No.2 – Introducing Snowball Selected
(What We've Been Loving Lately)
Lately, we’ve been hearing various iterations of the saying which goes something like: “The world has enough room for everybody to succeed.” Thus, in this general spirit of sharing, we thought it would be fun and inspiring for us to reflect and write about some of our recent favourites in a segment we’ve coined ‘Snowball Selected’. These collections will be published once every two weeks to supplement the longer-form articles in our newsletter. For our first edition of ‘Snowball Selected’, we decided to honour Women’s History Month by celebrating our favourite female-created content!
Business: em and the terrazzo
em and the terrazzo is a small UK business which produces terrazzo pots, coasters, trays, trinket dishes and more! Not only is every piece handmade from start to finish, making them feel more unique and special, but they come packaged in recyclable cardboard, tissue paper, and even their packaging peanuts are biodegradable. Their pieces are perfect as a birthday gift or if you want some new pieces to decorate your space with.
Podcast: Working Title by Margot Lee
Margot’s Working Title is an autumn Sunday morning walk in podcast-form. It feels comforting and familiar yet also brand new; she seems to put the words to your truest thoughts while challenging the presumptions that underlie those very ideas. Working Title embraces a unique structure – one that combines voiceovers with audio soundbites that come together to tell a narrative. Although there are only a few episodes out at the moment, Margot has covered topics ranging from her apartment hunt experience in New York City and the importance of values in one’s personal brand. Her latest episode tackled the perceived dichotomy between success and failure (and even brought a snowball analogy into the conversation!).
Music: Collapsed in Sunbeams by Arlo Parks
Arlo Parks faced high expectations for her debut album - despite only being 20 years old, her first single 'Cola' (which she debuted at the age of 18) made its way onto Michelle Obama's playlist. Collapsed in Sunbeams has won the approval of critics, with NME dubbing it as a ‘sanctuary of compassionate lyricism and groove-along tunes’. Parks' calm and soft tone, in tandem with her jazz-meets-pop instrumentals, make her music feel like a warm hug, especially when much of her lyrics paint intimate and personal pictures of her adolescence. I feel especially lucky to have seen her live in concert - it was actually her performance of Cola which had hooked me into her music - and I can’t wait to see what she does next!
TV Show: Behind Her Eyes on Netflix
If you haven’t heard of Behind Her Eyes already, the show is currently ranked number 1 in popularity on Netflix. The series is a gripping psychological thriller (think Gone Girl) that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat with its unexpected plot twists and interesting characters! Highly recommended and a great show to binge-watch on your day off given that it’s only 6 episodes. Though this show isn’t led by a female producer, the show’s immense popularity can be attributed to the strength and complexity of its female characters.
Book: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Vanishing Half is an incredible example of how fictional storytelling can highlight important lessons. The Vignes twin sisters, Desiree and Stella, wrangle with a traumatic race-related incident from their past in addition to the typical predicaments of small-town life. When their lives take a turn, not only away from what they’ve always known, but also away from each other, they learn lessons about family, identity, and community. Most of all, they learn how the single factor of one’s image in the world can result in entirely different life circumstances. It is a chilling and eye-opening lesson that stays with the reader long after you turn over the last page of the book.