The real drag-and-drop

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 9 of 13, SS26 * Subscribe free *

Are you reading this on your phone? If so, you might be striding down the sidewalk, then slowing to a complete halt as you're drawn into your screen. A few paces behind you, someone is wondering why you suddenly froze – and as they brush past you, you awaken from your trance and realize where you are.

Our devices are constantly pulling us into their two-dimensional substitutes for life, me included. We tap virtual buttons and drag virtual objects, while our physical selves are left to languish. We spend more time choosing emojis than making facial expressions, burrowing ever deeper into an artificial world that promises to be more efficient than our own. Our so-called "mobile" experiences leave us increasingly immobilized.

As someone who designs apps for a living, I'm hardly one to critique this burgeoning domain – but I also try to offer an antidote in this newsletter. When I'm at home in my small apartment, arranging things in meaningful ways brings me back to the world of actual stuff. I've been sharing my findings for five years now – last week was issue 200! – and I hope that following my suggestions helps you feel more grounded. At the very least, I hope I'm there for you in those moments when the digital realm disappoints.

Our devices cast a spell, but we have the power to break it. Around the globe, people are rediscovering how hauling the weighty artifacts of our homes into new configurations can be a kind of artistic uprising.

Last October, The Financial Times profiled Valencia-based "composition artist" Berry Dijkstra, whose creations involve elaborate mounds of furniture like this one:

At six-foot-seven, Berry's got the right stature for building these towering structures, but even still, I wondered if he had help with all the lifting and stacking. While it doesn't solve that particular mystery, the Financial Times profile is an entertaining look at his practice.

Similarly, this past Sunday, the New York Times spotlighted a book lover's apartment dilemma:

Mendel solves the logistics of finding a new home for 10,000 books in community, a reminder that our beloved yet cumbersome things are not quite as heavy within the bounds of friendship.

Berry and Mendel's efforts may be heroic in scale, but you don't need to take it as far to reap the benefits. Start small. Look for something in your home that's been in the same place for far too long. Reposition it somewhere new. Then look again, and see if the fresh location starts a domino effect. Before long, you may have a redesigned room... or even just a reinvigorated tabletop.

By reverting to the real drag-and-drop, the kind that changes your physical environment, you're confronting the siren song of digital inertia head-on. As we begin our next 100 issues, I promise to keep doing what I've been doing: offer you the courage and inspiration to continue resisting, continue getting stronger, continue finding your true home.

Thank you for reading.