Modern muralism emerged from New York City’s graffiti boom of the 1960s and 70s, though its roots as a powerful political communication tool stretch back to 1920s Mexico. What began as underground street art, often unsanctioned and rebellious, has gradually transformed into something cities around the world actively celebrate and commission. Once confined to abandoned buildings, murals now proudly dominate skylines from Berlin to Buenos Aires and are recognised as vital contributions to the urban landscape. Today, Our Culture highlights three mural artists whose large-scale works are certainly worth your attention.
Patrícia Mariano
Portuguese fine arts painter and muralist Patrícia Mariano took an unconventional path to her practice. With a background in architecture and journalism, she’s a self-taught artist who didn’t discover her true calling until age 30, when she realised her dream was to have her own studio and paint full-time. Working in what she calls “imagined realism,” Mariano creates intriguing murals that blend surrealist style with metaphorical imagery, often centering portraits of women. Her striking mural “Calypso,” created for Galeria de Arte Urbana’s Festival MURO 2025, has been nominated for Best Mural in the World by Street Art Cities.
Sydney-based muralist Fintan Magee creates large-scale social realist paintings that tackle themes of migration, the environmental crisis and inequality. Born in 1985 to an architect mother and sculptor father, Magee was exposed early to the political murals of his father’s native Northern Ireland. This influence shaped his belief in the power of public art to communicate viewpoints and unite communities. His figurative work, which carries a surprising softness influenced by children’s books and the Low Brow art movement, now appears on walls across the globe from London to Buenos Aires to Kyiv.
Taking his name from the Incan sun god, Chilean artist INTI creates murals that feel like fever dreams of South American culture. His work frequently blends Chilean symbolism into strange, dizzying characters rendered in bright colours and executed with meticulous technical control. Active since 1996, INTI uses street art to express political statements, celebrating Latin culture while acknowledging Chile’s turbulent recent past. His massive murals now appear across continents, from his native Valparaíso to Belgium, India and beyond. Aside from murals, INTI has recently been exploring bronze sculpture.
Apple TV+ thriller Hijack is back with season 2, following Idris Elba’s character in another tense situation. One could argue that having a business negotiator caught in a high-stakes scenario is unlikely to happen twice. While that’s valid, it doesn’t make the series any less enjoyable.
In fact, Hijack is just as entertaining as ever. Plus, if you tune in for one episode, we can almost guarantee you’ll be seated for all. Before long, you’ll also ask yourself whether a third installment might be possible. Here’s what we know so far.
Hijack Season 3 Release Date
At the time of writing, there’s no news about a potential Hijack season 3. That doesn’t mean it’s not happening. The second season premiered in mid-January, so an announcement could come somewhere down the line.
When asked about the show’s future, creator Jim Field Smith didn’t provide any information about what’s to come, but seemed open to the idea.
“Could Sam Nelson find himself having another of the worst days of his life? I’m sure he could. He seems to be a guy that stumbles into bad luck, and I love working with Idris, and whether it was more of this show or something else, I’m sure the collaboration will lead to more,” he said.
As long as the stars align, a third installment could arrive in late 2027 or early 2028.
Hijack Cast
Idris Elba as Sam Nelson
Christine Adams as Marsha Smith-Nelson
Max Beesley as DI Daniel O’Farrel
Archie Panjabi as DCI Zahra Gahfoor
Clare-Hope Ashitey as Olivia Thatcher
Jasmine Bayes as Mei Tan
Albrecht Schuch as Freddie
Christian Näthe as Otto Weber
What Could Happen in Hijack Season 3?
Hijack revolves around Sam Nelson, a corporate business negotiator who becomes embroiled in hostage crises. Each season unfolds over the course of a tense journey, where Sam must use his skills to protect innocent lives. It delivers action, drama, and mounting pressure, as the events basically unravel in real time.
Season 1 takes place aboard an airplane during a seven-hour journey from Dubai to London. Shortly after takeoff, a group of armed hijackers threaten the passengers and crew to seize control of the aircraft. Nelson, one of the passengers, is thrust into the role of de-facto negotiator. Since a follow-up is currently airing, it’s safe to say he survives the ordeal.
The second season shifts the setting to the Berlin underground transit system. Once again, a crisis unfolds, and Nelson is at the centre of the action. We won’t spoil anything, especially as only two episodes are out so far, but there’s a twist that will make you question everyone’s motives.
If Hijack season 3 becomes reality, we’re guessing it will follow Nelson in another dangerous situation. Until then, the second season rolls out weekly, with the finale scheduled for early March.
As you start moving into higher-tier craftingin Hytale, Cindercloth Scraps begin to matter pretty quickly. Cindercloth Scraps are a type of crafting material in Hytale used for higher-tier gear and upgrades, including adamantite weapons and armour, along with a few progression-related upgrades. However, Cindercloth Scraps don’t come from regular enemies or early biomes; instead dropping from a specific type of enemy found in volcanic environments that aren’t accessible from the starting zones. So before you spend too much time farming the wrong areas, here’s how to get Cindercloth Scraps in Hytale.
Hytale: How to Get Cindercloth Scraps for Adamantite Gear
Cindercloth Scraps drop from fire-based skeletal enemies like Incandescent Skeleton Fighters, which wield black bones and flaming swords, and Incandescent Skeleton Mages found in volcanic regions of the map. To get Cindercloth Scraps in Hytale, you’ll need to travel to volcanic biomes, where these enemies spawn. The most reliable place to farm Cindercloth Scraps is the Devastated Lands and you can reach this area by travelling far north through snowy and tundra areas, or by heading south through desert regions.
Once you’re there, simply start killing Incandescent Skeleton Fighters, as these are the ones that drop Cindercloth Scraps. They tend to spawn in groups and combat can get messy fast. That said, you can kill them easily with thorium or cobalt gear and use a shield to deal with groups without taking too much damage.
You’ll need several Cindercloth Scraps for crafting various Adamantite gear, so it’s worth stocking up on food and repair kits before you head out. Additionally, you can find Cindercloth Scraps early in the underground areas of the starting zone. If you haven’t been to this area yet, work your way through deep underground caves or follow natural chasms downward until you start seeing embers in the air, volcanic rock, and large pools of lava. The regular skeletons down here are replaced by incandescent variants, which drop Cindercloth Scraps instead of linen.
Sassy 009 is the project of Oslo-born artist Sunniva Lindgård, who grew up taking lessons in violin, cello, piano, and flute. Though she ended up quitting those instruments, a high school music production course, which she picked almost at random, convinced her to pursue music. After uploading tracks to SoundCloud, she enlisted two of her friends for the project’s first live performance and made plenty more music with them before returning Sassy 009 to its solo origins. Following a series of mixtapes, including 2019’s KILL SASSY 009 and 2021’s Heart Ego, she toiled away at her debut proper for years, struggling to funnel a fantastical narrative in which intrusive thoughts become reality into a digestible record; in essence, squaring the nightmarish with the catchy. But with notable assists from Blood Orange, yunè pinku, and BEA1991, Lindgård – playing a character described, better than by the album’s namesake, on the title track as an “in-betweener” – embodies the blurry, fluid qualities of Dreamer+ with undeniable kineticism. It’s the kind of dream more likely to haunt you down than fade from memory.
We caught up with Sassy 009 for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about her musical upbringing, self-producing Dreamer+, intrusive thoughts as a kind of daydreaming, and more.
I read that your parents were both string players who also made pop music. What are your memories of hearing them play or seeing that dynamic at work?
Such a core memory for me, in general, is to just hear a violin or a viola being played in a room with a closed door. At any time of the day, really – them rehearsing for a concert that is coming up, almost like a white noise thing while you’re home doing your own things. Especially on my dad’s side of the family, his siblings are also classical musicians, and a lot of my cousins are in jazz. In terms of gathering with the family, everyone just brought up their fucking instruments – that was our way of interacting. I feel like music has been almost like a default in my life, really. Since it’s been so normalized in my life, I didn’t really think too much of it growing up – that this is not usually what people are surrounded by.
Were you always comfortable in this kind of normality, or were there points of wanting to break away from it a little bit?
It was normal conditions, but I felt actually very uncomfortable – for example, when my family and everyone would pick up their instruments and start jamming, a very typical situation would be me just playing something on the piano by myself, and it took seriously two minutes before everyone’s like, “Let’s lock in here.” I would feel very uncomfortable, because I was classically trained, but never to the point where I was able to read sheet notes properly or just jam my way around whatever. I had my own way of playing and approach to that, so I would feel like I was, in a way, less of a musician than they were. I kept on resisting these instruments and the training that came with it. I felt like all of my cousins and my parents were able to overcome something that I wasn’t able to – they had the patience, or they dealt with the impatience I was trying to deal with.
Now, I’m looking back on it and realizing that – first of all, I might have just had the wrong teachers to begin with – and then also I was maybe more of an impatient person than they were. [laughs] I was not really singing – not really using my voice, even, until I started making my own music, which was in my late teens. So I felt like a weirdo in my musical family, yeah.
Were you also craving solitude? Did you think, I wish I could just play for two minutes without someone joining in?
Yeah, definitely. I felt like I was more meant to be in my own bubble. I was allowed to, but I didn’t fully understand, I think, what was my way. So when they would all just gather around me and try to follow my lead, I was just like, “What are you guys doing? Someone else needs to be in charge, and I can accompany whatever is happening.”
You took your first course in music production in high school, and when Sassy 009 was a trio, it was with your childhood friends. How did your relationship with music change when it became part of your social and school life?
Once I discovered music production during high school, I was still very much leaning into it in solitude and did my thing. How the trio came about was I was asked to do a gig for the first time in my life with my own music, and I was terrified. What does even live mean, in terms of having beats on SoundCloud? It was just overwhelming, really, to even imagine how I was gonna solve that. I wasn’t forced, but I felt like there was no way for me to do that by myself, and that’s how the trio came about. So I reached out to my friends who went to music school and were used to being on stage, and it just made sense to me to ask them to be a part of my live band. Then the bubble I was in opened up, obviously, because we also put out a record together, and the whole project was branded as trio at the very beginning of this career.
At that time, I was feeling like that made sense. But it was also the first time experiencing every level of being an artist or being a band. I hadn’t been in a proper studio ever until then and hadn’t really been on stage, hadn’t really sung anything. Everything was just new. When I think of it now, it’s a crazy, overwhelming experience to go from sitting, literally, in my home with headphones, to then do all of that – as if that is the most natural thing. Being a solo artist since 2018, I think I prefer the bubble, in a way. [laughs] I love collaboration, but I guess I am that kind of person who just needs to be in charge of most things.
When did you know you wanted to self-produce your debut album?
It was a decision or an ambition that I was naturally led to by having put out a few EPs, seeing myself more as, like, a competent producer. I felt like I was stepping into that role with a lot more integrity. That’s probably a thing for female producers, I can imagine: At what point do you feel qualified to call yourself something that a lot of men are calling themselves? I’ve worked with male co-producers, and I saw how I could also be having my own studio, having my own hardware, and being able to not rely on other people. And also, other things in my personal life were leading me to that ambition of, actually, I have to just rely on myself, so in order to do that, I need to prove to myself that I am myself I can almost hire for my project. To prove to myself where I’m at, or to even document it, at least – to be like, “If I do it myself, it’s gonna sound like this.”
The idea of hiring yourself as a producer makes me think of having the protagonist of Dreamer+ be a version of yourself. Do you feel like you’re creating a separation between yourself as a songwriter and a producer, in a similar way that you do between yourself and the character in your story?
It’s so strange when I think of what kind of roles I’m having in my own project, because at the very beginning, it was all just purely intuitive. I was naive, and I was like, “It’s just me making music.” I was having fun and exploring. And then the further in I got, I was kind of more aware of these different skills that there are actually names to. I’m much more aware now – whether it’s my work, or someone else’s work, or if I’m just talking about music – of what parts of me as a musician are speaking. I also enjoy categorizing things, and I find it helpful in terms of navigating this industry when it comes to collaborating with people. Being aware that I can step into this role, or I can lean back on this. Do I sit on the couch in the back, or do I sit on the front, staring at the faders? I’m really glad that I can tune into all of it together, or just be a little bit more fluid.
You spent a lot of time building the fictional world of the album. I’m curious how the shifting conceptual framework of the album affected the actual process of it.
It felt like everything. It felt like I had this idea that fell into my head, and I was just amazed. Before really working on the record, this fictional story kind of happened through conversations and trying to understand my own life at the time, and I was just immediately drawn to working on this fictional story without really knowing where or what it was gonna be separately from the music. It was such a great source of inspiration for me in terms of making music. I just made a lot of songs, and I had a very clear idea of what the music should sound like. But then the further in I got into that process, I never felt fulfilled with what the music really sounded like, or I was forcing songs together, forcing the sound to be more the same throughout all the songs. I felt like I lost something very crucial, which was just the music in itself.
I decided to work on those things separately, but using the story as a source of inspiration. Having the songs be more representations of the moods, rather than being this record that is somewhere in between being a sound book and a music record. I had to let go of some parts of what I was envisioning this record to be. And then to be now here on the other side, having a record that is based on a fictional story but doesn’t really necessarily sound like it when you’re listening to it – I’m trying to give myself the grace of: This was a method, and not necessarily the outcome. I feel like I’m on this bizarre place where, yes, it’s a conceptual record, but it’s conceptual in terms of the method I was applying to making it. The story in itself, I still have to figure out how to land that in its own way, and it’s something I’m working on.
It sounds like the blurring between reality and fantasy that’s at the core of the album ended up being reflected in the thread between the narrative and the lyrics. When you were working on lyrics specifically, was there that sense of surrender in letting them flow intuitively?
At the beginning, I was trying to write songs that were more telling of the story and the actual things in that story, and then the songs didn’t really make sense; I was finding that difficult. I then just decided to rewrite many of the songs, focus on one song at a time, and further process to make things more simple. Because I also really enjoy catchy music and simple lyrics that feel powerful in their simplest form. Speaking of letting go, I let go of many things while writing, I figured that allowed me to actually write more. I felt more free as a songwriter – I just had to free myself from my own methods.
What kind of freedom was there in playing this protagonist? What did that afford you?
On a personal level, it was so fun. When I started working on this story, I was in need of taking control over certain things in my life and myself. Working on this story, where I’m literally steering the narrative, I was just so drawn to this world I was creating for myself – which was just fantasy, but still, it gave me a certain confidence in my personal life as well. I was exploring what I was going through in a way that didn’t require me to necessarily interact with myself in reality. I just stepped into this fantasy world, where I would even catch myself – this is sounding fucking crazy, but there’s this character in this story that’s like a summary of many people I’ve had in my life, this person I’m feeling very drawn to romantically in the story. I was able to embody what that feeling was, and I was feeling almost like I was actually in love with this character, which is strange, because it was a fictional character. I would catch myself daydreaming of this person, almost stepping into that world of: there’s a possibility of a person appearing in my life that I will feel this way about. I was creating these pockets of magic for my own life.
On ‘Edges’, you sing, “It gets harder to sleep/ When minds turn the best of us into poison.” You mentioned daydreaming, but is the edge of sleep also a kind of creative space for you? I’m also thinking of the line “Can’t sleep without fear of missing out on luck” on ‘Tell Me’.
I’ve always been a very big dreamer, and I’m realizing by talking with other people that they don’t necessarily dream or remember their dreams that much. I can catch myself trying to sleep, and then thoughts just rush, a thousand thoughts at the same time. Eventually, when I fall asleep, dreams turn out to be very bizarre and surreal, and I wake up and feel disconnected from reality, and connected to the dream, trying to adjust myself. With this record, and for the past year, I’ve been more aware of the kind of stories my mind is creating; because there are stories, and they also have sort of the same texture often. There’s the same narrative often, and it’s a source of inspiration, but also such a source of mystery to me. And I think mystery is one of my great inspirations of all time.
Intrusive thoughts, which are a key part of the album’s narrative, are a lot like recurring dreams, in that you can harness them in a similar way to tap into the subconscious.
They’re also so interesting, and that’s something I played around with in the story. We’ve all had those moments of, for example, waiting on the metro, thinking, “What if someone pushed me over in front of the train?” Intrusive thoughts are so dramatic, but we’re just dealing with them in silence – to me, it’s a very quiet drama. I think intrusive thoughts are also a way of daydreaming in a bizarre way. There’s these layers of the conscious and the subconscious mind that are happening at the same time, and when I make music, I try to step into the role of being as unaware as possible, as free as possible, to not restrict myself from making anything. Once awareness comes in, it just adds so many questions.
How did it feel to invite other people into this dreamworld?
First of all, I was feeling very drained by working on this project, and I was also feeling confused by how to present it and how to explain it. When I decided to bring others in, there was no way for me to really explain what this record was, in a way. So I was just approaching them like it was a very simple thing: “I’m making records, here’s a song I was thinking of having you on if you’re down.” I also was hoping for that to be an approach I could have myself on my next project. I was just tired of working on these layers. Also, it’s refreshing to let people do what they intuitively wanna do, instead of being like, “There’s this story.” I figured that was the best way.
Though it isn’t a collaboration in the traditional sense, the final track, ‘Ruins of a Lost Memory’, samples a melody your parents wrote for a Eurovision Song Contest entry in the ‘90s. How did the idea dawn on you?
When I first heard the song, and also some other songs that they made at the time – which, surprisingly enough my mom just had them on MP3s; they made it on the cassette back then, so it was just this moment of, “Look what I just found.” My parents are classical musicians in terms of being instrumentalists, but then hearing my mom’s voice – which I’ve heard before, but she doesn’t really sing a lot – there’s also something about that to me. There are these pockets to my parents that I’m understanding myself better, hearing this pop music from themWhen I heard that song, where I was with my record was I had still had this very hardcore ambition of it being something like a film score, and I had this idea of having a song that would set the tone of, “You have now just listened to the record, and what you’re now hearing is the aftermath of it.” This is where the credits start rolling, kind of. Although I was changing a lot of the tracks on the record itself, and the project tooka different direction later on, I was like, “There are certain things I need to hold on to still.”
Has making or releasing the record stirred conversations between you around music?
My dad was very much more into pop and rock music growing up and stuff, so I’ve had a lot more conversations with him, chatting about music in general. My mom is such a hardcore classical musician – she barely knows any artists even from her generation. I’ve had many interesting conversations with her as well, but it’s very different conversations and different ways of understanding music, so her way of hearing my music is very different from my dad’s way of listening to it. He brings more of a historical context, while my mom is purely like, “Wow, what is this?” When I said to them that I wanted to put the song on my record, they were just laughing out of, like, “What?” Along the process, they were checking in, like, “How’s it going with the record? Is the song still there?” [laughs] They were both really excited about it.
How are you thinking of translating the fantastical realm of the album into a live context?
I have two thoughts in my mind at the same time. One thing is the technical aspect of it: How do you present a record musically that is in between being electronic and acoustic? It’s been such a brain fuck, really, all my career to figure out what the live element is. But now I’m leaning very much into letting things be as live as possible, whether that means removing certain things to add other elements, so that the song actually takes a new shape. It’s also a way for me to understand how to go about making music in the future as well. I would prefer my songs to be as simple or work for musicians to just play. I want to be free from the computer, basically. But then the other thought is the conceptual part of it. Live performance is such a playing field, where the story and the narrative can also exist in a new form. I can add stuff, I can say things, I can play around it, which is what I’m now working on before going on tour in February.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Gaming has long since left the bedroom. What was once framed as a solitary pastime now sits comfortably alongside film, music, and fashion as a driver of contemporary culture. From story-led titles inspiring television adaptations to esports filling arenas, games shape how people socialise, create, and consume media.
That cultural shift matters because it reframes who gamers are. Players are increasingly visible as artists, organisers, streamers, and fans, engaging with wider creative scenes rather than retreating from them. The real change is not technological, but perceptual: gaming is being recognised as a legitimate cultural language.
From Hobby To Cultural Capital
Gaming’s elevation is closely tied to its creative and social output. These days, people engage with games in a variety of ways beyond traditional single-player experiences. Many enjoy cooperative or competitive multiplayer titles, where strategy, teamwork, and real-time communication shape interactions. Others gravitate toward narrative-driven or open-world games, exploring stories and environments with the depth of a novel or film. Mobile and casual games offer quick, accessible moments of relaxation between daily tasks, while simulation and management games let players experiment with control, creativity, and decision-making.
Even forms of online entertainment, such as playing at safe and secure casino sites not registered with GamStop, have become part of the gaming world. When approached responsibly, these platforms provide flexible, engaging experiences that combine strategy, chance, and reward—similar to skill-based digital games or competitive esports.
In this way, gaming today spans entertainment, social interaction, and personal challenge, positioning it not just as a pastime but as a culturally relevant and creative medium. Its economic footprint underlines that shift. UK spending on games and related activities reached £7.8 billion in 2023–24, according to Business & Industry, reinforcing the sector’s role as both a creative and commercial force. Money alone does not equal cultural value, but it enables investment in talent, storytelling, and infrastructure.
Importantly, participation is broad. Gaming cuts across age, gender, and background, challenging outdated stereotypes and opening cultural spaces to more voices.
Esports Enters The Mainstream
Esports has accelerated this normalisation. Competitive gaming now mirrors traditional sports in structure, with leagues, teams, and global fanbases. Broadcast deals and cross-media coverage place tournaments alongside established entertainment formats.
Audience diversity supports that momentum. In 2023, more than 37 million people in the UK identified as gamers, with women accounting for around 48% of the audience, as outlined by Media Agency Group. That balance disrupts the idea of esports as a narrow subculture.
Culturally, esports functions as a shared spectacle. Fans gather online and offline, creating rituals, language, and identities that mirror music scenes or film fandoms, while remaining rooted in interactive play.
Regulation And Cultural Responsibility
Where culture grows, scrutiny follows. The blending of gaming mechanics with monetisation has prompted debates about consumer protection.
The financial stakes explain the attention. Esports betting revenue in the UK exceeded £1.8 billion in 2023, representing 15% of online gambling revenue. Such figures highlight why regulators are alert to overlaps between play and wagering.
For cultural platforms, the challenge is balance. Preserving creative freedom while ensuring transparent systems will shape how trust is maintained within gaming communities.
Where Culture And Competition Go Next
The cultural impact of gaming and esports lies in their adaptability. They absorb influences, respond to audiences, and continuously reinvent how stories are told and shared. That flexibility explains their staying power.
For readers engaged with art, film, and music, gaming now sits in the same conversation. It informs aesthetics, sound, and narrative structure, while offering participatory experiences that other media cannot. The takeaway is simple: understanding contemporary culture increasingly means understanding games.
As esports matures and regulation catches up, the sector’s influence will likely deepen rather than fade. Gaming is no longer knocking at culture’s door. It is already inside, rearranging the room.
Online casinos have evolved far beyond their early reputation. Today, they are judged not only by game variety, but by user experience, transparency, and how responsibly they fit into modern digital lifestyles. Party Casino represents this newer generation of platforms that aim to balance entertainment with structure and control.
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Online casinos increasingly compete with streaming, gaming, and social platforms for attention. Party Casino positions itself as a controlled and intentional option within this ecosystem.
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Not long ago, money was something you could actually touch. It was the weight of coins in a jar or the crisp texture of bills in a wallet. You physically went to a building to deposit it, and you waited for a paper statement to arrive in the mail just to know how much you had left. Today, money has become something much more abstract. It’s a series of digits on a screen, a notification on a watch, and a seamless flow of data. This shift isn’t just about the tools we use. Honestly, it is fundamentally changing our psychological relationship with value and wealth.
But does money feel real if you can’t feel it in your pocket?
The rise of digital infrastructure has moved finance from a destination to an experience. We no longer plan a trip to the bank. Instead, banking happens in the gaps of our day. We check our balances while waiting for coffee or send money to a friend while sitting on the couch. You know, it’s that quick glance at your phone under the table during a meeting. This constant accessibility has removed the friction that once defined our financial lives. While this makes life easier, it also requires us to think about our spending in a completely different way.
The End of Physical Friction
In the past, the physical nature of cash acted as a natural brake on spending. When you handed over a twenty-dollar bill, you felt the loss of that physical object. You could see your wallet getting thinner. Technology has replaced that feeling with a tap or a click.
It’s almost too easy now.
This lack of friction can make it easier to spend without realizing the cumulative effect. I guess we’ve all had that moment where we check our balance and wonder where it all went. However, technology also provides new ways to stay mindful. Real-time tracking and instant notifications give us a level of awareness that paper ledgers never could. We can see exactly where our money goes the moment it leaves our account. This immediate feedback loop helps us bridge the gap between digital convenience and financial responsibility. It’s about having a clearer picture of our habits.
Democratizing Financial Knowledge
One of the most positive changes is how technology has leveled the playing field for information. In previous generations, financial advice was often hidden behind high fees or complex jargon. You had to know the right people or have a certain level of wealth to access sophisticated investment tools.
Now, that knowledge is far more accessible. Educational platforms and intuitive apps have made it possible for anyone to learn the basics of budgeting and investing without gatekeepers. For many people, the first step is simply understanding how to enter the system. It often begins with practical questions like “how do I get a bank account,” and exploring modern, low-barrier options such as SoFi personal banking that fit into everyday life.
And honestly, why was this ever kept behind closed doors?
This ease of entry is a major win for financial literacy. Sometimes the hum of a laptop at midnight is where the best financial plans are born. So, how do we make sure everyone knows where to start? Maybe the answer is just making the first step less scary.
From Static to Strategic
Technology has changed money from something static into something strategic. With automated tools, we can now set up systems that manage our money for us. We can automatically divert a portion of every paycheck into a high-yield savings account or an investment portfolio.
This takes the emotion out of saving. Instead of having to make a conscious decision to save every month, we can set a rule and let the infrastructure do the work. This shift toward automation helps us overcome the common human tendency to prioritize immediate wants over long-term needs. Our money is now working for us in the background, twenty-four hours a day.
The New Meaning of Security
Our fears about money have also evolved. We used to worry about losing a wallet or a physical fire at a bank. Today, our concerns are digital. We think about data breaches and identity theft. In response, technology has created a new kind of fortress.
Biometric security and sophisticated encryption offer a level of protection that physical locks never could. We are moving toward a world where our identity is our key. This provides a sense of security that’s tied to who we are, rather than what we carry.
The lock is now your face or your thumbprint.
As we get more comfortable with these systems, our trust in digital value continues to grow. But is a digital vault truly more secure than a heavy steel door? For most of us, the convenience and real-time alerts suggest the answer is a resounding yes. It’s that peace of mind you get when you see a notification confirming a transaction you actually made.
The Social Aspect of Finance
Money has also become more social. Peer-to-peer payment apps have changed how we interact with friends and family. Splitting a dinner bill or sharing the cost of a trip is now a matter of seconds. This has removed the awkwardness that often accompanied shared expenses in the past.
By making money movements social and transparent, technology has integrated finance into our social fabric. It’s no longer a private, taboo subject handled in the shadows of a bank office. It is a shared tool that helps us navigate our social lives with more ease and less stress. And that’s the point.
Looking Forward
The way we think about money will continue to evolve as new technologies like decentralized finance and artificial intelligence become more mainstream. We are moving toward a future where money is even more invisible, yet more integrated into our decision-making.
While the tools change, the core goal remains the same. We want to use our resources to build a better life for ourselves and our families.
Technology is simply giving us a more powerful, flexible, and accessible way to do just that. It’s a journey we’re figuring out as we go, one swipe at a time.
Long before Hallmark, humans were in the greeting card business — ancient Egyptians sent well-wishes on papyrus, while the Chinese exchanged New Year messages to ward off evil spirits. But it was the 1840 invention of Britain’s Penny Post, combined with advances in printing, that transformed cards from a luxury into something anyone could afford. Today, whether marking a birthday or acknowledging a difficult loss, a thoughtfully chosen card can express what words alone sometimes can’t. Here are five designers who consistently deliver both visual artistry and emotional resonance:
Em & Friends
Now rebranded from its original name Emily McDowell & Friends, this company has become synonymous with whimsical designs that likely grace the shelves of your favorite shops. Founder Emily McDowell was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 24, and the loneliness she experienced when friends didn’t know what to say inspired her groundbreaking Empathy Cards line— greeting cards designed to help people connect around illness and loss with honesty rather than platitudes. The collection earned recognition from Slate, which named it one of the top designs making the world a better place.
UK-based illustrator and self-proclaimed “anti-socialite and pug lady” Gemma Correll crafts greeting cards that are bursting with charm. With a playful illustration style and punny wordplay, Correll has you covered for everything from “mo-tea-vation” encouragement to “birthday fishes”. Sweet without being saccharine, her artwork has a warmth and humor that’s guaranteed to brighten anyone’s day.
For those who prioritise elegance, Caroline Gardner’s designs deliver refined beauty. Her signature style centers playful colour combinations paired with hearts and florals— think festive robins rendered in soft watercolors, or engagement cards where hearts in pink and red shimmer with gold foil detailing. The sophisticated typography and carefully curated palettes give her cards a polished, timeless quality.
Fresh off a win at the 2025 Henries for the Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer award, Lil Wabbit brings warmth to the greeting card world. Founded by Georgi Doig in 2020 after inheriting her grandmother’s art supplies during lockdown, the West Sussex-based business is now run alongside her partner. Georgi and Jai have raised almost £10,000 for StreetVet — which helps pets of people experiencing homelessness — through their card sales, which feature affectionately painted watercolour animals you won’t find elsewhere, including red pandas and orcas.
A queer-owned stationery and card brand filling a genuine gap in the market, That Queer Card creates designs that speak directly to LGBTQ+ experiences. From cards celebrating top surgery and coming-out announcements to two carabiners clipped together for anniversaries, the collection acknowledges milestones and inside jokes that mainstream companies have long ignored. With minimalist, colourful designs and messaging that feels authentic and adorable, That Queer Card proves that representation matters, even in something as seemingly small as a greeting card.
“Live 100 years” Jackie Kennedy told Valentino Garavani back in 1966, and he almost made it. Fashion’s “Last Emperor” passed away last Monday, at 93. Everyone has seen it all. The dresses, the muses, the shows, immortalized. To be so strongly respected for your craft is textbook success. But being widely loved by the industry that helped you build, old allies and new eyes alike, that’s true success. And that doesn’t just come with a beautiful dress, it comes with a beautiful Valentino dress. Before stitching, there was branding, and after stitching, there was still branding. Even before we had a word for what that really meant, Valentino built his world, controlled it, and made sure it would outlive him.
Red and Valentino Rosso are Two Very Different Things
Finding a true brand signature is hard enough. Owning something as broad as a color is almost impossible. The very first Valentino collection in 1959 featured a red dress called La Fiesta, and from that moment on, it became easy. But it was first at Barcelona’s Opera House, during a performance of Bizet’s Carmen, where Valentino noticed the shade’s power. “All the costumes on the stage were red… All the women in the boxes were mostly dressed in red, and they leaned forward like geraniums on balconies, and the seats and drapes were red too… I realized that after black and white, there was no finer color.”
Over decades, the house didn’t just repeat the shade, it cemented it. “For the Valentino maison, red is not just a color. It is a non-fading mark, a logo, an iconic element of the brand, a value”, “I think a woman dressed in red is always wonderful, she is a perfect image of a heroine.” Garavani put it plainly. If a brand’s visual language is strong, you can spot it from a mile away, if it’s red, you might just spot it from Rome.
Keeping You Close Enough to Watch & Far Enough to Want
Valentino understood that luxury then was distance. When fashion started begging to be loved, he stayed unreachable, and there’s nothing the human brain wants more than something it just can’t have. Today, fashion craves desire, and its form of success is often measured in hashtags and mentions, but Valentino never faked intimacy with his audience. Some might argue he did use hashtags, they just went by the names Audrey Hepburn, Princess Diana, Carla Bruni, you get it, and honestly, I kind of get it too. Let’s just say that these “hashtags” were very few, not for Valentino, but for the world, and they certainly all had a red dress in their heavily watched closet.
Beauty Runs on Systems and Systems Run on Work
Valentino’s dresses weren’t magical, they were products of curated systems and long hours. They might’ve looked effortless, but just like behind every industry’s “natural” look there’s constant checking, of every detail, every stitch, every button. He trusted the workshop, the fittings, the artisans, the runway, but he controlled them too. If someone’s clothing tag and someone else’s paycheck carries your name, you better invest yourself even more, hiring brains is the easy way out. The best work hides itself, but it runs everything.
Knowing When to Leave is the Greatest Form of Control
It takes more courage to exit the world of fashion than to enter it. Step too soon, you vanish. Step too late, you bleed value. Leave in 2008, and you’ll have a brand that outlives its creator. Valentino stuck to his ideas. When the industry began to shift, he made room for new talent, and stepped back before the world could tire of him. Would we really feel this nostalgic without nearly twenty years of absence?
xaviersobased is releasing a new album titled Xavier this Friday, January 30. The follow-up to last year’s once more, which made our best EPs of 2025 list, spans 20 tracks, including the rapper’s recent single ‘iPhone 16’. Give it a listen below.
Last week, in addition to releasing ‘iPhone 16’, xaviersobased announced the Riverside Tour, which will take him to cities across North America before moving to Europe in April. The Xavier artwork features a painting (by Kyler Garrison) of Riverside Park, near the rapper’s home on the West Side of Manhattan.
