2025 05 21
Where we’re going, there won’t be roads. Oregon, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Kyla’s newsletter continues to be my favorite thing to read these days. She’s able to describe the ominous feels of our current existence in ways that make it make economic sense, and which make me better understand my own urge for the weird and the inconvenient.
And not to get too abstract here in my economic newsletter - but rejection, convenience, and absence of surprise are all economic questions. When enough people choose friction over convenience, markets respond. We're seeing early signs of this: the (slow) revival of independent bookstores, the rise of deinfluencing, the growing market for durability over disposability, especially as the economy turns.
These are emerging from the simple recognition that the frictionless life is ultimately unsatisfying. Even the secular, modern, economic soul hungers for something deeper than convenience!
Slightly on this topic, and also because my existing “job” isn’t quite working like it used to, I’m opening up a photobook shop! Well, at the very least, we are running a “proof of concept” that a photobook-dedicated shop is, in fact, the good idea we strongly feel it is. Last Sunday was our first popup and this Sunday is our second. If you want to come check it out, we will be at New Wave Coffee (2557 N Milwaukee Ave) from 10am-2pm on May 25th. After two dates are in the books, and after we assess the response (early signs: good!), I will get into more detail here about what we plan to do.
Give us a follow on Instagram in the meantime (actual website coming later) @Realm.Chicago — oh yeah, we’re called Realm.
-Clayton
