Gentrification, David Lynch and Art As Therapy
16-23 February 2025
Hey folks,
The weather in February has been dark and grey and my vitamin D spray is fighting for its life. I hope you are experiencing better conditions wherever you are. I planted a lot of bulbs in autumn and I’m waiting eagerly for them to come up. Roll on spring.
This week I ventured to pastures new, watched a film from a recently deceased director, and thought a lot about the importance of art and community.
Happy reading!
Now That I Think About It
Books aren’t just for fun, they have a very specific and important purpose. Fantasy can help us escape, memoir can make us feel less alone, and non-fiction becomes our own personal university.
Art in general has a deeply important function - making life bearable. Susie Hodge’s book How Art Can Change Your Life explains that visual art can reduce stress and anxiety levels. Often seen as a tool for frivolity, creativity is instead a unique vehicle for releasing and sharing our emotions and allowing ourselves to heal.
Inspired by an article I read on how poetry helped a mother grieve the death of her daughter, I’d like to share an article I wrote about five books that taught me how to appreciate the beauty in the small moments.
Read here on Medium for free (or click here if you’re a member).
Edinburgh
This week I took a trip to Edinburgh to catch up with a pal. I explored Leith, an area which was rough when I was a student but now has a lot of smart cafes, wine bars, and transport connections thanks to the new tram system. I spent a [redacted] amount of money at Topping’s Bookshop, got my nails done At The Studio, and went to a proper nice pub by the water.
It’s nice to see the area improve, but gentrification and the rise of short term lets (like Airbnb) is making more and more of Edinburgh unaffordable for the average person. I can’t help but think of a video I saw from Gary’s Economics who said, ‘the rich are competing for the same resources you need. There is only a certain amount of physical spaces in cities, housing etc. As the rich get richer they start to consume more stuff and that means less stuff for you.’ Plus, areas start to lose their identities as everything becomes culturally homogenised. In a shopping centre you could be anywhere in the world.
The changes to Leith are another iteration of that and I wonder what exactly it is that I feel begins to get worn away when money comes in. What is it about a city that gives it its ‘vibe?’ Is it inherent in the land? In the people? A collective feeling that we plug into when we step off the train? Or something entirely made up in my head depending on my mood?
I think Edinburgh has always been more of an English city than a Scottish one - a northern Oxford or Cambridge - with cities like Glasgow showing more of the grit that the Scottish are known for. Regardless of the location, I hope there are enough people who care about their local communities to keep them from becoming absorbed into the whims of a small number of very rich people. It’s fine to welcome change, but don’t let a good matcha latte make you forget who you are. (That was a PSA to myself.)
Ps. Do you like my new nails? (Correct opinions only.)
Consumption Corner
I’ve decided to never do spoilers again :)
Wild At Heart (1980) ☆☆☆
This was my first David Lynch watch and it happened on two glasses of wine when I am a depressive drunk (I was out in a social environment, this is not a cry for help - not in this section of the newsletter at least).
I will need to watch his other stuff - Twin Peaks especially - in a good mental place before I make a definitive decision on whether I like his style.
RIP an extremely memeable king.
Convenience Store Woman (2016) ☆☆☆☆
As someone who works in customer service, there’s something very grounding about having a regular job - the repetitiveness, the way you help people, being ‘a cog in the machine’. A gem of a book to read if you are fed of up of justifying your life choices to other people.
The Twilight Saga (Books and Movies, 2005 - 2012) ☆☆☆☆
I have been reminiscing about this series for an article collaboration and was amazed at how much it meant to me. More on this next week. Meantime, I’d like to remind you of the infamous 9/11 connection.
Weekly stats:
Cans of tuna consumed: 5 (for my protein goals OBVS!)
Times I thought ‘I’m eating waaaay too much sugar’: 3
Phone battery percentage: 7
Hours spent thinking about Alain Delon: 100+
Times I heard an Ed Sheeran song against my will: 2
Wild thoughts: always (wild, wild, wild)
What to expect from the rickleverse week 5
Next week I talk to you about my plans to try house sitting, my thoughts on going to the gym, and why it’s not good to eat chips every night.
See you soon!
Love,
Rachael