I can’t play it for you. But he called me up, maybe a week or so before the event, and we had maybe over an hourlong conversation, and he’s like, “I really, really would like for you to present this Vanguard Award to me, this would mean so much to me,” and went into all the reasons why it means so much, because he can be so sweet. He can be the sweetest. And I was so stoked that he asked me that. And so I wrote this speech up, and then we get to the VMAs and I make this speech and he screams, “MTV got Taylor Swift up here to present me this award for ratings!” [His exact words: “You know how many times they announced Taylor was going to give me the award ’cause it got them more ratings?”] And I’m standing in the audience with my arm around his wife, and this chill ran through my body. I realized he is so two-faced. That he wants to be nice to me behind the scenes, but then he wants to look cool, get up in front of everyone and talk shit. And I was so upset. He wanted me to come talk to him after the event in his dressing room. I wouldn’t go. So then he sent this big, big thing of flowers the next day to apologize. And I was like, “You know what? I really don’t want us to be on bad terms again. So whatever, I’m just going to move past this.” So when he gets on the phone with me, and I was so touched that he would be respectful and, like, tell me about this one line in the song.

The line being “. . . me and Taylor might still have sex”?

[Nods] And I was like, “OK, good. We’re back on good terms.” And then when I heard the song, I was like, “I’m done with this. If you want to be on bad terms, let’s be on bad terms, but just be real about it.” And then he literally did the same thing to Drake. He gravely affected the trajectory of Drake’s family and their lives. It’s the same thing. Getting close to you, earning your trust, detonating you. I really don’t want to talk about it anymore because I get worked up, and I don’t want to just talk about negative shit all day, but it’s the same thing. Go watch Drake talk about what happened. [West denied any involvement in Pusha-T’s revelation of Drake’s child and apologized for sending “negative energy” toward Drake.]

When did you get to the place that’s described on the opening track of Lover, “I Forgot That You Existed”?

It was sometime on the Reputation tour, which was the most transformative emotional experience of my career. That tour put me in the healthiest, most balanced place I’ve ever been. After that tour, bad stuff can happen to me, but it doesn’t level me anymore. The stuff that happened a couple of months ago with Scott [Borchetta] would have leveled me three years ago and silenced me. I would have been too afraid to speak up. Something about that tour made me disengage from some part of public perception I used to hang my entire identity on, which I now know is incredibly unhealthy.

What was the actual revelation?

It’s almost like I feel more clear about the fact that my job is to be an entertainer. It’s not like this massive thing that sometimes my brain makes it into, and sometimes the media makes it into, where we’re all on this battlefield and everyone’s gonna die except one person, who wins. It’s like, “No, do you know what? Katy is going to be legendary. Gaga is going to be legendary. Beyoncé is going to be legendary. Rihanna is going to be legendary. Because the work that they made completely overshadows the myopia of this 24-hour news cycle of clickbait.” And somehow I realized that on tour, as I was looking at people’s faces. We’re just entertaining people, and it’s supposed to be fun.

It’s interesting to look at these albums as a trilogy. 1989 was really a reset button.

Oh, in every way. I’ve been very vocal about the fact that that decision was mine and mine alone, and it was definitely met with a lot of resistance. Internally.

After realizing that things were not all smiles with your former label boss, Scott Borchetta, it’s hard not to wonder how much additional conflict there was over things like that.

A lot of the best things I ever did creatively were things that I had to really fight — and I mean aggressively fight — to have happen. But, you know, I’m not like him, making crazy, petty accusations about the past. . . . When you have a business relationship with someone for 15 years, there are going to be a lot of ups and a lot of downs. But I truly, legitimately thought he looked at me as the daughter he never had. And so even though we had a lot of really bad times and creative differences, I was going to hang my hat on the good stuff. I wanted to be friends with him. I thought I knew what betrayal felt like, but this stuff that happened with him was a redefinition of betrayal for me, just because it felt like it was family. To go from feeling like you’re being looked at as a daughter to this grotesque feeling of “Oh, I was actually his prized calf that he was fattening up to sell to the slaughterhouse that would pay the most.”

He accused you of declining the Parkland march and Manchester benefit show.

Unbelievable. Here’s the thing: Everyone in my team knew if Scooter Braun brings us something, do not bring it to me. The fact that those two are in business together after the things he said about Scooter Braun — it’s really hard to shock me. And this was utterly shocking. These are two very rich, very powerful men, using $300 million of other people’s money to purchase, like, the most feminine body of work. And then they’re standing in a wood-panel bar doing a tacky photo shoot, raising a glass of scotch to themselves. Because they pulled one over on me and got this done so sneakily that I didn’t even see it coming. And I couldn’t say anything about it.

In some ways, on a musical level, Lover feels like the most indie-ish of your albums.

That’s amazing, thank you. It’s definitely a quirky record. With this album, I felt like I sort of gave myself permission to revisit older themes that I used to write about, maybe look at them with fresh eyes. And to revisit older instruments — older in terms of when I used to use them. Because when I was making 1989, I was so obsessed with it being this concept of Eighties big pop, whether it was Eighties in its production or Eighties in its nature, just having these big choruses — being unapologetically big. And then Reputation, there was a reason why I had it all in lowercase. I felt like it wasn’t unapologetically commercial. It’s weird, because that is the album that took the most amount of explanation, and yet it’s the one I didn’t talk about. In the Reputation secret sessions I kind of had to explain to my fans, “I know we’re doing a new thing here that I’d never done before.” I’d never played with characters before. For a lot of pop stars, that’s a really fun trick, where they’re like, “This is my alter ego.” I had never played with that before. It’s really fun. And it was just so fun to play with on tour — the darkness and the bombast and the bitterness and the love and the ups and the downs of an emotional-turmoil record.

RS1332Taylor SwiftPhotograph by by Erik Madigan Heck for Rolling Stone

Photograph by by Erik Madigan Heck for Rolling Stone.

Dress by Louis Vuitton. Earrings by Jessica McCormack

“Daylight” is a beautiful song. It feels like it could have been the title track.

It almost was. I thought it might be a little bit too sentimental.

And I guess maybe too on-the-nose.

Right, yeah, way too on-the-nose. That’s what I thought, because I was kind of in my head referring to the album as Daylight for a while. But Lover, to me, was a more interesting title, more of an accurate theme in my head, and more elastic as a concept. That’s why “You Need to Calm Down” can make sense within the theme of the album — one of the things it addresses is how certain people are not allowed to live their lives without discrimination just based on who they love.

For the more organic songs on this album, like “Lover” and “Paper Rings,” you said you were imagining a wedding band playing them. How often does that kind of visualization shape a song’s production style?

Sometimes I’ll have a strange sort of fantasy of where the songs would be played. And so for songs like “Paper Rings” or “Lover” I was imagining a wedding-reception band, but in the Seventies, so they couldn’t play instruments that wouldn’t have been invented yet. I have all these visuals. For Reputation, it was nighttime cityscape. I didn’t really want any — or very minimal — traditional acoustic instruments. I imagined old warehouse buildings that had been deserted and factory spaces and all this industrial kind of imagery. So I wanted the production to have nothing wooden. There’s no wood floors on that album. Lover is, like, completely just a barn wood floor and some ripped curtains flowing in the breeze, and fields of flowers and, you know, velvet.

How did you come to use high school metaphors to touch on politics with “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince”?

There are so many influences that go into that particular song. I wrote it a couple of months after midterm elections, and I wanted to take the idea of politics and pick a metaphorical place for that to exist. And so I was thinking about a traditional American high school, where there’s all these kinds of social events that could make someone feel completely alienated. And I think a lot of people in our political landscape are just feeling like we need to huddle up under the bleachers and figure out a plan to make things better.

I feel like your Fall Out Boy fandom might’ve slipped out in that title.

I love Fall Out Boy so much. Their songwriting really influenced me, lyrically, maybe more than anyone else. They take a phrase and they twist it. “Loaded God complex/Cock it and pull it”? When I heard that, I was like, “I’m dreaming.”

You sing about “American stories burning before me.” Do you mean the illusions of what America is?

It’s about the illusions of what I thought America was before our political landscape took this turn, and that naivete that we used to have about it. And it’s also the idea of people who live in America, who just want to live their lives, make a living, have a family, love who they love, and watching those people lose their rights, or watching those people feel not at home in their home. I have that line “I see the high-fives between the bad guys” because not only are some really racist, horrific undertones now becoming overtones in our political climate, but the people who are representing those concepts and that way of looking at the world are celebrating loudly, and it’s horrific.

You’re in this weird place of being a blond, blue-eyed pop star in this era — to the point where until you endorsed some Democratic candidates, right-wingers, and worse, assumed you were on their side.

I don’t think they do anymore. Yeah, that was jarring, and I didn’t hear about that until after it had happened. Because at this point, I, for a very long time, I didn’t have the internet on my phone, and my team and my family were really worried about me because I was not in a good place. And there was a lot of stuff that they just dealt with without telling me about it. Which is the only time that’s ever happened in my career. I’m always in the pilot seat, trying to fly the plane that is my career in exactly the direction I want to take it. But there was a time when I just had to throw my hands up and say, “Guys, I can’t. I can’t do this. I need you to just take over for me and I’m just going to disappear.”

Are you referring to when a white-supremacist site suggested you were on their team?

I didn’t even see that, but, like, if that happened, that’s just disgusting. There’s literally nothing worse than white supremacy. It’s repulsive. There should be no place for it. Really, I keep trying to learn as much as I can about politics, and it’s become something I’m now obsessed with, whereas before, I was living in this sort of political ambivalence, because the person I voted for had always won. We were in such an amazing time when Obama was president because foreign nations respected us. We were so excited to have this dignified person in the White House. My first election was voting for him when he made it into office, and then voting to re-elect him. I think a lot of people are like me, where they just didn’t really know that this could happen. But I’m just focused on the 2020 election. I’m really focused on it. I’m really focused on how I can help and not hinder. Because I also don’t want it to backfire again, because I do feel that the celebrity involvement with Hillary’s campaign was used against her in a lot of ways.

You took a lot of heat for not getting involved. Does any part of you regret that you just didn’t say “fuck it” and gotten more specific when you said to vote that November?

Totally. Yeah, I regret a lot of things all the time. It’s like a daily ritual.

Were you just convinced that it would backfire?

That’s literally what it was. Yeah. It’s a very powerful thing when you legitimately feel like numbers have proven that pretty much everyone hates you. Like, quantifiably. That’s not me being dramatic. And you know that.

There were a lot of people in those stadiums.

It’s true. But that was two years later. . . . I do think, as a party, we need to be more of a team. With Republicans, if you’re wearing that red hat, you’re one of them. And if we’re going to do anything to change what’s happening, we need to stick together. We need to stop dissecting why someone’s on our side or if they’re on our side in the right way or if they phrased it correctly. We need to not have the right kind of Democrat and the wrong kind of Democrat. We need to just be like, “You’re a Democrat? Sick. Get in the car. We’re going to the mall.”

Here’s a hard question for you: As a superfan, what did you think of the Game of Thrones finale?

Oh, my God. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. So, clinically our brain responds to our favorite show ending the same way we feel when a breakup occurs. I read that. There’s no good way for it to end. No matter what would have happened in that finale, people still would have been really upset because of the fact that it’s over.

I was glad to see you confirm that your line about a “list of names” was a reference to Arya.

I like to be influenced by movies and shows and books and stuff. I love to write about a character dynamic. And not all of my life is going to be as kind of complex as these intricate webs of characters on TV shows and movies.

There was a time when it was.

That’s amazing.

But is the idea that as your own life becomes less dramatic, you’ll need to pull ideas from other places?

I don’t feel like that yet. I think I might feel like that possibly when I have a family. If I have a family. [Pauses] I don’t know why I said that! But that’s what I’ve heard from other artists, that they were very protective of their personal life, so they had to draw inspiration from other things. But again, I don’t know why I said that. Because I don’t know how my life is going to go or what I’m going to do. But right now, I feel like it’s easier for me to write than it ever was.

You don’t talk about your relationship, but you’ll sing about it in wildly revealing detail. What’s the difference for you?

Singing about something helps you to express it in a way that feels more accurate. You cannot, no matter what, put words in a quote and have it move someone the same way as if you heard those words with the perfect sonic representation of that feeling. . . . There is that weird conflict in being a confessional songwriter and then also having my life, you know, 10 years ago, be catapulted into this strange pop-culture thing.

I’ve heard you say that people got too interested in which song was about who, which I can understand — at the same time, to be fair, it was a game you played into, wasn’t it?

I realized very early on that no matter what, that was going to happen to me regardless. So when you realize the rules of the game you’re playing and how it will affect you, you got to look at the board and make your strategy. But at the same time, writing songs has never been a strategic element of my career. But I’m not scared anymore to say that other things in my career, like how to market an album, are strictly strategic. And I’m sick of women not being able to say that they have strategic business minds — because male artists are allowed to. And so I’m sick and tired of having to pretend like I don’t mastermind my own business. But, it’s a different part of my brain than I use to write.

You’ve been masterminding your business since you were a teenager.

Yeah, but I’ve also tried very hard — and this is one thing I regret — to convince people that I wasn’t the one holding the puppet strings of my marketing existence, or the fact that I sit in a conference room several times a week and come up with these ideas. I felt for a very long time that people don’t want to think of a woman in music who isn’t just a happy, talented accident. We’re all forced to kind of be like, “Aw, shucks, this happened again! We’re still doing well! Aw, that’s so great.” Alex Morgan celebrating scoring a goal at the World Cup and getting shit for it is a perfect example of why we’re not allowed to flaunt or celebrate, or reveal that, like, “Oh, yeah, it was me. I came up with this stuff.” I think it’s really unfair. People love new female artists so much because they’re able to explain that woman’s success. There’s an easy trajectory. Look at the Game of Thrones finale. I specifically really related to Daenerys’ storyline because for me it portrayed that it is a lot easier for a woman to attain power than to maintain it.

I mean, she did murder . . .

It’s a total metaphor! Like, obviously I didn’t want Daenerys to become that kind of character, but in taking away what I chose to take away from it, I thought maybe they’re trying to portray her climbing the ladder to the top was a lot easier than maintaining it, because for me, the times when I felt like I was going insane was when I was trying to maintain my career in the same way that I ascended. It’s easier to get power than to keep it. It’s easier to get acclaim than to keep it. It’s easier to get attention than to keep it.

Well, I guess we should be glad you didn’t have a dragon in 2016. . . .

[Fiercely] I told you I don’t like that she did that! But, I mean, watching the show, though, maybe this is a reflection on how we treat women in power, how we are totally going to conspire against them and tear at them until they feel this — this insane shift, where you wonder, like, “What changed?” And I’ve had that happen, like, 60 times in my career where I’m like, “OK, you liked me last year, what changed? I guess I’ll change so I can keep entertaining you guys.”

You once said that your mom could never punish you when you were little because you’d punish yourself. This idea of changing in the face of criticism and needing approval — that’s all part of wanting to be good, right? Whatever that means. But that seems to be a real driving force in your life.

Yeah, that’s definitely very perceptive of you. And the question posed to me is, if you kept trying to do good things, but everyone saw those things in a cynical way and assumed them to be done with bad motivation and bad intent, would you still do good things, even though nothing that you did was looked at as good? And the answer is, yes. Criticism that’s constructive is helpful to my character growth. Baseless criticism is stuff I’ve got to toss out now.

That sounds healthy. Is this therapy talking or is this just experience?

No, I’ve never been to therapy. I talk to my mom a lot, because my mom is the one who’s seen everything. God, it takes so long to download somebody on the last 29 years of my life, and my mom has seen it all. She knows exactly where I’m coming from. And we talk endlessly. There were times when I used to have really, really, really bad days where we would just be on the phone for hours and hours and hours. I’d write something that I wanted to say, and instead of posting it, I’d just read it to her.

I somehow connect all this to the lyric in “Daylight,” the idea of “so many lines that I’ve crossed unforgiven” — it’s a different kind of confession.

I am really glad you liked that line, because that’s something that does bother me, looking back at life and realizing that no matter what, you screw things up. Sometimes there are people that were in your life and they’re not anymore — and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t fix it, you can’t change it. I told the fans last night that sometimes on my bad days, I feel like my life is a pile of crap accumulated of only the bad headlines or the bad things that have happened, or the mistakes I’ve made or clichés or rumors or things that people think about me or have thought for the last 15 years. And that was part of the “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, where I had a pile of literal old selves fighting each other.

But, yeah, that line is indicative of my anxiety about how in life you can’t get everything right. A lot of times you make the wrong call, make the wrong decision. Say the wrong thing. Hurt people, even if you didn’t mean to. You don’t really know how to fix all of that. When it’s, like, 29 years’ worth.

To be Mr. “Rolling Stone” for a second, there’s a Springsteen lyric, “Ain’t no one leaving this world, buddy/Without their shirttail dirty or hands a little bloody.”

That’s really good! No one gets through it unscathed. No one gets through in one piece. I think that’s a hard thing for a lot of people to grasp. I know it was hard for me, because I kind of grew up thinking, “If I’m nice, and if I try to do the right thing, you know, maybe I can just, like, ace this whole thing.” And it turns out I can’t.

It’s interesting to look at “I Did Something Bad” in this context.

You pointing that out is really interesting because it’s something I’ve had to reconcile within myself in the last couple of years — that sort of “good” complex. Because from the time I was a kid I’d try to be kind, be a good person. Try really hard. But you get walked all over sometimes. And how do you respond to being walked all over? You can’t just sit there and eat your salad and let it happen. “I Did Something Bad” was about doing something that was so against what I would usually do. Katy [Perry] and I were talking about our signs. . . . [Laughs] Of course we were.

That’s the greatest sentence ever.

[Laughs] I hate you. We were talking about our signs because we had this really, really long talk when we were reconnecting and stuff. And I remember in the long talk, she was like, “If we had one glass of white wine right now, we’d both be crying.” Because we were drinking tea. We’ve had some really good conversations.

We were talking about how we’ve had miscommunications with people in the past, not even specifically with each other. She’s like, “I’m a Scorpio. Scorpios just strike when they feel threatened.” And I was like, “Well, I’m an archer. We literally stand back, assess the situation, process how we feel about it, raise a bow, pull it back, and fire.” So it’s completely different ways of processing pain, confusion, misconception. And oftentimes I’ve had this delay in feeling something that hurts me and then saying that it hurts me. Do you know what I mean? And so I can understand how people in my life would have been like, “Whoa, I didn’t know that was how you felt.” Because it takes me a second.

If you watch the video of the 2009 VMAs, I literally freeze. I literally stand there. And that is how I handle any discomfort, any pain. I stand there, I freeze. And then five minutes later, I know how I feel. But in the moment, I’m probably overreacting and I should be nice. Then I process it, and in five minutes, if it’s gone, it’s past, and I’m like, “I was overreacting, everything’s fine. I can get through this. I’m glad I didn’t say anything harsh in the moment.” But when it’s actually something bad that happened, and I feel really, really hurt or upset about it, I only know after the fact. Because I’ve tried so hard to squash it: “This probably isn’t what you think.” That’s something I had to work on

You could end up gaslighting yourself.

Yeah, for sure. ’Cause so many situations where if I would have said the first thing that came to my mind, people would have been like, “Whoa!” And maybe I would have been wrong or combative. So a couple of years ago I started working on actually just responding to my emotions in a quicker fashion. And it’s really helped with stuff. It’s helped so much because sometimes you get in arguments. But conflict in the moment is so much better than combat after the fact.

Well, thanks.

I do feel like I just did a therapy session. As someone who’s never been to therapy, I can safely say that was the best therapy session.

[samuelfields]

Five Steps To Improving Productivity: A Quora Case Study

Since making money from our investments might be getting more difficult, it’s good if everybody figures out how to improve productivity. During a downturn, corporations try to squeeze employees to do more after letting go of a bunch of people.

But working more is not my definition of being more productive. Working the the same and generating more output, working less and generating the same output, or working less and generating more output is a much better definition.

We often get stuck in a rut, doing the same thing and expecting things to improve. We’re also creatures of habit despite knowing there are better ways to get things done.

One example of being inefficient is tracking your net worth on an excel spreadsheet despite the proliferation of free net worth tracking software. Another example of inefficiency is vegging out in front of the TV instead of also doing something brainless at the same time, like folding laundry. Another example is watching a terrible movie on a 5-hour flight instead of doing some work on a laptop.

In this post I’d like to introduce my 5-step productivity framework using writing answers on Quora as a case study. 

Step #1: Identify The Pain Points

Since running out of energy last year, I needed to figure out what were the things that were sucking up my time or causing unnecessary grief. I zeroed in on three things:

1) Responding to comments without getting acknowledgement or a response back when I ask for follow up.

2) Responding to questions when the answer is clearly in the post.

3) Debating about a topic with a reader only to discover they don’t have the relevant experience.

At one point, I was seriously deliberating disabling comments or responding to nobody since all these activities takes around three hours a week. Given I try to keep my work load to no more than 25 hours a week, I was wasting 12% of work time.

Step #2: Replace Wasted Time With Potentially Useful Time

Since identifying my pain points, I’ve stopped responding to obvious questions, included a warning in my comment system about not approving low value commentary, and decided to use the remaining time answering questions on Quora, a Q&A platform with roughly 80 million users who don’t follow Financial Samurai.

My goal is to encourage FS readers to become more involved in the community by providing their own thoughts to other readers’ comments. Further, I want readers who have questions to improve their self-sufficiency by typing their questions into my search box or typing “XYZ Question Financial Samurai” in Google. As I’ve been writing about personal finance since 2009, I’ve covered most financial topics.

Here are the main benefits I thought of writing on Bay Area-based Quora.

Tap a new audience that is unfamiliar with Financial Samurai.

Build link backs to key pillar articles on Financial Samurai.

Build my reputation in Personal Finance, Real Estate, Investing, and San Francisco

Meet potentially interesting people online outside of the personal finance blog echo chamber

Have fun and be intellectually stimulated

Step #3: Establish A Short Window For Testing

I gave myself 30 days to focus on building my profile on Quora.

In one month, I was able to generate 1.1 million answer views, or 33,333 views a day on average. I answered 70 questions in the 30 day time frame. I’m not sure how good this is, but I think the median number of views a user gets is around 1,000 a day.

The summary shows I answered 84 questions. The additional 14 are answers I wrote years ago when Quora first started. Back then, I thought it was a waste of time since it wasn’t very popular and they made you earn credit in order to ask question, which I thought was stupid.

Step #4: Come Up With Specific Goals You Want To Achieve In The Testing Window

Without specific goals, you’ll end up going down a rabbit hole. Improving productivity requires laser focus.

My goals were to:

Become a “Most Viewed Writer” on the subjects I cared most about: San Francisco, San Francisco Bay Area, Personal Finance, and Real Estate.

Try to achieve 1 million views

Stay consistent for 30 days

Build some repertoire with SF media

I became a “Most Viewed Writer” in all subjects I focused on. I’m pleased with my results in the Real Estate section where I achieved the #1 spot with only 13 answers versus the #2 guy with less views, but with 1,242 answers! 1,242 answers is ridiculous and clearly shows an addiction or a lack of efficiency! I don’t even know how he finds the time to eat and go to the bathroom answering 41.2 answers a day on average.

Most Viewed Writer in San Francisco

Financial Samurai most viewed writer in Personal Finance

Financial Samurai most viewed writer San Francisco Bay Area

Financial Samurai most viewed writer on Real Estate. 13 answers versus 1,242 answers for the #2 guy

In the beginning, it was fun to answer the questions. They kept notifying me that my answers had been sent to their Quora e-mail digest of over 1,000, 2,000, and sometimes 100,000+ people. Positive reinforcement felt great.

But over time, Quora started making me feel like a slave to their system until I finally told myself I had had enough and stopped answering every question I had detailed knowledge about. I became pickier. I turned off Quora notifications on my phone as well. As a result, I became happier, much the same way people who use Facebook become happier when they delete it from their phone.

Endless bombardment of annoying Quora answer requests

Step #5: Thoroughly Analyze The Results Of Your Efforts

After 1.1M views, I only received around 20,000 visits from Quora to Financial Samurai. That’s only a 1.9% click through rate.

Think about all the time spent answering questions to only get 1.9% of the traffic while Quora gets to keep 98.1% of the traffic. Further they get to control and reuse your content. I can easily spend $500 in advertisement on Facebook to get 20,000 visitors to Financial Samurai instead.

Do note that having a large site does not preclude you from being able to also generate 1.1M views in a month either. If you can generate 1.1M views on Quora and have a site that gets just 20,000 visitors a month, you will likely double your traffic. Unfortunately for me, traffic only increased by ~2% because I already generate about 1M visitors a month on Financial Samurai.

The only immediate positive I experienced with Quora seems to be a boost in online revenue. Although Quora boosted my online January traffic by only ~2%, my online revenue improved by 10% because of new visitors. Further, there will probably be some long term benefit  for now having ~1,700+ followers on Quora and 84+ answers on their platform for their users and search engines to find and read.

Why I No Longer Plan To Focus On Quora

On the 23rd day of Quora answering, I got a notification out of the blue that one of my answers, which I had spent at around 30 minutes to write and had 220K views and 2,277 upvotes was deleted due to a “violation of their writing policy,” which I had not read. It was odd because the answer was no different in format from all the other answers I had written.

You would think that an answer with this many upvotes and views would be a good thing for the community, but somehow it was flagged, probably by a competing answerer to the question. Quora didn’t even ask me if I could edit the post to comply with their policy. They just outright deleted my work. See below:

My initial reaction was not anger that I lost the view count, but annoyance that I had wasted my time and lost my content. After all, my month long goal was to save time or improve my use of time. As a writer, good content should not be wasted.

Luckily, I was able to click a link to view what they deleted, copied the answer and created a new page on Financial Samurai with my deleted answer: Do Wealthy People Think About Retiring At A Young Age? Phew, it feels so good to have saved my work and add my own recommendations at the end without fear of deletion.

Know this. If you are writing on Quora, you are making Quora rich. You are improving their content and traffic. Instead, you should be writing on your own platform and making yourself rich. I recommend everybody have their own website to own their own brand and own their own content and traffic.

You would think they’d treat someone who was able to write 70 answers in a month and generate 1.1M views better, but they haven’t even bothered to respond to my appeal.

If I knew Quora wouldn’t delete my answers, I would continue to give Quora a go. But their apparent random deletion of a popular answer with no response makes spending any significant amount of time on their platform risky and inefficient. Therefore, the smarter move is to first publish on Financial Samurai and then use some of my content to republish shorter answers on Quora if I have nothing else to do with my life.

I plan to now write little to nothing on Quora for the next 30 days to see how much organic views and traffic I achieve from my existing answers.

Productivity Steps Review

I hope my case study gives you an idea of how to improve productivity in something you care about. If you’ve been doing anything for several years, I’m pretty sure there’s a better way of doing it today.

Identify the pain points

Replace wasted time with a potential better use of time

Establish a short window for testing your new use of time

Come up with specific objectives for your new use of time

Thoroughly analyze the results and make logical next decisions

Having a productivity mindset is also important for reaching financial freedom. With such a mindset, you will focus on how to generate more passive income streams to buttress your active income streams so that you might one day be free. It is amazing once you can get your money working hard for you, so you don’t have to.

Readers, what are some pain points you’ve experienced and how did you go about improving your productivity? Any readers out there spending their time making Quora rich instead of themselves? 

Related:

How Much Can You Make Blogging For A Living?

The 10 Best Reasons Why Everyone Should Start Their Own Online Business

Why Blogging Is The Best Business In The World

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/5-Steps-to-Greater-Productivity_MASTER.mp3

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[glenmenlow]

What’s Driving Consumers: 5 Questions With Ford’s Sheryl Connelly

Ford Motor Company’s resident futurist Sheryl Connelly has been forecasting consumer trends with a blend of qual and quant insights for the last few years. She uses a big global survey of consumers to inform her opinions and then shapes a trends report which the company started sharing publicly in 2012.

Let the debate begin about Connelly’s choices for the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report, her sixth annual outlook that takes the pulse of consumers, reads the economic winds and parses what it all means for marketers, and not just Ford. Her top 10 trends are a fascinating reflection of consumers’ mindsets as we adapt to the accelerating forces of cultural and political polarization, technological obsolescence and disruption and digital ubiquity.

The current mood, Connelly finds, is a general feeling of consumer anxiety, even as economies strengthen and incomes and job opportunities grow around the world: more than half (54%) of adults participating in Ford’s global study this year said that they feel more stressed than they did a year ago.

“This moment in time is unique in its anxiety and its sense of being overwhelmed,” Connelly told brandchannel. “And it’s not a specifically American point of view. The UK, India and Spain, for instance, have their own issues, too.”

But that doesn’t mean a feeling of hopelessness or paralysis, as Connelly states in her 2018 consumer outlook: “Shifting global priorities, rampant political upheaval, and a spotlight on social inequity have upended the status quo and left many disoriented. But out of the chaos and conflict, a new energy and creativity is motivating people like never before. From compassion and guilt to heightened activism, most adults believe their actions have the power to influence positive change.”

Key data points from Ford’s new global research report:

39% of adults say they do not mind sharing their personal information with companies, but 60% say they are frustrated by how much of their information has become public

76% of adults around the world say they find it creepy when companies know too much about them

52% of adults say they believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, but 61% say they are hopeful about a future of autonomous vehicles

68% of adults say they are overwhelmed by suffering in the world today, and 51% say they feel guilty for not doing more to make the world better

81% of adults say they are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and the poor

73% of adults say they should take better care of their emotional well-being

54% of adults globally say they feel more stressed out than they did a year ago, and among 18- to 29-year-olds, that number is even higher, at 65%.

And the top 10 consumer trends coming out of the research:

The Edge of Reason: “Across the world, people are overwhelmed by the change affecting everything from politics to pop culture—and consumers are hungry for inventive ways to cope and adapt,” the report said. Case in point: 80% of U.S. adults surveyed find that people are increasingly intolerant of opposing views.

The Activist Awakening: 52% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 surveyed by Ford say they expect brands to take a stand on political issues. “Thanks to the culture of polarization, consumers are being jolted out of complacency. Individuals are debating the change we need, unafraid to topple the conventional wisdom and expectations.”

Minding the Gap: “Worldwide, the spotlight is on inequality. Activists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with new ways to improve access to quality education, increase productive employment, close wage gaps and provide everyone with affordable access to basic living standards and infrastructure.”

The Compassionate Conscience: 76% of adults Ford surveyed globally believe their actions can influence positive change. “With an omnipresent news cycle, consumers are more aware of the challenges people face across the world—and more reflective of their role in society.”

Mending the Mind: “Slowly, consumer and institutions are realizing that you cannot have a healthy body unless you have a healthy mind. As such, mental health and well-being are coming to the forefront as issues that individuals, governments and companies need to address.”

Retail Therapy: “Many consumers are on the endless hunt for something new and different—and they’re rethinking how material goods and services can bring them happiness.” For instance, 66% of adults globally between the ages of 18 and 29 think that the experience of shopping is more enjoyable than the actual purchase.

Helplessly Exposed: “Big Data claims to be able to interpret our behaviors, which in theory should help consumers—yet it also can come with Big Bias. Consumers are ramping up the pressure on companies to be accountable and act responsibly.”

Technology’s Tipping Point: “Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous technology are here, integrating into our daily lives. Across the globe, humans are asking: what does the onslaught of intelligent technology mean for us as a society, and will it make a more positive impact than we thought?” Interestingly, 52% of those surveyed by Ford believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good.

Singled Out: “Are marriage and parenthood still the desired norms for happy living? More and more people are rethinking commitment and fulfillment, with more choices at their fingertips and longer life spans to consider.”

Big Plans for Big Cities: “By 2050, roughly 75% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas. To capitalize on the full potential of cities—to keep them happy and healthy places to live—we must be smart and mindful about planning.”

For more insights on the data and analysis, we spoke with Connelly about what she’s seeing and what it means for consumers, Ford and other brands:

Sheryl, how would you summarize the difference between Ford’s first public trends report in 2012 and this latest research that you’re sharing?

This is our sixth annual report, but I’ve been doing it for 14 years. They’re near-term and easier to call because they’re microtrends. But this report is decidedly different from the reports that we’ve put forth in the last five years, a true reflection of where the world stands right now. In 2012, the world was still reeling from the global recession and there was a lot of uncertainty. What I found surprising was how widespread that feeling was [now].

To what extent is this current anxiety a result of feeling bombarded with political news and other people’s views across traditional and social media? 

We don’t know what anyone else is thinking because we’re so polarized that we’re unwilling to engage in debate. I made as purposeful an effort to be as balanced as possible. Some people say ‘At last world order is being restored and it’s long overdue.’ And some people feel it’s the beginning of the end and are wallowing in anxiety and discontent.

We’re overwhelmed by the changes taking place and it’s left us feeling uncertain. But three-quarters said they believe in the individual’s ability to bring out change. Engagement is at an all-time high and there’s awareness and desire to become educated in matters that are important to them. It’s really driving how we live. I’m more conversant on politics, for example, than I’ve ever been before.

Your latest research finds that a majority of adults between 18 and 29, with smaller percentages for older cohorts, believe that brands should take a stand on political issues. What should CEOs and brands do?

This is really the question. This is a difficult one. Companies that have a clear set of values are in a better position than others. Ford is an example. I don’t think of us as a very political company, but in early January when there was a move to ban some immigrants (from entering the U.S.), Ford made a statement that it goes against what we stand for.

One of the trends we identified is The Compassionate Conscience. That’s about the good work you do in a community. This calls out the trend from the past year that we’ve been witness to some horrific tragedies like the hurricanes, and the coverage made it impossible for many people not to respond to the problems of others.

How is “The Compassionate Conscience” playing out at Ford?

There’s an ongoing conversation about what kind of role do we play at a company like Ford and how we stand on those issues. For example, [Ford Executive Chairman] Bill Ford put a volunteer corps together years ago and it gives people license to step away from their day job and do community service. He amped that up with the Bill Ford Better World Challenge, (a global grant program) where he asked individuals to suggest solutions—he personally contributes to it—and a global caring month of volunteerism in September. We’re also embedding this into our culture with “30 Under 30,” asking Ford people to nominate themselves to create best-in-class community engagement initiatives. This next generation of Ford philanthropic leaders receives mentoring from our leadership team.

Let’s talk about the “Helplessly Exposed” trend—what’s going on there?

Privacy is always about give and take. I’m happy to share my information with a business as long as they’re transparent about it. Like having my credit card information on Amazon: I can be on any computer in the house and I don’t have to hunt down my credit card. But there’s risk in keeping that information somewhere on the world wide web.

There are patterns of behavior and things that we do where we’re not always mindful they’re being collected, such as algorithms on a search engine. By improving search efficiency they’re building a profile about you that biases the information you receive, and no one tells you that. That feeds into the “Edge of Reason” because that echo chamber is so loud.

“Retail Therapy” is another interesting trend as it’s more than just “treat yourself.” Can you shed more light on that?

Everyone talks about how bricks and mortar (retail) is dead and online is the key to the future. But [Apple senior vice president of retail] Angela Ahrendts says only about 35% of purchases take place online, and she believes there’s a movement afoot to bring people together and now they think of the Apple store as a space that’s a town hall or place of community and not always geared to sell something. They want to bring people together who have an affinity or shared passion or teachable point of view, such as classes about how to better use the camera on your phone. I found that fascinating.

Three other brands have a similar take on it: Restoration Hardware, which has turned showrooms into places to lounge; Nordstrom Local [where they do your nails and serve you coffee while you wait for garment alterations]; and Ford’s Hub in New York City. Another interesting thing is that it’s all about the brand experience—it’s a new way to engage.

Also not as obvious in Retail Therapy is the notion of “the hedonic treadmill”—that we all have a baseline of happiness and a natural resting state on that scale. If you win the lottery you’re never going to be as happy as you hoped, for instance. We often turn to shopping to elevate that hedonic level. I’m fascinated by that. Gamblers would have a similar kind of thing. That’s what brands are trying to do: extend that fascination people have with a new product.

For more, visit FordTrends.com — and get more insights in our Q&A series.

The post What’s Driving Consumers: 5 Questions With Ford’s Sheryl Connelly appeared first on brandchannel:.

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[joejstrickl]

What’s Driving Consumers: 5 Questions With Ford’s Sheryl Connelly

Ford Motor Company’s resident futurist Sheryl Connelly has been forecasting consumer trends with a blend of qual and quant insights for the last few years. She uses a big global survey of consumers to inform her opinions and then shapes a trends report which the company started sharing publicly in 2012.

Let the debate begin about Connelly’s choices for the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report, her sixth annual outlook that takes the pulse of consumers, reads the economic winds and parses what it all means for marketers, and not just Ford. Her top 10 trends are a fascinating reflection of consumers’ mindsets as we adapt to the accelerating forces of cultural and political polarization, technological obsolescence and disruption and digital ubiquity.

The current mood, Connelly finds, is a general feeling of consumer anxiety, even as economies strengthen and incomes and job opportunities grow around the world: more than half (54%) of adults participating in Ford’s global study this year said that they feel more stressed than they did a year ago.

“This moment in time is unique in its anxiety and its sense of being overwhelmed,” Connelly told brandchannel. “And it’s not a specifically American point of view. The UK, India and Spain, for instance, have their own issues, too.”

But that doesn’t mean a feeling of hopelessness or paralysis, as Connelly states in her 2018 consumer outlook: “Shifting global priorities, rampant political upheaval, and a spotlight on social inequity have upended the status quo and left many disoriented. But out of the chaos and conflict, a new energy and creativity is motivating people like never before. From compassion and guilt to heightened activism, most adults believe their actions have the power to influence positive change.”

Key data points from Ford’s new global research report:

39% of adults say they do not mind sharing their personal information with companies, but 60% say they are frustrated by how much of their information has become public

76% of adults around the world say they find it creepy when companies know too much about them

52% of adults say they believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, but 61% say they are hopeful about a future of autonomous vehicles

68% of adults say they are overwhelmed by suffering in the world today, and 51% say they feel guilty for not doing more to make the world better

81% of adults say they are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and the poor

73% of adults say they should take better care of their emotional well-being

54% of adults globally say they feel more stressed out than they did a year ago, and among 18- to 29-year-olds, that number is even higher, at 65%.

And the top 10 consumer trends coming out of the research:

The Edge of Reason: “Across the world, people are overwhelmed by the change affecting everything from politics to pop culture—and consumers are hungry for inventive ways to cope and adapt,” the report said. Case in point: 80% of U.S. adults surveyed find that people are increasingly intolerant of opposing views.

The Activist Awakening: 52% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 surveyed by Ford say they expect brands to take a stand on political issues. “Thanks to the culture of polarization, consumers are being jolted out of complacency. Individuals are debating the change we need, unafraid to topple the conventional wisdom and expectations.”

Minding the Gap: “Worldwide, the spotlight is on inequality. Activists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with new ways to improve access to quality education, increase productive employment, close wage gaps and provide everyone with affordable access to basic living standards and infrastructure.”

The Compassionate Conscience: 76% of adults Ford surveyed globally believe their actions can influence positive change. “With an omnipresent news cycle, consumers are more aware of the challenges people face across the world—and more reflective of their role in society.”

Mending the Mind: “Slowly, consumer and institutions are realizing that you cannot have a healthy body unless you have a healthy mind. As such, mental health and well-being are coming to the forefront as issues that individuals, governments and companies need to address.”

Retail Therapy: “Many consumers are on the endless hunt for something new and different—and they’re rethinking how material goods and services can bring them happiness.” For instance, 66% of adults globally between the ages of 18 and 29 think that the experience of shopping is more enjoyable than the actual purchase.

Helplessly Exposed: “Big Data claims to be able to interpret our behaviors, which in theory should help consumers—yet it also can come with Big Bias. Consumers are ramping up the pressure on companies to be accountable and act responsibly.”

Technology’s Tipping Point: “Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous technology are here, integrating into our daily lives. Across the globe, humans are asking: what does the onslaught of intelligent technology mean for us as a society, and will it make a more positive impact than we thought?” Interestingly, 52% of those surveyed by Ford believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good.

Singled Out: “Are marriage and parenthood still the desired norms for happy living? More and more people are rethinking commitment and fulfillment, with more choices at their fingertips and longer life spans to consider.”

Big Plans for Big Cities: “By 2050, roughly 75% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas. To capitalize on the full potential of cities—to keep them happy and healthy places to live—we must be smart and mindful about planning.”

For more insights on the data and analysis, we spoke with Connelly about what she’s seeing and what it means for consumers, Ford and other brands:

Sheryl, how would you summarize the difference between Ford’s first public trends report in 2012 and this latest research that you’re sharing?

This is our sixth annual report, but I’ve been doing it for 14 years. They’re near-term and easier to call because they’re microtrends. But this report is decidedly different from the reports that we’ve put forth in the last five years, a true reflection of where the world stands right now. In 2012, the world was still reeling from the global recession and there was a lot of uncertainty. What I found surprising was how widespread that feeling was [now].

To what extent is this current anxiety a result of feeling bombarded with political news and other people’s views across traditional and social media? 

We don’t know what anyone else is thinking because we’re so polarized that we’re unwilling to engage in debate. I made as purposeful an effort to be as balanced as possible. Some people say ‘At last world order is being restored and it’s long overdue.’ And some people feel it’s the beginning of the end and are wallowing in anxiety and discontent.

We’re overwhelmed by the changes taking place and it’s left us feeling uncertain. But three-quarters said they believe in the individual’s ability to bring out change. Engagement is at an all-time high and there’s awareness and desire to become educated in matters that are important to them. It’s really driving how we live. I’m more conversant on politics, for example, than I’ve ever been before.

Your latest research finds that a majority of adults between 18 and 29, with smaller percentages for older cohorts, believe that brands should take a stand on political issues. What should CEOs and brands do?

This is really the question. This is a difficult one. Companies that have a clear set of values are in a better position than others. Ford is an example. I don’t think of us as a very political company, but in early January when there was a move to ban some immigrants (from entering the U.S.), Ford made a statement that it goes against what we stand for.

One of the trends we identified is The Compassionate Conscience. That’s about the good work you do in a community. This calls out the trend from the past year that we’ve been witness to some horrific tragedies like the hurricanes, and the coverage made it impossible for many people not to respond to the problems of others.

How is “The Compassionate Conscience” playing out at Ford?

There’s an ongoing conversation about what kind of role do we play at a company like Ford and how we stand on those issues. For example, [Ford Executive Chairman] Bill Ford put a volunteer corps together years ago and it gives people license to step away from their day job and do community service. He amped that up with the Bill Ford Better World Challenge, (a global grant program) where he asked individuals to suggest solutions—he personally contributes to it—and a global caring month of volunteerism in September. We’re also embedding this into our culture with “30 Under 30,” asking Ford people to nominate themselves to create best-in-class community engagement initiatives. This next generation of Ford philanthropic leaders receives mentoring from our leadership team.

Let’s talk about the “Helplessly Exposed” trend—what’s going on there?

Privacy is always about give and take. I’m happy to share my information with a business as long as they’re transparent about it. Like having my credit card information on Amazon: I can be on any computer in the house and I don’t have to hunt down my credit card. But there’s risk in keeping that information somewhere on the world wide web.

There are patterns of behavior and things that we do where we’re not always mindful they’re being collected, such as algorithms on a search engine. By improving search efficiency they’re building a profile about you that biases the information you receive, and no one tells you that. That feeds into the “Edge of Reason” because that echo chamber is so loud.

“Retail Therapy” is another interesting trend as it’s more than just “treat yourself.” Can you shed more light on that?

Everyone talks about how bricks and mortar (retail) is dead and online is the key to the future. But [Apple senior vice president of retail] Angela Ahrendts says only about 35% of purchases take place online, and she believes there’s a movement afoot to bring people together and now they think of the Apple store as a space that’s a town hall or place of community and not always geared to sell something. They want to bring people together who have an affinity or shared passion or teachable point of view, such as classes about how to better use the camera on your phone. I found that fascinating.

Three other brands have a similar take on it: Restoration Hardware, which has turned showrooms into places to lounge; Nordstrom Local [where they do your nails and serve you coffee while you wait for garment alterations]; and Ford’s Hub in New York City. Another interesting thing is that it’s all about the brand experience—it’s a new way to engage.

Also not as obvious in Retail Therapy is the notion of “the hedonic treadmill”—that we all have a baseline of happiness and a natural resting state on that scale. If you win the lottery you’re never going to be as happy as you hoped, for instance. We often turn to shopping to elevate that hedonic level. I’m fascinated by that. Gamblers would have a similar kind of thing. That’s what brands are trying to do: extend that fascination people have with a new product.

For more, visit FordTrends.com — and get more insights in our Q&A series.

The post What’s Driving Consumers: 5 Questions With Ford’s Sheryl Connelly appeared first on brandchannel:.

[markjsousa]

What’s Driving Consumers: 5 Questions With Ford’s Sheryl Connelly

Ford Motor Company’s resident futurist Sheryl Connelly has been forecasting consumer trends with a blend of qual and quant insights for the last few years. She uses a big global survey of consumers to inform her opinions and then shapes a trends report which the company started sharing publicly in 2012.

Let the debate begin about Connelly’s choices for the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report, her sixth annual outlook that takes the pulse of consumers, reads the economic winds and parses what it all means for marketers, and not just Ford. Her top 10 trends are a fascinating reflection of consumers’ mindsets as we adapt to the accelerating forces of cultural and political polarization, technological obsolescence and disruption and digital ubiquity.

The current mood, Connelly finds, is a general feeling of consumer anxiety, even as economies strengthen and incomes and job opportunities grow around the world: more than half (54%) of adults participating in Ford’s global study this year said that they feel more stressed than they did a year ago.

“This moment in time is unique in its anxiety and its sense of being overwhelmed,” Connelly told brandchannel. “And it’s not a specifically American point of view. The UK, India and Spain, for instance, have their own issues, too.”

But that doesn’t mean a feeling of hopelessness or paralysis, as Connelly states in her 2018 consumer outlook: “Shifting global priorities, rampant political upheaval, and a spotlight on social inequity have upended the status quo and left many disoriented. But out of the chaos and conflict, a new energy and creativity is motivating people like never before. From compassion and guilt to heightened activism, most adults believe their actions have the power to influence positive change.”

Key data points from Ford’s new global research report:

39% of adults say they do not mind sharing their personal information with companies, but 60% say they are frustrated by how much of their information has become public

76% of adults around the world say they find it creepy when companies know too much about them

52% of adults say they believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, but 61% say they are hopeful about a future of autonomous vehicles

68% of adults say they are overwhelmed by suffering in the world today, and 51% say they feel guilty for not doing more to make the world better

81% of adults say they are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and the poor

73% of adults say they should take better care of their emotional well-being

54% of adults globally say they feel more stressed out than they did a year ago, and among 18- to 29-year-olds, that number is even higher, at 65%.

And the top 10 consumer trends coming out of the research:

The Edge of Reason: “Across the world, people are overwhelmed by the change affecting everything from politics to pop culture—and consumers are hungry for inventive ways to cope and adapt,” the report said. Case in point: 80% of U.S. adults surveyed find that people are increasingly intolerant of opposing views.

The Activist Awakening: 52% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 surveyed by Ford say they expect brands to take a stand on political issues. “Thanks to the culture of polarization, consumers are being jolted out of complacency. Individuals are debating the change we need, unafraid to topple the conventional wisdom and expectations.”

Minding the Gap: “Worldwide, the spotlight is on inequality. Activists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with new ways to improve access to quality education, increase productive employment, close wage gaps and provide everyone with affordable access to basic living standards and infrastructure.”

The Compassionate Conscience: 76% of adults Ford surveyed globally believe their actions can influence positive change. “With an omnipresent news cycle, consumers are more aware of the challenges people face across the world—and more reflective of their role in society.”

Mending the Mind: “Slowly, consumer and institutions are realizing that you cannot have a healthy body unless you have a healthy mind. As such, mental health and well-being are coming to the forefront as issues that individuals, governments and companies need to address.”

Retail Therapy: “Many consumers are on the endless hunt for something new and different—and they’re rethinking how material goods and services can bring them happiness.” For instance, 66% of adults globally between the ages of 18 and 29 think that the experience of shopping is more enjoyable than the actual purchase.

Helplessly Exposed: “Big Data claims to be able to interpret our behaviors, which in theory should help consumers—yet it also can come with Big Bias. Consumers are ramping up the pressure on companies to be accountable and act responsibly.”

Technology’s Tipping Point: “Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous technology are here, integrating into our daily lives. Across the globe, humans are asking: what does the onslaught of intelligent technology mean for us as a society, and will it make a more positive impact than we thought?” Interestingly, 52% of those surveyed by Ford believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good.

Singled Out: “Are marriage and parenthood still the desired norms for happy living? More and more people are rethinking commitment and fulfillment, with more choices at their fingertips and longer life spans to consider.”

Big Plans for Big Cities: “By 2050, roughly 75% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas. To capitalize on the full potential of cities—to keep them happy and healthy places to live—we must be smart and mindful about planning.”

For more insights on the data and analysis, we spoke with Connelly about what she’s seeing and what it means for consumers, Ford and other brands:

Sheryl, how would you summarize the difference between Ford’s first public trends report in 2012 and this latest research that you’re sharing?

This is our sixth annual report, but I’ve been doing it for 14 years. They’re near-term and easier to call because they’re microtrends. But this report is decidedly different from the reports that we’ve put forth in the last five years, a true reflection of where the world stands right now. In 2012, the world was still reeling from the global recession and there was a lot of uncertainty. What I found surprising was how widespread that feeling was [now].

To what extent is this current anxiety a result of feeling bombarded with political news and other people’s views across traditional and social media? 

We don’t know what anyone else is thinking because we’re so polarized that we’re unwilling to engage in debate. I made as purposeful an effort to be as balanced as possible. Some people say ‘At last world order is being restored and it’s long overdue.’ And some people feel it’s the beginning of the end and are wallowing in anxiety and discontent.

We’re overwhelmed by the changes taking place and it’s left us feeling uncertain. But three-quarters said they believe in the individual’s ability to bring out change. Engagement is at an all-time high and there’s awareness and desire to become educated in matters that are important to them. It’s really driving how we live. I’m more conversant on politics, for example, than I’ve ever been before.

Your latest research finds that a majority of adults between 18 and 29, with smaller percentages for older cohorts, believe that brands should take a stand on political issues. What should CEOs and brands do?

This is really the question. This is a difficult one. Companies that have a clear set of values are in a better position than others. Ford is an example. I don’t think of us as a very political company, but in early January when there was a move to ban some immigrants (from entering the U.S.), Ford made a statement that it goes against what we stand for.

One of the trends we identified is The Compassionate Conscience. That’s about the good work you do in a community. This calls out the trend from the past year that we’ve been witness to some horrific tragedies like the hurricanes, and the coverage made it impossible for many people not to respond to the problems of others.

How is “The Compassionate Conscience” playing out at Ford?

There’s an ongoing conversation about what kind of role do we play at a company like Ford and how we stand on those issues. For example, [Ford Executive Chairman] Bill Ford put a volunteer corps together years ago and it gives people license to step away from their day job and do community service. He amped that up with the Bill Ford Better World Challenge, (a global grant program) where he asked individuals to suggest solutions—he personally contributes to it—and a global caring month of volunteerism in September. We’re also embedding this into our culture with “30 Under 30,” asking Ford people to nominate themselves to create best-in-class community engagement initiatives. This next generation of Ford philanthropic leaders receives mentoring from our leadership team.

Let’s talk about the “Helplessly Exposed” trend—what’s going on there?

Privacy is always about give and take. I’m happy to share my information with a business as long as they’re transparent about it. Like having my credit card information on Amazon: I can be on any computer in the house and I don’t have to hunt down my credit card. But there’s risk in keeping that information somewhere on the world wide web.

There are patterns of behavior and things that we do where we’re not always mindful they’re being collected, such as algorithms on a search engine. By improving search efficiency they’re building a profile about you that biases the information you receive, and no one tells you that. That feeds into the “Edge of Reason” because that echo chamber is so loud.

“Retail Therapy” is another interesting trend as it’s more than just “treat yourself.” Can you shed more light on that?

Everyone talks about how bricks and mortar (retail) is dead and online is the key to the future. But [Apple senior vice president of retail] Angela Ahrendts says only about 35% of purchases take place online, and she believes there’s a movement afoot to bring people together and now they think of the Apple store as a space that’s a town hall or place of community and not always geared to sell something. They want to bring people together who have an affinity or shared passion or teachable point of view, such as classes about how to better use the camera on your phone. I found that fascinating.

Three other brands have a similar take on it: Restoration Hardware, which has turned showrooms into places to lounge; Nordstrom Local [where they do your nails and serve you coffee while you wait for garment alterations]; and Ford’s Hub in New York City. Another interesting thing is that it’s all about the brand experience—it’s a new way to engage.

Also not as obvious in Retail Therapy is the notion of “the hedonic treadmill”—that we all have a baseline of happiness and a natural resting state on that scale. If you win the lottery you’re never going to be as happy as you hoped, for instance. We often turn to shopping to elevate that hedonic level. I’m fascinated by that. Gamblers would have a similar kind of thing. That’s what brands are trying to do: extend that fascination people have with a new product.

For more, visit FordTrends.com — and get more insights in our Q&A series.

The post What’s Driving Consumers: 5 Questions With Ford’s Sheryl Connelly appeared first on brandchannel:.

[glenmenlow]

Looking Further With Ford: 5 Questions With Futurist Sheryl Connelly

Ford Motor Company’s resident futurist Sheryl Connelly has been forecasting consumer trends with a blend of qual and quant insights for the last few years. She uses a big global survey of consumers to inform her opinions and then shapes a trends report which the company started sharing publicly in 2012.

Let the debate begin about Connelly’s choices for the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report, her sixth annual outlook that takes the pulse of consumers, reads the economic winds and parses what it all means for marketers, and not just Ford. Her top 10 trends are a fascinating reflection of consumers’ mindsets as we adapt to the accelerating forces of cultural and political polarization, technological obsolescence and disruption and digital ubiquity.

The current mood, Connelly finds, is a general feeling of consumer anxiety, even as economies strengthen and incomes and job opportunities grow around the world: more than half (54%) of adults participating in Ford’s global study this year said that they feel more stressed than they did a year ago.

“This moment in time is unique in its anxiety and its sense of being overwhelmed,” Connelly told brandchannel. “And it’s not a specifically American point of view. The UK, India and Spain, for instance, have their own issues, too.”

But that doesn’t mean a feeling of hopelessness or paralysis, as Connelly stated in her 2018 outlook report: “Shifting global priorities, rampant political upheaval, and a spotlight on social inequity have upended the status quo and left many disoriented. But out of the chaos and conflict, a new energy and creativity is motivating people like never before. From compassion and guilt to heightened activism, most adults believe their actions have the power to influence positive change.”

Key data points from the new research:

39% of adults say they do not mind sharing their personal information with companies, but 60% say they are frustrated by how much of their information has become public

76% of adults around the world say they find it creepy when companies know too much about them

52% of adults say they believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, but 61% say they are hopeful about a future of autonomous vehicles

68% of adults say they are overwhelmed by suffering in the world today, and 51% say they feel guilty for not doing more to make the world better

81% of adults say they are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and the poor

73% of adults say they should take better care of their emotional well-being

54% of adults globally say they feel more stressed out than they did a year ago, and among 18- to 29-year-olds, that number is even higher, at 65%.

Ford’s top 10 consumer trends coming out of the research:

The Edge of Reason: “Across the world, people are overwhelmed by the change affecting everything from politics to pop culture—and consumers are hungry for inventive ways to cope and adapt,” the report said. Case in point: 80% of U.S. adults surveyed find that people are increasingly intolerant of opposing views.

The Activist Awakening: 52% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 surveyed by Ford say they expect brands to take a stand on political issues. “Thanks to the culture of polarization, consumers are being jolted out of complacency. Individuals are debating the change we need, unafraid to topple the conventional wisdom and expectations.”

Minding the Gap: “Worldwide, the spotlight is on inequality. Activists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with new ways to improve access to quality education, increase productive employment, close wage gaps and provide everyone with affordable access to basic living standards and infrastructure.”

The Compassionate Conscience: 76% of adults Ford surveyed globally believe their actions can influence positive change. “With an omnipresent news cycle, consumers are more aware of the challenges people face across the world—and more reflective of their role in society.”

Mending the Mind: “Slowly, consumer and institutions are realizing that you cannot have a healthy body unless you have a healthy mind. As such, mental health and well-being are coming to the forefront as issues that individuals, governments and companies need to address.”

Retail Therapy: “Many consumers are on the endless hunt for something new and different—and they’re rethinking how material goods and services can bring them happiness.” For instance, 66% of adults globally between the ages of 18 and 29 think that the experience of shopping is more enjoyable than the actual purchase.

Helplessly Exposed: “Big Data claims to be able to interpret our behaviors, which in theory should help consumers—yet it also can come with Big Bias. Consumers are ramping up the pressure on companies to be accountable and act responsibly.”

Technology’s Tipping Point: “Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous technology are here, integrating into our daily lives. Across the globe, humans are asking: what does the onslaught of intelligent technology mean for us as a society, and will it make a more positive impact than we thought?” The survey said that 52% of adults globally believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good.

Singled Out: “Are marriage and parenthood still the desired norms for happy living? More and more people are rethinking commitment and fulfillment, with more choices at their fingertips and longer life spans to consider.”

Big Plans for Big Cities: “By 2050, roughly 75% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas. To capitalize on the full potential of cities—to keep them happy and healthy places to live—we must be smart and mindful about planning.”

For more insights, we spoke with Connelly about what she’s seeing and what it means for consumers and brands:

Sheryl, how would you summarize the difference between Ford’s first public trends report in 2012 and this new research that you’re sharing?

This is our sixth annual report, but I’ve been doing it for 14 years. They’re near-term and easier to call because they’re microtrends. But this report is decidedly different from the reports that we’ve put forth in the last five years, a true reflection of where the world stands right now. In 2012, the world was still reeling from the global recession and there was a lot of uncertainty. What I found surprising was how widespread that feeling was [now].

To what extent is this current anxiety a result of feeling bombarded with political news and views on traditional and social media? 

We don’t know what anyone else is thinking because we’re so polarized that we’re unwilling to engage in debate. I made as purposeful an effort to be as balanced as possible. Some people say ‘At last world order is being restored and it’s long overdue.’ And some people feel it’s the beginning of the end and are wallowing in anxiety and discontent.

We’re overwhelmed by the changes taking place and it’s left us feeling uncertain. But three-quarters said they believe in the individual’s ability to bring out change. Engagement is at an all-time high and there’s awareness and desire to become educated in matters that are important to them. It’s really driving how we live. I’m more conversant on politics, for example, than I’ve ever been before.

Your latest research finds that a majority of adults between 18 and 29, with smaller percentages for older cohorts, believe that brands should take a stand on political issues. What should CEOs and brands do?

This is really the question. This is a difficult one. Companies that have a clear set of values are in a better position than others. Ford is an example. I don’t think of us as a very political company, but in early January when there was a move to ban some immigrants (from entering the U.S.), Ford made a statement that it goes against what we stand for.

One of the trends we identified is The Compassionate Conscience. That’s about the good work you do in a community. This calls out the trend from the past year that we’ve been witness to some horrific tragedies like the hurricanes, and the coverage made it impossible for many people not to respond to the problems of others.

How is “The Compassionate Conscience” playing out at Ford?

There’s an ongoing conversation about what kind of role do we play at a company like Ford and how we stand on those issues? For example, [Ford Executive Chairman] Bill Ford put a volunteer corps together years ago and it gives people license to step away from their day job and do community service. He amped that up with the Bill Ford Better World Challenge, (a global grant program) where he asked individuals to suggest solutions—he personally contributes to it—and a global caring month of volunteerism in September. We’re also embedding this into our culture with “30 Under 30,” asking Ford people to nominate themselves to create best-in-class community engagement initiatives. This next generation of Ford philanthropic leaders receives mentoring from our leadership team.

Let’s talk about the “Helplessly Exposed” trend—what’s going on there?

Privacy is always about give and take. I’m happy to share my information with a business as long as they’re transparent about it. Like having my credit card information on Amazon: I can be on any computer in the house and I don’t have to hunt down my credit card. But there’s risk in keeping that information somewhere on the worldwide web.

There are patterns of behavior and things that we do where we’re not always mindful they’re being collected, such as algorithms on a search engine. By improving search efficiency they’re building a profile about you that biases the information you receive, and no one tells you that. That feeds into the “Edge of Reason” because that echo chamber is so loud.

“Retail Therapy” is another interesting trend as it’s more than just “treat yourself.” Can you shed more light on that?

Everyone talks about how bricks and mortar (retail) is dead and online is the key to the future. But [Apple senior vice president of retail] Angela Ahrendts says only about 35% of purchases take place online, and she believes there’s a movement afoot to bring people together and now they think of the Apple store as a space that’s a town hall or place of community and not always geared to sell something. They want to bring people together who have an affinity or shared passion or teachable point of view, such as classes about how to better use the camera on your phone. I found that fascinating.

Three other brands have a similar take on it: Restoration Hardware, which has turned showrooms into places to lounge; Nordstrom Local [where they do your nails and serve you coffee while you wait for garment alterations]; and Ford’s Hub in New York City. Another interesting thing is that it’s all about the brand experience—it’s a new way to engage.

Also not as obvious in Retail Therapy is the notion of “the hedonic treadmill”—that we all have a baseline of happiness and a natural resting state on that scale. If you win the lottery you’re never going to be as happy as you hoped, for instance. We often turn to shopping to elevate that hedonic level. I’m fascinated by that. Gamblers would have a similar kind of thing. That’s what brands are trying to do: extend that fascination people have with a new product.

For more, visit FordTrends.com — and get more insights in our Q&A series.

The post Looking Further With Ford: 5 Questions With Futurist Sheryl Connelly appeared first on brandchannel:.

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Looking Further With Ford: 5 Questions With Futurist Sheryl Connelly

Ford Motor Company’s resident futurist Sheryl Connelly has been forecasting consumer trends with a blend of qual and quant insights for the last few years. She uses a big global survey of consumers to inform her opinions and then shapes a trends report which the company started sharing publicly in 2012.

Let the debate begin about Connelly’s choices for the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report, her sixth annual outlook that takes the pulse of consumers, reads the economic winds and parses what it all means for marketers, and not just Ford. Her top 10 trends are a fascinating reflection of consumers’ mindsets as we adapt to the accelerating forces of cultural and political polarization, technological obsolescence and disruption and digital ubiquity.

The current mood, Connelly finds, is a general feeling of consumer anxiety, even as economies strengthen and incomes and job opportunities grow around the world: more than half (54%) of adults participating in Ford’s global study this year said that they feel more stressed than they did a year ago.

“This moment in time is unique in its anxiety and its sense of being overwhelmed,” Connelly told brandchannel. “And it’s not a specifically American point of view. The UK, India and Spain, for instance, have their own issues, too.”

But that doesn’t mean a feeling of hopelessness or paralysis, as Connelly stated in her 2018 outlook report: “Shifting global priorities, rampant political upheaval, and a spotlight on social inequity have upended the status quo and left many disoriented. But out of the chaos and conflict, a new energy and creativity is motivating people like never before. From compassion and guilt to heightened activism, most adults believe their actions have the power to influence positive change.”

Key data points from the new research:

39% of adults say they do not mind sharing their personal information with companies, but 60% say they are frustrated by how much of their information has become public

76% of adults around the world say they find it creepy when companies know too much about them

52% of adults say they believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, but 61% say they are hopeful about a future of autonomous vehicles

68% of adults say they are overwhelmed by suffering in the world today, and 51% say they feel guilty for not doing more to make the world better

81% of adults say they are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and the poor

73% of adults say they should take better care of their emotional well-being

54% of adults globally say they feel more stressed out than they did a year ago, and among 18- to 29-year-olds, that number is even higher, at 65%.

Ford’s top 10 consumer trends coming out of the research:

The Edge of Reason: “Across the world, people are overwhelmed by the change affecting everything from politics to pop culture—and consumers are hungry for inventive ways to cope and adapt,” the report said. Case in point: 80% of U.S. adults surveyed find that people are increasingly intolerant of opposing views.

The Activist Awakening: 52% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 surveyed by Ford say they expect brands to take a stand on political issues. “Thanks to the culture of polarization, consumers are being jolted out of complacency. Individuals are debating the change we need, unafraid to topple the conventional wisdom and expectations.”

Minding the Gap: “Worldwide, the spotlight is on inequality. Activists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with new ways to improve access to quality education, increase productive employment, close wage gaps and provide everyone with affordable access to basic living standards and infrastructure.”

The Compassionate Conscience: 76% of adults Ford surveyed globally believe their actions can influence positive change. “With an omnipresent news cycle, consumers are more aware of the challenges people face across the world—and more reflective of their role in society.”

Mending the Mind: “Slowly, consumer and institutions are realizing that you cannot have a healthy body unless you have a healthy mind. As such, mental health and well-being are coming to the forefront as issues that individuals, governments and companies need to address.”

Retail Therapy: “Many consumers are on the endless hunt for something new and different—and they’re rethinking how material goods and services can bring them happiness.” For instance, 66% of adults globally between the ages of 18 and 29 think that the experience of shopping is more enjoyable than the actual purchase.

Helplessly Exposed: “Big Data claims to be able to interpret our behaviors, which in theory should help consumers—yet it also can come with Big Bias. Consumers are ramping up the pressure on companies to be accountable and act responsibly.”

Technology’s Tipping Point: “Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous technology are here, integrating into our daily lives. Across the globe, humans are asking: what does the onslaught of intelligent technology mean for us as a society, and will it make a more positive impact than we thought?” The survey said that 52% of adults globally believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good.

Singled Out: “Are marriage and parenthood still the desired norms for happy living? More and more people are rethinking commitment and fulfillment, with more choices at their fingertips and longer life spans to consider.”

Big Plans for Big Cities: “By 2050, roughly 75% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas. To capitalize on the full potential of cities—to keep them happy and healthy places to live—we must be smart and mindful about planning.”

For more insights, we spoke with Connelly about what she’s seeing and what it means for consumers and brands:

Sheryl, how would you summarize the difference between Ford’s first public trends report in 2012 and this new research that you’re sharing?

This is our sixth annual report, but I’ve been doing it for 14 years. They’re near-term and easier to call because they’re microtrends. But this report is decidedly different from the reports that we’ve put forth in the last five years, a true reflection of where the world stands right now. In 2012, the world was still reeling from the global recession and there was a lot of uncertainty. What I found surprising was how widespread that feeling was [now].

To what extent is this current anxiety a result of feeling bombarded with political news and views on traditional and social media? 

We don’t know what anyone else is thinking because we’re so polarized that we’re unwilling to engage in debate. I made as purposeful an effort to be as balanced as possible. Some people say ‘At last world order is being restored and it’s long overdue.’ And some people feel it’s the beginning of the end and are wallowing in anxiety and discontent.

We’re overwhelmed by the changes taking place and it’s left us feeling uncertain. But three-quarters said they believe in the individual’s ability to bring out change. Engagement is at an all-time high and there’s awareness and desire to become educated in matters that are important to them. It’s really driving how we live. I’m more conversant on politics, for example, than I’ve ever been before.

Your latest research finds that a majority of adults between 18 and 29, with smaller percentages for older cohorts, believe that brands should take a stand on political issues. What should CEOs and brands do?

This is really the question. This is a difficult one. Companies that have a clear set of values are in a better position than others. Ford is an example. I don’t think of us as a very political company, but in early January when there was a move to ban some immigrants (from entering the U.S.), Ford made a statement that it goes against what we stand for.

One of the trends we identified is The Compassionate Conscience. That’s about the good work you do in a community. This calls out the trend from the past year that we’ve been witness to some horrific tragedies like the hurricanes, and the coverage made it impossible for many people not to respond to the problems of others.

How is “The Compassionate Conscience” playing out at Ford?

There’s an ongoing conversation about what kind of role do we play at a company like Ford and how we stand on those issues? For example, [Ford Executive Chairman] Bill Ford put a volunteer corps together years ago and it gives people license to step away from their day job and do community service. He amped that up with the Bill Ford Better World Challenge, (a global grant program) where he asked individuals to suggest solutions—he personally contributes to it—and a global caring month of volunteerism in September. We’re also embedding this into our culture with “30 Under 30,” asking Ford people to nominate themselves to create best-in-class community engagement initiatives. This next generation of Ford philanthropic leaders receives mentoring from our leadership team.

Let’s talk about the “Helplessly Exposed” trend—what’s going on there?

Privacy is always about give and take. I’m happy to share my information with a business as long as they’re transparent about it. Like having my credit card information on Amazon: I can be on any computer in the house and I don’t have to hunt down my credit card. But there’s risk in keeping that information somewhere on the worldwide web.

There are patterns of behavior and things that we do where we’re not always mindful they’re being collected, such as algorithms on a search engine. By improving search efficiency they’re building a profile about you that biases the information you receive, and no one tells you that. That feeds into the “Edge of Reason” because that echo chamber is so loud.

“Retail Therapy” is another interesting trend as it’s more than just “treat yourself.” Can you shed more light on that?

Everyone talks about how bricks and mortar (retail) is dead and online is the key to the future. But [Apple senior vice president of retail] Angela Ahrendts says only about 35% of purchases take place online, and she believes there’s a movement afoot to bring people together and now they think of the Apple store as a space that’s a town hall or place of community and not always geared to sell something. They want to bring people together who have an affinity or shared passion or teachable point of view, such as classes about how to better use the camera on your phone. I found that fascinating.

Three other brands have a similar take on it: Restoration Hardware, which has turned showrooms into places to lounge; Nordstrom Local [where they do your nails and serve you coffee while you wait for garment alterations]; and Ford’s Hub in New York City. Another interesting thing is that it’s all about the brand experience—it’s a new way to engage.

Also not as obvious in Retail Therapy is the notion of “the hedonic treadmill”—that we all have a baseline of happiness and a natural resting state on that scale. If you win the lottery you’re never going to be as happy as you hoped, for instance. We often turn to shopping to elevate that hedonic level. I’m fascinated by that. Gamblers would have a similar kind of thing. That’s what brands are trying to do: extend that fascination people have with a new product.

For more, visit FordTrends.com — and get more insights in our Q&A series.

The post Looking Further With Ford: 5 Questions With Futurist Sheryl Connelly appeared first on brandchannel:.

[markjsousa]

Looking Further With Ford: 5 Questions With Futurist Sheryl Connelly

Ford Motor Company’s resident futurist Sheryl Connelly has been forecasting consumer trends with a blend of qual and quant insights for the last few years. She uses a big global survey of consumers to inform her opinions and then shapes a trends report which the company started sharing publicly in 2012.

Let the debate begin about Connelly’s choices for the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report, her sixth annual outlook that takes the pulse of consumers, reads the economic winds and parses what it all means for marketers, and not just Ford. Her top 10 trends are a fascinating reflection of consumers’ mindsets as we adapt to the accelerating forces of cultural and political polarization, technological obsolescence and disruption and digital ubiquity.

The current mood, Connelly finds, is a general feeling of consumer anxiety, even as economies strengthen and incomes and job opportunities grow around the world: more than half (54%) of adults participating in Ford’s global study this year said that they feel more stressed than they did a year ago.

“This moment in time is unique in its anxiety and its sense of being overwhelmed,” Connelly told brandchannel. “And it’s not a specifically American point of view. The UK, India and Spain, for instance, have their own issues, too.”

But that doesn’t mean a feeling of hopelessness or paralysis, as Connelly stated in her 2018 outlook report: “Shifting global priorities, rampant political upheaval, and a spotlight on social inequity have upended the status quo and left many disoriented. But out of the chaos and conflict, a new energy and creativity is motivating people like never before. From compassion and guilt to heightened activism, most adults believe their actions have the power to influence positive change.”

Key data points from the new research:

39% of adults say they do not mind sharing their personal information with companies, but 60% say they are frustrated by how much of their information has become public

76% of adults around the world say they find it creepy when companies know too much about them

52% of adults say they believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, but 61% say they are hopeful about a future of autonomous vehicles

68% of adults say they are overwhelmed by suffering in the world today, and 51% say they feel guilty for not doing more to make the world better

81% of adults say they are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and the poor

73% of adults say they should take better care of their emotional well-being

54% of adults globally say they feel more stressed out than they did a year ago, and among 18- to 29-year-olds, that number is even higher, at 65%.

Ford’s top 10 consumer trends coming out of the research:

The Edge of Reason: “Across the world, people are overwhelmed by the change affecting everything from politics to pop culture—and consumers are hungry for inventive ways to cope and adapt,” the report said. Case in point: 80% of U.S. adults surveyed find that people are increasingly intolerant of opposing views.

The Activist Awakening: 52% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 surveyed by Ford say they expect brands to take a stand on political issues. “Thanks to the culture of polarization, consumers are being jolted out of complacency. Individuals are debating the change we need, unafraid to topple the conventional wisdom and expectations.”

Minding the Gap: “Worldwide, the spotlight is on inequality. Activists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with new ways to improve access to quality education, increase productive employment, close wage gaps and provide everyone with affordable access to basic living standards and infrastructure.”

The Compassionate Conscience: 76% of adults Ford surveyed globally believe their actions can influence positive change. “With an omnipresent news cycle, consumers are more aware of the challenges people face across the world—and more reflective of their role in society.”

Mending the Mind: “Slowly, consumer and institutions are realizing that you cannot have a healthy body unless you have a healthy mind. As such, mental health and well-being are coming to the forefront as issues that individuals, governments and companies need to address.”

Retail Therapy: “Many consumers are on the endless hunt for something new and different—and they’re rethinking how material goods and services can bring them happiness.” For instance, 66% of adults globally between the ages of 18 and 29 think that the experience of shopping is more enjoyable than the actual purchase.

Helplessly Exposed: “Big Data claims to be able to interpret our behaviors, which in theory should help consumers—yet it also can come with Big Bias. Consumers are ramping up the pressure on companies to be accountable and act responsibly.”

Technology’s Tipping Point: “Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous technology are here, integrating into our daily lives. Across the globe, humans are asking: what does the onslaught of intelligent technology mean for us as a society, and will it make a more positive impact than we thought?” The survey said that 52% of adults globally believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good.

Singled Out: “Are marriage and parenthood still the desired norms for happy living? More and more people are rethinking commitment and fulfillment, with more choices at their fingertips and longer life spans to consider.”

Big Plans for Big Cities: “By 2050, roughly 75% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas. To capitalize on the full potential of cities—to keep them happy and healthy places to live—we must be smart and mindful about planning.”

For more insights, we spoke with Connelly about what she’s seeing and what it means for consumers and brands:

Sheryl, how would you summarize the difference between Ford’s first public trends report in 2012 and this new research that you’re sharing?

This is our sixth annual report, but I’ve been doing it for 14 years. They’re near-term and easier to call because they’re microtrends. But this report is decidedly different from the reports that we’ve put forth in the last five years, a true reflection of where the world stands right now. In 2012, the world was still reeling from the global recession and there was a lot of uncertainty. What I found surprising was how widespread that feeling was [now].

To what extent is this current anxiety a result of feeling bombarded with political news and views on traditional and social media? 

We don’t know what anyone else is thinking because we’re so polarized that we’re unwilling to engage in debate. I made as purposeful an effort to be as balanced as possible. Some people say ‘At last world order is being restored and it’s long overdue.’ And some people feel it’s the beginning of the end and are wallowing in anxiety and discontent.

We’re overwhelmed by the changes taking place and it’s left us feeling uncertain. But three-quarters said they believe in the individual’s ability to bring out change. Engagement is at an all-time high and there’s awareness and desire to become educated in matters that are important to them. It’s really driving how we live. I’m more conversant on politics, for example, than I’ve ever been before.

Your latest research finds that a majority of adults between 18 and 29, with smaller percentages for older cohorts, believe that brands should take a stand on political issues. What should CEOs and brands do?

This is really the question. This is a difficult one. Companies that have a clear set of values are in a better position than others. Ford is an example. I don’t think of us as a very political company, but in early January when there was a move to ban some immigrants (from entering the U.S.), Ford made a statement that it goes against what we stand for.

One of the trends we identified is The Compassionate Conscience. That’s about the good work you do in a community. This calls out the trend from the past year that we’ve been witness to some horrific tragedies like the hurricanes, and the coverage made it impossible for many people not to respond to the problems of others.

How is “The Compassionate Conscience” playing out at Ford?

There’s an ongoing conversation about what kind of role do we play at a company like Ford and how we stand on those issues? For example, [Ford Executive Chairman] Bill Ford put a volunteer corps together years ago and it gives people license to step away from their day job and do community service. He amped that up with the Bill Ford Better World Challenge, (a global grant program) where he asked individuals to suggest solutions—he personally contributes to it—and a global caring month of volunteerism in September. We’re also embedding this into our culture with “30 Under 30,” asking Ford people to nominate themselves to create best-in-class community engagement initiatives. This next generation of Ford philanthropic leaders receives mentoring from our leadership team.

Let’s talk about the “Helplessly Exposed” trend—what’s going on there?

Privacy is always about give and take. I’m happy to share my information with a business as long as they’re transparent about it. Like having my credit card information on Amazon: I can be on any computer in the house and I don’t have to hunt down my credit card. But there’s risk in keeping that information somewhere on the worldwide web.

There are patterns of behavior and things that we do where we’re not always mindful they’re being collected, such as algorithms on a search engine. By improving search efficiency they’re building a profile about you that biases the information you receive, and no one tells you that. That feeds into the “Edge of Reason” because that echo chamber is so loud.

“Retail Therapy” is another interesting trend as it’s more than just “treat yourself.” Can you shed more light on that?

Everyone talks about how bricks and mortar (retail) is dead and online is the key to the future. But [Apple senior vice president of retail] Angela Ahrendts says only about 35% of purchases take place online, and she believes there’s a movement afoot to bring people together and now they think of the Apple store as a space that’s a town hall or place of community and not always geared to sell something. They want to bring people together who have an affinity or shared passion or teachable point of view, such as classes about how to better use the camera on your phone. I found that fascinating.

Three other brands have a similar take on it: Restoration Hardware, which has turned showrooms into places to lounge; Nordstrom Local [where they do your nails and serve you coffee while you wait for garment alterations]; and Ford’s Hub in New York City. Another interesting thing is that it’s all about the brand experience—it’s a new way to engage.

Also not as obvious in Retail Therapy is the notion of “the hedonic treadmill”—that we all have a baseline of happiness and a natural resting state on that scale. If you win the lottery you’re never going to be as happy as you hoped, for instance. We often turn to shopping to elevate that hedonic level. I’m fascinated by that. Gamblers would have a similar kind of thing. That’s what brands are trying to do: extend that fascination people have with a new product.

For more, visit FordTrends.com — and get more insights in our Q&A series.

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