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by @artifaxing on instagram.
“ It’s 2025 as I write this, and I’m holding what would’ve been seen as a supercomputer just 50 years ago in the palm of my hand. I can Google any image, take a photo, post it online, and reach millions in seconds. But still… I find myself missing the past. The “good days.” And maybe you do too.
For years now, I’ve noticed something. When I scroll, I see grainy VHS clips, blurry digital photos, old games on outdated consoles. And I always ask why. But I know the answer.
Everything today feels polished. We’ve got 8K, 160fps, ultra-HD in our pockets. Even the cheapest cameras capture insane quality. But is that a true reflection of us? I don’t think so.
We’re drawn to what’s imperfect because we’re imperfect. That raw, nostalgic look feels more real. And especially in moments of uncertainty, people turn to it for comfort. It’s familiar. It feels safe. According to fMRI studies, nostalgia even lights up reward centers in our brain, particularly the medial prefrontal cortex.
That’s why you see it everywhere now. People are buying old iPhones just to get the early 2010s look in photos. Brands are tapping into that too. Nostalgia marketing has seen a 20 to 30 percent rise recently.
It’s not just media. It’s clothes, logos, design. Minimalism and modernism made everything clean, but in doing so, kind of erased the personality. People want character again. They want imperfection. They want bold, messy, loud. They want to feel something. “
2d ago
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This feels like the platform I imagined the cool girls would post on when I was 10 years old. They always wore hoop earrings, had an extensive CD and perfume collection and were the kindest people you would ever meet.
2025 always sounded so futuristic but I feel like I am back in the 2010s again.
As i try to disconnect from social media more and be more mindful of how and what media i consume, i chase this feeling from my childhood. Wasting my Saturdays behind the family computer and going down a Youtube rabbit hole, blasting music from my CD player and trying to text on my Nokia phone (by having to press a button three times to get one letter.) Is it the innocence i miss because i didn't have a clue about attachment styles in relationships or the imposter syndrome i get when i go on LinkedIn? I don't know. But since the beginning of 2025 I have noticed once more, I am still 10-year old Sara:
I have been listening to Avicii again, since his new documentary came out at the beginning of this year. I am always on the hunt for 2000s Guess kitten heels and handbags on Vinted and Vestiaire. Watching Lamine Yamal play reminds me of the creativity that Brazilian Football represents and the joy i had when watching them compete in the World Cup in 2014.
There is this quote i love, which talks about you being a mosaic of the people you've ever loved and how they impact you in different ways. As much as I am a product of the people in my life i am also a product of my time. As a 2002 baby I do miss the simplicity of social media, post recession pop and my daily workout being completed on Wii Sports. As nostalgic as I am, i can't wait for what this year has in store.
Jan 19, 2025
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I love this GQ article about JJJJound from a year ago highlighting Justin Saunders' influence on internet taste & moodboards. He's been in the background of a lot of really influential projects over the last decade, all while building up his own brand that was really kickstarted off a primitive version of what we'd call a moodboard (a version of this still exists here).
What's been so interesting to me is watching the rise and now slow decline of JJJJound as a tastemaker. I guess for us (my millennial generation) the internet really was a clear defining aspect of where we'd discover new things. We learned what was cool from Complex and Hypebeast NikeTalk and StyleForum and a plethora of other sites that either don't exist any longer or have been since bought out and bastardized into another machine that pumps out sponsored posts. Justin thrived in this era. I remember his first few drops, specifically the Vans from 2017 come to mind. People were losing their minds over them. Same for his first few New Balance collabs - absolutely chaos. I personally never found them appealing, but I understand why they created the buzz that they did.
...and yet...
When I talk to any younger guys that are into fashion and menswear and I ask what they think about some of these 'legacy' brands I usually get hit with a 'uh who?' or worse, 'they're cooked.' In a shocking twist of fate, the menswear heroes I grew up admiring are becoming irrelevant with the next generation. And although there isn't anything wrong with that, it does remind me how fleeting relevancy and taste are within the creative space. There's something impressive about being someone who lasts through the shifting trends and fads. And with Gen Z seemingly taking this anti-internet / anti-tech approach (have you looked at how many teenagers are giving up their iPhones for flip phones???) I do wonder what will happen to these guys that formed their following off of forums and message boards once those go away entirely.
Apr 25, 2024
things were easier (because i was a kid) but it seemed so simple. where are all the frozen yogurt restaurants? why don’t people have cds anymore? bring back limewire and online chat blogs and weird websites and silly graphic t-shirts and chunky sneakers and twee and hipster styles. i miss collegehumor and buzzfeed. but i bring the nostalgia for myself back every day by dressing like i stepped out of a rhett and link music video and listening to modest mouse and metric and the yeah yeah yeahs. i love my digital camera and my dvds and volunteering at my university radio station.
Jan 20, 2025
Top Recs from @bloodmage
it’s my grandmothers on my moms side, they both died before i was born. i collect antiques and love clocks, so this is extra special to me
Jun 16, 2025
taken with a camera that actually saves on a floppy disk! sony mavica. edited in photoshop, photos taken by me.
Jun 16, 2025
one of my first works, very early 2024 where i had little to no experience and was just running off of tutorials, vs now in 2025 a slight rework, just moving through processes by messing around on my own.
(first image, 2024. second 2025)
1d ago