The Coolest Person You've Ever Met
Field Trip | No.52
Field Trip is a homebase for the research and references that inform the work and life of designer Lauren Scarlett.
[RESEARCH ©FT]
Once again talking about the idea of coolness because it’s one of the most interesting things to me and I’m addicted to challenging its perception.
The coolest person you’ve ever met, shows up unapologetically as themselves. They are unembarrassed of everything they enjoy and don’t feel the need to justify anything.
Feeling comfortable enough to show up fully as yourself has a lot to do with being understood. Unfortunately, it’s rare to meet people who wholeheartedly ✨ get you ✨ who make you feel as though you can be one hundred percent yourself and won’t bat an eye at your new interest, or hobby, they’ll just understand why you’re into it. What others would think is weird or out of character for you, makes complete sense to them.
It’s easy to share things when you’re not fearing judgement. What’s brave is continuing to show up as yourself even when you know you’re not going to be understood. If you can fight that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach and continue to stand by what you believe in, when you know you’re in a room that doesn’t get you, you’re gonna make it.
The coolest person you’ve ever met, never gives in.
In the mass of the internet it can often feel as though you’re screaming into an empty void; it feels like no one’s paying attention, and it sucks when you’re doing something you believe deserves more recognition. Carrying on anyway, sets you apart.
I read a great article that talked about admiration being a factor in why you connect with someone on a deep level and I never really acknowledged this as a fact. But when I think about the people in my life who make me feel incredibly understood I realised how much I do deeply admire them; and how those you admire hold a mirror to you; possessing qualities you value and aspire to have yourself.
This admiration factor goes beyond people you personally know too. When I start questioning the point of everything I’m doing, I turn to my favourite writers, musicians and people who share things. These people not only make me feel understood by what they’re saying, but the admiration I have for them runs deep because they’ve done the thing, or continue to do the thing, despite them probably once being the person in the room that no one understood.
The coolest person you’ve ever met, has their own taste. They know who they are and they know what they like.
Developing your personal taste, especially as a designer, I think is one of the most important things you do in your career. The more you refine your taste, the more it can become this north star that keeps you focused and ultimately keeps you, you.
In the age of influence and algorithms, it takes effort to develop your taste away from the opinions of others; when you’re constantly being fed what’s ‘cool’ it’s easy to aimlessly follow trends. If you ask someone why they wear a certain pair of shoes or why they picked a particular sofa for their apartment, their answer will instantly expose whether they’ve made their own choice or just succumbed to what the internet has decided is the cool thing of the moment.
What would be cool is if you showed me the ugliest chair I’ve ever seen in my life but you could talk at length about why you love it. Because if you picked it because you liked it and you didn’t give a fuck about anything else, I will adore that ugly chair, and I will think you’re the coolest person ever.
The coolest person you’ve ever met, cares.
If you haven’t watched The Bear, I promise it’s worth the hype and you should watch it. Season 2, Episode 7 - ‘Forks’ is possibly one of my favourite episodes of TV ever made. It’s the thing that made me want to write this and without spoiling anything, I’ll try to explain why. Witnessing someone let go of their ego and their stubbornness, and allowing themselves to open up to an idea they initially thought was stupid, and then watch them finally ✨ get it ✨ is a beautiful thing to see. To then watch them change their mind, change their ways and say, “this is who I am now” without a care as to whether they’ll be accepted and understood, is amazing.
To really take the time to understand why people care about something is cool. To not make fun of something you don’t understand is cool. To care deeply about what you do and what you like, and be completely content with who you are, is very fucking cool.
I wanna save all of your posts! So spot on,every time!
Came here to say I think you’re one of the coolest people I’ve met on Substack and I’m glad we connected! Keep making cool things, being yourself and unapologetic!
You inspire us all to be our authentic self 🙏🏿✌🏿