Curated: 24 lessons, joys & observations from 2024
From creative experimentation to unexpected turns - moments that defined the year
Playground readers,
HNY! After last year’s beloved 23 from the 23, I am back with the new round up.
We’re already mid-January, full of fresh ideas and goals – but I have to admit, my New Year’s plans have taken a bit of a detour. Life has its own way of unfolding, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to embrace the unpredictable. So, this year, I’m reminding myself – and maybe you too! – to take plans with a pinch of salt, appreciate the everyday moments, and surround yourself with good people. January is just the beginning, after all.
With that in mind, here are 24 observations from 2024, divided into five parts: the little things in life, play at work, industry trends, work, and inspirations. Have fun!
Little things in life
1 – Walking. Not once this year did I regret taking a break, going for a walk, and clearing my head. In fact, when I look back, most of my best ideas, strategies, and answers came while walking – no matter the time of day or season. You can move through almost anything.
2 – Curating content I consume. Watching, reading, and listening to content based on my own curated list – writers, directors, actors, and curiosities – instead of only consuming what’s trending or available online. It feels like creating my own DVD/bookstore. As I wrote before the year ended, I believe people are natural explorers. Let’s feed that curiosity and move beyond what’s just “hot” right now.
3 – Rituals. I’ve learnt not to be hard on myself but to lean into whatever feels good and flow with it while it lasts – even if just for a season. This year, writing a work diary became a meditative ritual. Bonus: I fell in love with Julie Joliat notebooks for this and created a stationery collection at home that’s hard to beat.
4 – Embracing seasons. In life and work. Winter is for wintering; summer is for swimming every day. If you live with four seasons, live through them fully – it’s a gift.
5 – Triple-checking. It’s always better than proceeding with something you’re unsure about.
6 – Empathy. This is the number one rule for life and work. Study people, not trends!
7 – Time. Give yourself time. I read Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman in 2023 and only truly started embracing its message last year – especially this thought:
Play at work
8 – Reconnecting through writing. Engaging on Substack and creating magazine reconnected me with content in a way I hadn’t felt in years. I will keep writing & creating more this year.
9 – Pomodoro Technique. It might sound like the opposite of play, but “tricking” myself into focusing on tasks with this method last year worked perfectly, a technique I use here and there since 2012.
10 – Experiments. I dabbled in TikTok for a month, even creating a semi-viral Emily in Paris video. I realised (again) that building a personal brand isn’t for me, but I had fun, got hooked, and experienced the dopamine rush it’s famous for. Who knows – I might sneak back for fun this year.
11 – Prioritising offline meetings. No online connection will ever compare to the depth and warmth of meeting in person.
12 – Launching Issue 2. Creating a deeply personal second issue of the magazine – dedicated to my grandparents after the loss of one – was incredibly rewarding yet emotionally difficult. Even now, I find it hard to re-read those pages.
13 – The second project challenge. Publishing the second issue was harder than the first. I completely relate to artists struggling with their second movie, book, or album. The invisible pressure to meet or surpass the first effort felt very real. I am having complete new energy levels when running up towards the third issue :)
Industry
14 – Burberry’s storytelling. Their impeccable creative and art direction always catch my eye, especially when landing in London (with ads all over the airports). To me, Burberry feels like the one “luxury” brand creating with true relevance to today.
15 – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. A lesson I first explored during a 2013 project on the rise and fall of Myspace: never rely entirely on one platform you don’t own. It’s tempting, but focusing all your energy on someone else’s platform is a short-term win – and often an accidental success story.
16 – A year for creativity? 2024 felt like a strange one. I didn’t see creativity skyrocket or encounter work that truly “blew me away.” Here’s to a wish for 2025 – more boldness and creativity for us all.
Work
17 – It’s better to live by your values than lose sleep at night. Living and working by my values was put to the test this year. Early in 2024, I turned down a 1 million SEK (€100,000) project from a very cool brand because it didn’t align with my values or those of studio playground. The decision hurt my business, but it was the right thing to do. I’m proud of myself for sticking to what matters. We want to collaborate with businesses that care about people and planet.
18 – Collaborators. 2024 was the year I started to see myself more as a curator or conductor, bringing together talented people to make incredible things happen. Collaboration has been a leap forward.
19 – Quality over quantity. Last year, I shifted my focus toward fewer projects with greater impact, prioritising distribution and effectiveness over volume.
20 – Curating and creating an exhibition at 3daysofdesign. Exhibitions are some of the hardest yet most rewarding work. The effort involved – across so many hands and minds – is immense. I’m incredibly proud of our client, Savo, and the Studio Playground team for the exhibition we created together.
21 – From “me” to “we.” studio playground is not just me anymore – it never really was. It’s always included Nino, and now Emilija, Veronika, and our collaborators Sophie, Mykolas, Deimante, Kiana, and of course, Magnus, my daily support and collaborator. While this newsletter might still feel like a “hey, it’s me” platform, it’s only one part of a much bigger collaboration. Hats off to the team for their fantastic work, for client, and on studio playground’s channels, which are shaped by Nino, Emilija, and me together.
22 – Strategy, planning, and connecting unseen dots. This is my bread-and-butter, and I’ve finally embraced it to the fullest.
Inspirations
23 – Galleries are my spa. I’ve found my safe haven in Stockholm – a few favourite spots I return to weekly, or at least bi-weekly. These galleries have become my personal spa, offering quiet inspiration and renewal.
24 – Fiction. Reading fiction makes me feel unafraid of AI. Human creativity is where it thrives, bringing you to new worlds and spaces. A few books this year made me keep talking to myself and contemplating the beautiful minds behind them. The two works of fiction that stood out: All Fours by Miranda July and Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.
Thank you so much for reading and spending your time with studio playground. We’ll continue creating, with my writing leading the way, in this bi-weekly newsletter. Playground newsletter will also remain free this year.
That said, if you ever feel like supporting what we do, you can collaborate with us as a client, engage with us (this one means so much, thank you!), or purchase and have fun with our magazine.
Your support strengthens our creative muscles, ensures fair pay, and improves our financial stability, allowing us to keep publishing (and we want to do more of that).
Thank you!
Austė & Playground team
A lovely list! Happy 2025 Auste & Studio Playground!