FMG Newsletter: In Support of Peace & Art
I pride myself on being a person who finds the positive, seeks out beauty, and shares joy. These are values I hold dear, guiding principles of my life, and founding purposes of this newsletter.
While this will never change, at this time and place it feels increasingly difficult — and downright indulgent — to focus only on the positives of my life. While my week was filled with the first peonies of the season, homemade pizza heaped with fresh mozzarella, and spicy mezcal margaritas, so many others around the world were not so fortunate.
My heart is aching for the innocent civilians — SO MANY of them children — whose worlds have been upended and whose lives have been lost — most recently, this week, in Rafah. While I play with my niece and nephew, feed them chicken nuggets, and pray with them before bed, there are aunts, just like me, in Palestine, who will never see their own nieces and nephews again. I pray for and beg for peace, for ceasefire, for an end to this genocide, for the release of all hostages, and for the safety and security of ALL innocent lives.
Angelina Jolie once said, “I have never understood why some people are lucky enough to be born with the chance I had, to have this path in life, and why across the world there’s a woman just like me, with the same abilities and the same desires, same work ethic and love for her family… only she sits in a refugee camp, and she has no voice. She worries about what her children will eat, how to keep them safe, and if they’ll ever be allowed to return home. I don’t know why this is my life and that’s hers. I don’t understand that, but I will do the best I can with this life to be of use.”
The best way I know to be of use, at this point in my life, is to encourage those around me (and myself) to remain informed and educated while also speaking out, demanding peace, and monetarily contributing as you can. At the same time, I also encourage your laughter, joy, art, creativity, friendship, and love — each of which serve as proof and reminders of our humanity, our strength, and our power against darkness and evil.
In the interest of spreading this power, see below for my proud support of art I’ve recently consumed:
Music, Part 1: As someone who spends a massive amount of personal and professional time on social media, it takes a lot for a post to stop me in my tracks — but that’s what happened when I saw Beyoncé’s post about the new official vinyl edition of Cowboy Carter. There is simply no denying that Beyonce is on another level when it comes to the audio-visual experience — I can’t wait to receive the vinyl and listen to my absolute favorite album of the year (ever?) exactly as Beyoncé wants me to experience it.
Music, Part 2: While Cowboy Carter is the only album of the year that has made me lose my everloving mind, I also had a pretty visceral reaction to my first listen of Billie Eilish’s new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. Billie has the voice of a generation, and I absolutely love watching her experiment and express herself through it — what a gift to witness her talent.
I made this summer playlist (which features a few fave Beyoncé and Billie songs) for a drive up north last weekend. It was meant to be a collaborative playlist with my dear friend Amanda, but you’ll see when you click on it that only one of us held up our end of the bargain.
Podcasts: I love the Mel Robbins podcast in general (one of the best and most-used tips of my professional life is from Mel — that you should always casually show your hands at the beginning of/during Zoom calls to subtly/subconsciously show that you’re non-threatening and likable) — but the May 23 episode in general stuck with me. She interviews Dr. Aditi Nerurkar (a Harvard Med School lecturer, MD, and researcher) on the different types of stress, how to manage them, and how to use them to our benefit. It’s a super fascinating but easy listen.
Movies: I had Something’s Gotta Give on in the background a few nights this week, and I was reminded of the distinct pleasure of watching movies that were made by women, about women, and for women. Nancy Meyers soothes me like no one can. (Side note: I do listen to this playlist of instrumental music from Nancy Meyers movies every single day while I work. It’s why Hans Zimmer was in my top listened-to artists of 2023, lol.)
May your weekend be filled with art, love, and joy — but also with resilience, conversation, and meaningful action.
XO, Gail