#064 The Culture of You: Traditions

Traditions aren’t just about big celebrations and perfectly planned activities.

Dec 05, 2023

(01) REFLECT

Traditions have always been about keeping friends, family, and even ourselves together through the happiest or worst of times. And I think we can all share the sentiment of feeling like we’re losing that sliver of hope they provide once we become engulfed by adulthood. In fact, the lack of traditions is sometimes the reason people resent the holiday season. It's as if, while growing into ourselves, we somehow let go of the ties that once kept us grounded.

Admittedly, when I started this newsletter, I imagined it would be all about creativity from a slightly narrow lens. But the more that I write, the more I realize how much of our creativity comes from our culture — the things we experience in the version of our lives that is not perfectly curated for social media. And in that version that we’re all so desperately trying to break free from, I believe we can also find those traditions that we lost at some point along the way. Traditions aren’t just about big celebrations and perfectly planned activities; they can also be about the simple things that connect us to our roots. And that connection is oftentimes just what we need to “feel something”, you could say.

That said, we’ve convinced ourselves the details of our lives aren’t special enough to be considered traditions. But as soon as we challenge that idea, we start to look at things from a different perspective. You watch your favorite comfort show every time you feel sad (my favorite comfort show is Gossip Girl, by the way) — that’s a tradition, even if you don’t immediately think of it as is. So, in whose eyes is our life not special enough? And why is that so often a determining factor?

I believe it’s important that we start recognizing those ordinary moments and routines for what they are as we continue to navigate life’s many seasons. Embracing The Culture of You through your traditions is not just a source of comfort but also perhaps the key to your most creative self.

I’m thinking of starting a new segment in the newsletter next year titled “The Culture of You” to dive further into how our backgrounds shape our creativity. I personally find culture fascinating, but it’s sometimes hard to find where you fit in within all of it. Until I realized that while culture is a collective concept, each one of us experiences it at an individual level, thus creating the culture of you. If you have any ideas to share or specific topics you'd like me to explore, feel free to comment below or respond to this email. I’ll hopefully have more news regarding this segment for you soon!

- Wilda <3