PROGRESS REPORT

ISSUE #149

Chloe Takes Over

Hey—I’m Chloe! I’m a Lead Strategist and lover of the em dash (sorry, AI allegations can’t stop me). I get as much of a thrill from untangling complex insights as I do from finding a TikTok that makes my friends laugh. After hours, find me in the cookbook section of McNally Jackson or on my perpetual quest for the perfect pair of denim.

An artist or thinker worth following.

Nancy Sharon Collins.

There’s nothing more special or sentimental than a handwritten note. And yet, it’s an increasingly lost art.

Enter Collins. She creates “bespoke social stationery” with hand-drawn monograms and ciphers that scratch the perfect itch in my mind—an effortless balance of cool and refined.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Collins a year or so ago. As she shared her process, I couldn’t help but notice the parallels to that of SYLVAIN. Collins gets to know her subjects through unconventional “iceberg” questions (or, as she calls them, the 13 Questions), balancing intention and imagination to capture their true spirit.

The output is something wholly unique—she might know her muses better than they know themselves.

A tool or framework worth implementing.

Word of the Week.

My best friend and I used to check in each week on our favorite word. Mine always changed, hers was always “plethora.” It felt really big in fifth grade.

Now, I keep a deck of GRE vocabulary flashcards on my desk and pull one (almost) weekly with coworkers (shoutout Joey and Stef). It’s fun, keeps me sharp, and I like giving myself bonus points if I can use it in a conversation that week.

My favorite word still changes often, but I’m a big fan of “aptronym” at the moment.

News that has given me pause lately, and what I'm doing about it.

“Everybody wants a village, nobody wants to be a villager.”

I’ve always outsourced help. Postmates, Uber, TaskRabbit, you name it. But Cassie McClure’s words hit deep: “Somewhere along the way, we forgot that we still need each other just as much, even in an era of grocery delivery and digital friendships. No app can replace a neighbor checking in on you. No streaming service can replace the feeling of someone showing up at your door with soup when you're sick.”

So, I’m embracing inconvenience: dog sitting when friends’ plans change, measuring for a new couch when my neighbor is out of town. And, I’m opening myself up to inconveniencing others from time to time too (Gah! Scary!).

Because at the end of the day, inconvenience is the cost of community—and what a gift it is to be inconvenienced.

News that has given me hope lately, and what I'm doing about it.

Punch gets a hug from older monkey. Need I say more?

A skill or practice I’m currently learning and why.

Embroidery.

I’m kind of a serial hobbyist— from sewing to salsa dancing, nothing is off limits. Lately, I find myself reaching for these creative outlets more and more. I’m not alone. In a world of increasingly algorithmic homogeneity and manufactured “perfection,” there’s something so fulfilling about getting your hands dirty and creating, imperfectly.

Advice that’s changed the way I think or work.

“Be the water, not the rock”—ancient wisdom popularized by Bruce Lee, but if I’m being honest, I grew up thinking this was original to my mom.

Be dynamic and adaptive. There’s always a way forward if you look for it.

About Progress Report

Progress Report is a bi-weekly newsletter of business considerations, cultural conversations, and fun recommendations from around the world and web.