This is why we have the saying that “the people that were cool in high school never end up all that cool later in life.” The cool kids at that age were just really good at imitating, which was the currency of coolness then. Since everyone was floating in a sea of imitation, no one appreciated individuality. The opposite in fact: they punished it.... See more

While it’s probably one of the corniest things I’ll ever write in this column, I’ve come to believe that developing taste is not so unlike going to therapy; it’s an inefficient, time-consuming process that mostly entails looking inward and identifying whatever already moves you. It’s the product of devouring ideas, images and pieces of culture not... See more