introducing seen library...

a space encouraging less time spent looking down at our phones and more towards the pages of a book

When I created this newsletter I had no idea what I wanted to do with it… Hence the name, No one asked. Since then, I’ve been working on some passion projects — How to be a Woman on the Internet, an imperfect exploration on how to navigate social media and the ways we’re influenced by it in newsletter form, and Seen Library, a community for readers and book lovers to come together to foster meaningful connection in a time when true connection is often clouded by the pursuit of algorithmic favorability.

As you can probably guess, I’ve been feeling pretty disillusioned with social media lately and have been trying to find other outlets than Instagram where I can spend my time. It’s hard not to fall into the cycles of pushing out thoughtless content and promoting partnership after partnership and beyond just spending time on my phone less in general, I found myself diving into the projects I shared above — ones that felt a bit more meaningful and challenged me and ignited some of the things I’m passionate about.

So allow to me introduce Seen Library to you properly, a space where people can bond over impactful stories and needed perspectives, especially those told by historically excluded voices, starting of with our first few features of women I personally admire.

Patricia Lagmay

LA-based fashion stylist Patricia Lagmay shares her disillusionment with the fashion industry, her ever-growing TBR pile, and the book on the Filipino experience that took her breath away.

When asked about her approach to shopping less, she shares the following questions she asks when working with a client: What are the pieces they need to succeed in their lives and how can getting dressed facilitate that? Do they need to feel a certain way, move a certain way, enter a room a certain way? 

Read more here.

Simay Demirel

Simay Demirel is the curator of one of my favorite Instagram accounts, @whereiwouldliketoread, a page dedicated to “inspiring locations to read books and fine interiors.” I had the pleasure of meeting her in person in Paris, dining at Clamato and perusing Le Corbusier’s studio apartment. In our newest feature, she tells us how she nurtures the real connections in her life, why she started a book and interior-centered Instagram account, and shares the old thrift-shop/bar/library hybrid she discovered last year in Paris.

Read more here.

Thanks for bearing with me while I navigate where I want to be in this digital world and I appreciate you for subscribing to this newsletter when I had no idea what I was going to do with it. I sincerely hope you do subscribe to How to be a Woman on the Internet and follow along @seenlibrary, where I foresee myself spending a bit more time. I’ll try to update this newsletter with personal happenings, but until then, you know where to find me xx

Love, Jordan