Bienvenue to My New Site & Blog Design
This site is completely free, no paywalls or subscriptions. Just like those old-school 90s blogs we used to love.
A Digital Space That Honors Your Time
Bonjour!
I've been quietly building this site for a few months now - my completely redesigned website and the philosophy behind it.
I recently shared some startling statistics about Americans spending the equivalent of 25 full-time work years watching television. And how we talked about Oxford naming "brainrot" as their word of 2024? This new space I've created is my direct response to the cultural moment we're living in.
Let me be transparent with you about where this comes from.
I am a person with two feet in different worlds - my childhood was pre-internet, analog, filled with library visits and handwritten letters. But my entire career has been shaped by the digital revolution. I've ridden every wave of change, from BBS boards to the birth of blogging to the influencer economy we see today. I've watched the internet transform from a generous, open space into something that increasingly profits from our scattered attention.
As a working resident and immigrant in France, I face practical constraints that many don't. The requirements for print authors here are complex, and the timeline from ideation to publication simply doesn't work for the kind of timely content I want to share. But that doesn't mean I have to surrender to the noise of modern digital spaces.
So I made a choice.
My new website is designed to be what I wish more of the internet still was - a quiet corner where you can think, read, and breathe without being sold to every few paragraphs.
Here's what you won't find here:
Pop-up ads demanding your email
Embedded advertisements
Paywalls or subscription gates
Cookie consent banners that track your every move
"Buy now" buttons scattered throughout articles
Auto-playing videos competing for your attention
What you will find is content organized like a well-curated bookstore or library, with clear categories that actually help you discover what you're looking for. The design itself is meant to feel like those spaces where you can lose yourself pleasantly in discovery, not frantically scroll through endless feeds.
The Multi-Platform Philosophy
I need to explain something about how I use different platforms, because I think it matters for how you might want to engage with this content.
Instagram is where the brief, in-the-moment sharing happens - things too small for a full blog post but worth capturing. My stories there are like marginalia in a favorite book, quick thoughts and daily observations.
YouTube serves a different purpose entirely. Unlike passive television consumption, I use YouTube intentionally - for research, for creative inspiration, in small, chosen doses. That's what I'm hoping to offer you there too: visual storytelling you can engage with consciously, save for later, or watch in brief, nourishing segments.
But this blog? This is where the real conversation happens. Where I can share not just what I'm doing, but why, and how you might adapt these ideas for your own life.
An Honest Apology
I need to acknowledge something I got wrong in the past. When I created content like my Château series, I was talking at you - sharing experiences and history and details without creating space for real exchange. That approach felt educational but distant, more like a lecture than a conversation.
What I'm attempting now is different. Instead of just telling you what happened after the fact, I'm inviting you into the process. Here's what I'm planning. Here's how it actually unfolded. Here's what worked, what didn't, what surprised me. And here are some ways you might try something similar, whether you're in Paris, your hometown, or anywhere in between.
“This isn’t just about rejecting digital noise for its own sake. It’s about creating space for the kind of intentional living we’ve been discussing. ”
The Philosophy in Practice
This isn't just about rejecting digital noise for its own sake. It's about creating space for the kind of intentional living we've been discussing. If I believe that how we spend our hours shapes our entire lives, then how I present content to you should honor your time, not fragment it.
At the time I write this, the website is still under construction, so please excuse any features that aren’t working properly - certain features are missing, old content is still being migrated, new categories are being refined. I'm asking for your patience as this space evolves, and I hope you'll come back as new pieces are added.
But even in its unfinished state, this space represents something I believe in deeply: the possibility of engaging with digital content in a way that enriches rather than depletes us.
Why This Matters
You know those authentic 1990s bloggers who wrote because they had something genuine to share? Who created communities around curiosity rather than metrics? That's the energy I'm hoping to recapture here.
If you're someone who values books and gardens and art history, who's curious about French culture and coffee rituals, who wants to learn about work-life balance from the perspective of someone actually living it rather than performing it - this space is for you.
If you're looking to step back from the algorithmic feeds and engage with content more intentionally, if you're planning a trip to France and want inspiration rooted in real experience rather than sponsored recommendations - this is for you.
If you simply want to be part of a community that believes living can be an art form, that our daily choices matter, that beauty and cultivation shouldn't require a credit card - welcome.
This blog, these words, this quiet digital corner - it's all completely free. No strings attached. Just like those early internet days when sharing knowledge felt like a natural human impulse rather than a business strategy.
I hope you love this space as much as I've loved creating it. I hope you'll find me on Instagram for the daily moments and YouTube for the visual stories. But mostly, I hope you'll keep coming back here, to this calm corner of the internet, whenever you need a reminder that your time, your attention, your beautiful life - all of it deserves to be treated with respect.
With love,
Shannon
