We started in 2017 with a simple belief: creatives deserve better. Better tools, better support, better stories.
For too long, the systems around us have measured creativity by speed, reach, or how well it fits traditional standards. Existing platforms were no longer working for creatives.
So we built auster.
Think of it as an antidote to the algorithm: a network outside of algorithmic or institutional pressures, where creatives can self-actualize creatively, culturally, and personally.
auster is the infrastructure we wish we had.
What you tell yourself at the start of the day sets the tone for everything that follows. Here’s something for the tender little window before the emails and notifs get to you.
Does what we do still matter? With everything going on, it's hard not to wonder. But @azumi.fabienne says yes. It matters now more than ever, actually.
Azumi Fabienne is an artist specializing in sound healing. Like many of us, she once struggled with unresolved trauma, which led her to disconnect from her creativity in an attempt to follow a more conventional path. She spent years working as a secretary, but over time began to feel deeply unfulfilled. This became a turning point that compelled her to confront her trauma with honesty.
Following extensive research and formal training in Bali in early 2025, she fully embraced her purpose: using music as a tool for healing. Today, she shares self-produced frequencies, sound transmissions, and guidance to help others heal and rediscover themselves through sound.
Credit: Internet Archive
Based in Kolkata, extroo is a graphic designer and artist who uses type to communicate thoughts and emotions in unconventional ways. He started with the strict rules of Swiss style design and spent years studying how type interacts with different mediums and contexts.
We sat down with him to talk about what it really takes to build typographic taste, and how to tell a good design decision from a bad one.
For a long time, the world did a convincing job of making us think our cultures needed to be palatable to matter. That’s exactly what globalization does, it standardizes things for reach and scale. What gets traded away is context.
Providing that context is why we started Subculture R&D. The season finale is where it all comes full circle.
[Indian culture art history globalisation cultural commentary craft revival santiniketan artists discussion subculture]
#culture #commentary #explore #craftrevival #subcultures
Heyy! I’m Robin. I run auster’s social media and community, so spotting fake community is a skill at this point.
It’s 2026 and everyone suddenly wants to be your friend (even when they know nothing about you).
I’ve been chronically online long enough to know the difference between a community and an aesthetically pleasing group chat. Sooo I’m sharing in our newsletter what’s actually worth your time: how to spot the real thing, protect your energy, and stop feeding parasocial relationships that only grow in one direction.
When did you last feel like you actually belonged somewhere online?
![For a long time, the world did a convincing job of making us think our cultures needed to be palatable to matter. That’s exactly what globalization does, it standardizes things for reach and scale. What gets traded away is context.Providing that context is why we started Subculture R&D. The season finale is where it all comes full circle.[Indian culture art history globalisation cultural commentary craft revival santiniketan artists discussion subculture]#culture #commentary #explore #craftrevival #subcultures](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739251973687224556666_0_17212f9502ba3b57ac9a71e763ade060.jpg?o=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&h=fa40c1df1a095bbaf47b28738bcd9c00)
![What gives a piece its personality? For us, it’s the colors, textures and a bit of organized chaos.DM us your work, it could be featured next.Visuals by:[1] @killhous3 @sh4akchunna[2] @_architish[3] @muskanriazhaider[4] @parmejaaan @h4rshil.__[5] @camera.derie[6] @channelchutney[7] @s444esha[8] @the_rest_ofme[9] @noorranix](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739366662397168507122_0_e575db28521d7d1ad3b91fd8dd95288c.jpg?o=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&h=32a70b0d4bad9be96168888e77260745)
