everyone's stealing my personality and now i can't pretend to be better than everyone else

note 009: the rise of the analog trend

the first time i deleted instagram was in 2014. i was painting watercolours in 2015. in 2016 i went zero waste. i first started journalling seriously in 2017 (with mixed results). i started embroidery in 2020. in 2020 i deleted instagram again. i picked up film photography in 2021. i’ve been doing sudoku in my little book since at least 2022. in 2024 i read the anxious generation and was talking about buying a flip phone (my boyfriend talked me out of it).

so what i’m saying is that i’m better than everyone who is hopping onto the analog trend in 2026 cause i did it first. jk, we all have to start somewhere.

however, when i see the new 2026 trend cycle, i am worried about how hobbies and values that deeply matter to me are being co-opted. this has me feeling a little conflicted; on one hand, i am so happy that people are finding new passions and trying to make positive changes such as living more intentionally and challenging multi-billion conlogomerates. on the other, i wonder how long this will last until the “new best thing” reveals itself and everyone moves along.

when i started these activities it was because i was interested in them. i started realising the importance of being off screens and that there were companies profiting from the time i spent on their websites or apps. i was interested in sustainability and learning more about how i can take care of the planet, which led to discovering particular hobbies. there wasn’t a focus on what was trendy or popular (though these might have still been popular interests). they were things that brought me joy and spoke to my values. and i think something similar must be taking place now. i can see that people are trying to find joy again by being offline and while i should be happy that so many people are finding benefits in being off screens there’s this part of me—this petty, pass-agg part of me—that is a little miffed. i’m a little annoyed that when i started buying second hand and trying to be sustainable i had friends make fun of me. i am suspicious of people joining the movement because even though i want as many people as possible to resist and break free from the clutches of capitalism, i also don’t want this to become another diluted and discarded trend. that’s what i’m really worried about is seeing the things i love become a commodity that people are trying to capitalise on. sustained change doesn’t come from becoming part of an aesthetic. the only reason i have been able to sustain my efforts overall isn’t because i’ve been a poster child following everything to a t. it’s because i’ve had to make adjustments, to become okay with making mistakes, operating imperfectly and choosing to exist in the grey (something i naturally struggle with). sometimes i’ve even had to take pauses and then come back.

there are many articles that explain what i’m feeling more succinctly and beautifully (here, here, or here), but i still would like to have my say.

i think when i see all of this happening, i wonder if people are actively participating in changing their outlook on life or if they are participating in a new trend by buying all these new things— something which is antithetical to the whole movement. first of all, going fully analog in a digital world might not be possible for everyone. there’s an immense level of privilege in that alone. so maybe you have to tweak your plan (i’ve had to) and that’s okay. you aren’t a phony no matter what all the flip-phone-wielding holden caulfields say.

more importantly, when you start new things, you’re not always sure that you’re going to stick with them. so from a finance and a sustainability standpoints it also makes sense to not go all in. i say this from experience. as someone who has fallen into the hole and has had to claw herself out. so, you don’t need to have a louise carmen journal to do your best writing. your pukka pad from rymans that you already have is fine. your wallet (and the planet) will thank you. you don’t need to buy an £300 pound film camera or the professional grade colour pencils. use what you have. like i said, i’m not saying this to come off as holier than thou. i’m admitting to making the mistakes it’s all too easy to make. i had to learn this the hard way: in 2016 when i was zero waste, i realised i wasn’t actually helping the planet by throwing out things that were perfectly usable in order to match an aesthetic!i still have to remind it’s okay if i don’t have the “right stuff” because the “right stuff” is so enticing. good is better than perfect, especially when we can minimise negative impact.

this year when i was making my 2026 goals, a big sustainability one that emerged was to make use of what i already have rather than rely on buying new things. that means:

• finishing up the bottles of makeup lying on my vanity

• using my current vat of embroidery threads for my latest project even if it doesn’t match the colour scheme 100%

• reading the books that have been lying unread on my shelf before spending £15 pounds on a new purchase

• using everything in my pantry before it goes off

• mending my clothes rather than buying new ones

• forcing myself to write in those pretty journals i bought instead of buying yet another one to put on my bookshelf

some of the images that come on on pinterest when you search analog aesthetic

now i’m only one voice in a sea of many who are saying these things. and i am by no means an expert. so if you’re looking for some people to follow who focus on intentionality and trying to do good here are some of my faves:

• leena norms :for books, sewing and sustainability

• rajiv surendra: for crafting, finding the beauty in the everyday and slowing down

• the financial diet: for thinking about money, culture and class

• immy lucas: for recipes, knitting, and low buy tips

• shelby orme: for untangling overconsumption, reducing waste, and being part of a community

all of the work these folks do reminds me of what emily gonzales says, “the heart of analog living isn’t aesthetic–it’s use. and it starts by paying attention to what you already own and allowing it to be enough.” i would also add the goal is not perfection. you might still go online. You might make “non-analog” adjustments that make the purists tell you you’re doing it wrong. But it’s better to try something, even if you’re only at 80%.

80% okay is infinitely better than not done at all. That’s what I try to tell myself every day. I hope you’ll tell yourself that, too, as you find your own way to live more intentionally.

xoxo,

d