the reset.
3,000 subscribers later, here's what's changing...
I’ll spare you the build-up: essays stay free, Geistlab (new) is paid, and The Archive (prev. Off The Shelf) goes behind a paywall on July 1st.
This post reflects on 2025, and shares what’s new and next for both free and paid subscribers.
Hi reader,
It’s been a while.
I kept telling myself I’d return when I had the words but they didn’t come, and that’s okay.
It’s now the last week of 2025 as I write this, and I wanted to start on one clear note: I’m back and I’m rebuilding my creative practice with intent. Writing, first.
When I started writing on Substack, it was a way to find my voice and my place in the creator economy. In January, I then decided to document my journey to design my dream life in real time. 227k views and 10k subscribers later…I did it.
I got the dream job.
I created the community (I was a writer y’all!)
Then, my business closed.
Content took a back seat.
And the one medium that gave me the most freedom, writing, was neglected.
Over the past year, I’ve loved exploring fashion, trends and culture because I believe the intersection is where the real story sits. The deeper I went, the more obsessed I became with how we all participate in fashion, and how a little awareness quietly changes how and what we consume.
To be completely honest, I also wanted to become what the girls now call “disgustingly educated”, and I knew the only way that would happen was if I stopped reading passively, and started writing actively. I didn’t know if anyone would care, and I nearly talked myself out of starting by imagining every smarter writer who could say it better, but that’s the oldest trap there is.
You have all changed my perception of what’s possible, so a HUGE thank you for reading, replying and subscribing. Building this community has genuinely changed my life.
What’s changing in 2026
Introducing Geistlab: welcome to the writers room (paid).
For my paid subscribers, my essays will hit your inbox first, not in final form but as drafts, ideas, concepts, pre-submissions and developing arguments via Geistlab. You are my editors, my focus group, and you’ll be able to validate the half-formed ideas before they hit the press. The Geistlab is where the Trendgeist is built, and the future I see is bigger than Substack. I can’t wait to start this journey with you!
Off the Shelf is now The Archive (paid from July 1st).
Off the Shelf may only have one entry so far, but the idea for this newsletter was always bigger than the output. I’m renaming it to The Archive and from July 1st, it will exist behind a paywall.
The Archive will go further and give you insight into me (I am interesting enough, I think!). I’ll share everything: what I’m listening to, watching, reading, and what I’m wearing, as someone building her personal archive. I’m hopeful, that over the next six months, you will see the value in this section of my newsletter, and want to continue accessing it.
For free subscribers (free forever!)
My essays will stay free. This really matters to me as it keeps my work discoverable and the dialogue open. I will, as always, continue to explore the intersection of fashion and culture via the trendgeist.
I hope you’re here for what comes next. Thank you for 3,000 subscribers.
with thought,
J x