Why it worked?

The stories were relatable. We offered value and insight to our readers without selling anything.

An example…

Art is for everyone

A while back, I went down to The Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla to meet their marketing manager, Carringon. We do a lot of private events at the museum, so we initially met up to talk strategy. But, as usual, I moved on to the personal questions because I was eager to learn more about him. He shared more about his love for making music and his side hustle of making candles. You could feel the creativity and joy bursting out of every word he said. I liked him immediately. As we stood up to say our goodbyes, he asked if I had a few spare minutes to check out the latest exhibit. 

We walked by the giant silver pumpkin sculpture speckled with rainbow polka dots that greets visitors in the museum’s lobby. Carrington gestured toward the iconic Robert Irwin wing and asked if I had ever seen it before. It has a stunning 180-degree view of the Pacific Ocean with wide open windows. He noted the space is always crowded with people trying to capture their perfect IG shots. We continued and strolled past Andy Warhol, Richard Serra and Robert Rauschenberg.

We walked quietly through the new exhibit until Carrington stopped me. He told me the next section might be difficult to see and asked if I wanted to continue. Of course, I did. He shared more about the series and its significance in our history. We paused before a portrait of a solemn, dignified Black woman with natural hair and a steady, unyielding gaze. Just beneath the image lay a single red rose that was delicate and powerful against the monochrome lithograph. The title read Love Letter II, a piece by Charles White. The portrait was of Fannie Lou Hamer, the civil rights activist who had bravely spoken out about the hysterectomy a white doctor performed on her without her consent during what was meant to be a simple surgery. This trauma fueled her lifelong fight for justice.

That work of art is not something I would choose to have in my home to decorate my halls. But I will never forget the emotions I felt. I have deep gratitude for the experience. And I am still captivated by the way art preserves stories that might otherwise fade. I recognize the unspoken agreement we, ordinary people, have with the art collectors and the museum donors. We need the wealthy to fund the arts. They do it for their own reasons. And this arrangement works. We don’t need to own the art. We just want to experience it. To stand in its presence. To feel its impact and be moved by something that reaches farther than ourselves. Art has a way of belonging to everyone who sees it. It becomes us. And for just a few dollars, or a lot of times even for free, we can stand inches away from these priceless creations and behold their wonder—the brutal, the heart-breaking and the beautiful. 

If you’re an art lover like me, here are a few place to find your next inspiration.