all the top brands are doing this and it’s a night and day difference
the events that pop up on my feed aren’t the ones with exclusive invite only guests and bottle service.
they’re the run clubs at 7am on a saturday.
the coffee shop x dj sets that send 100 dms before they post anything public.
the rooftop events where the marketing is the story reposts the next day.
none of it is gatekept.
you could find any of these if you looked.
they’re public, they’re tagged, they’re searchable.
they just feel like iykyk because the people who show up are the people who paid attention.
the people who go are the people it’s curated for.
if you’re building a brand in 2026 and you’re trying to feel exclusive, you’re already losing.
the brands winning right now are doing the opposite.
they’re putting everything online and trusting the right people to find them.
curated, not gatekept.
taste is just decision making with no rules
every output you ship is a stack of micro-decisions. which idea, which angle, which 3 words to cut, which person to send it to first. AI handles the labor now. it doesn’t make those calls. that’s what’s left.
aesthetic ≠taste btw. aesthetic is the moodboard. taste is knowing which 4 of the 40 pins actually belong together. most people confuse collecting with editing.
how you build it (nobody really talks about this):
– consume outside your lane on purpose. if you make content, go read fiction. if you write code, look at fashion. the stuff that seems unrelated ends up showing up in your work whether you want it to or not.
– figure out the difference between what you actually like and what you think you should like. harder than it sounds. most people are performing taste for an audience that isn’t watching.
– find people whose work makes you feel a little behind. don’t avoid them. that feeling is useful.
– ship ugly work. taste sharpens when it hits air, not when it sits in your notes app. you learn more from a bad thing you actually finished than from the perfect thing you keep reworking in private.
– start a “this slaps” folder. screenshots, links, random frames, single lines from things. don’t organize it. don’t analyze it. just throw stuff in. the patterns will surface on their own after a few months.
the people getting called out rn aren’t lazy. they’re capable. they have reps. but skill used to be enough to hide behind and it’s not anymore.
mediocre work used to blend in. that’s over.
what’s the last thing you saw that made you think whoever made it actually has taste?
you’re so focused on saving when most of the ROI comes from spending.
saving is important, obviously invest in ETFs and whatever, but the experience bank needs to be getting filled in your 20s
around 10 years is really all you got before people get married, have kids, stop going out as much.
and therefore the opportunities that come your way significantly decrease.
do what you want but this is how i’m spending my money in my 20s
#20s #money
everyone can benefit from a personal portfolio.
software engineers
corporate 9-5 mans
accountants
business owners
founders
investors
creators
the list goes on. so here’s how to make one without coding, in 2 hours and on a budget!
[software, claude, personal, portfolio, ai, no code, ugc portfolio, design, portfolio inspo, website inspo]
#ugc #techugc #maleugccreator #portfolio #design
![everyone can benefit from a personal portfolio.software engineerscorporate 9-5 mansaccountantsbusiness ownersfoundersinvestorscreatorsthe list goes on. so here’s how to make one without coding, in 2 hours and on a budget![software, claude, personal, portfolio, ai, no code, ugc portfolio, design, portfolio inspo, website inspo]#ugc #techugc #maleugccreator #portfolio #design](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739634925191049151136_0_e29ddb8da327866af121f23c501eb5ff.jpg?o=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&h=6aef8dd5858da668979c9dd91314849b)
