saves folder 005: julia harrison
on playlists, pigeons, and "pornstar martinis"
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m a writer at Architectural Digest, and the founder of saloon, which is a creative community rooted in a newsletter on this very platform. I’m kind of busy 24/7 as a result of doing those things, which are both full-time jobs. I live in Brooklyn, in an expensive and totally mediocre apartment with my best friend Eleanor, but we have a dishwasher and a microwave so actually we live like kings. I’ve been in New York on and off for about a decade and have both really liked it and really hated it—so much that I’ve moved away three times and then missed it enough to come back. I would like to move to Maine and write a book, probably.
What makes something save-worthy for you?
Anything that stops my scroll is a save. That usually means something confusing, perturbing, or moving—anything where I couldn’t quite finish the thought it gave me.
How organized are your saves?
My saves are almost entirely in my Instagram saves. That’s what I most often reference for inspiration or reflection (outside of like, real life, obviously). I also use ShopMy to tag everything I’m loving from my many, many searches for work. I section them into months. Here’s February. I also make a playlist on Spotify for each new month. As you can imagine, there’s a decent bit of Charli XCX on there this month.
What are a few things you’ve saved recently?
I recently saved these glasses because I want and need them.
I saved “Jamon, Jamon” from a Letterboxd review because I’d never heard of it and love Javier Bardem a lot.
I saved this as an example to send to my graphic designer of what I want saloon’s socials to look like
And I saved this because I thought it was genius.
Which accounts do you return to most often?
Casa Shop 5ever and always, they are masters of sourcing. You can try and find something they’re selling on eBay and it doesn’t EXIST. For example: what the fuck with this perfume bottle! How did they find that!!!! Bechara Maalouf doesn’t post often but when she does: I’m saving it. Also finding in my research that I’m apparently saving this dude’s recipes all the time?
What’s currently on your “to try” list?
Bossa Nova Civic Club—it has evaded me too long. Trying my first facial this weekend, which feels like a foray into an unnecessary expense. Don Udon in Crown Heights. Also this “pornstar martini” people are talking about…what’s up with that…
What do you think your saved content says about you?
White, New York-based, nearing 30, liable to have a Gagosian tote (I do) and sashay around Public Records looking for a long, wet kiss (I don’t anymore).
Beyond social media, where do you find inspiration?
My solitude, honestly. I love ambling around the city to my brother’s many, strange playlists. I start to watch and pay attention to the aspects of New York I mostly ignore in my intensity and indulgent busy-ness. I’m very, very inspired by my siblings—sick, sick geniuses—and my friends here, who are always showing me something new or ingesting culture in a way I don’t, thinking in a way I couldn’t if I tried to. I’d also say the work of Catherine Shannon and Chloe Pingeon always leaves me feeling sort of brilliant and/or somber in just the way I like.
What’s something you haven’t saved anywhere yet—but want to remember?
Oh, this is always real life stuff. I like coming back to moments where pigeons struck me as particularly human, I like remembering the trillion kindnesses of my boyfriend—it’s a very long list—stuff my sister texted or my best friend Molly said that made me laugh.
Most recently my friend Eleanor was serving us dinner and apologized for the spice factor in the entree but Molly responded by saying “It’s okay, I don’t have work tomorrow.” That’s been making me laugh for like, weeks now.
I’ve been remembering things about my dad, too, for no reason at all—like yesterday I recalled he answers a knock on the bathroom door by saying “On the pot!” instead of anything, you know, civilized. I was really glad to remember that from nowhere.
A big thank you to Julia for giving us a peek inside her latest sources of inspiration. Be sure to subscribe to her brilliant newsletter saloon and explore more of her incredible work on Arch Digest!
Ty Rebecca 🥹🥹💞💞
So much fun stuff here (and new saves for me)