The Monday Media Diet with Ali LaBelle

Ali LaBelle is an LA-based designer who builds early-stage brands. We’re happy to have her with us this week.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm Ali LaBelle, a creative director and brand consultant based in Los Angeles. I started my own design studio in 2020 (a cool time to leave a job of 8 years to start a business) and am somehow still making it work, so that feels great! I'm a compulsive collector, always hunting for art or objects or books or images to add to my mental filing cabinet.

Describe your media diet.

I am an escapist media-consumer. I wish I could tell you that I read Politico every morning or something but I'm choosing to be honest instead; my truth is that I use pop culture podcasts and garbage TV to disengage with the real world and instead engage with whatever Andy Cohen's executive producing. I like important and serious things too but they're like, pretty low on the list of priorities.

I do love to read! Mostly fiction, especially something I can read in one long sitting, the kind of book that eliminates an entire day off my calendar because I'm so sucked in. I'm also amassing a collection of art and design books that rivals a museum gift shop, and I actually do read them. My job requires a lot of visual intake and I really try to do that off-screen as much as I can. I'd be lying if I said that a good part of my day isn't spent on Instagram, though.

A smattering of favorite things:

Articles of Interest by Avery Trufelman — a podcast about fashion history

Sentimental Garbage by Caroline O'Donoghue (more on her in a second) — a very smart podcast whose tagline is "Justice For Dumb Women"

Cabana and Apartamento — two great design publications

To Live and Dine in LA — a book cataloging the history of restaurants in LA (and specifically, their menus)

Fleabag — I've watched season 2 like, 10 times

For The Love of Kitchens — an HGTV show that is about, well, kitchens

Unbox Inbox by Chloe List — a newsletter about packaging design

Hung Up by Hunter Harris — a newsletter about pop culture, mostly

What’s the last great book you read?

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue (remember her from the last question?), which I've shoved into the hands of every woman in her 30s that I know. It's deeply relatable; equal parts so funny and so frustrating. I also just finished Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano and I can't stop thinking about it.

What are you reading now?

I'm about to start Zadie Smith's new-ish book The Fraud.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I treat the first pass like it's a picture book, then go back and read what looks interesting. I often take photos of images on my phone along the way that I might want to reference or look further into later.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

Emilia Petrarca's newsletter Shop Rat, specifically the series she's doing about repairing, mending, and generally just taking care of your clothes.

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone?

MyHumanDesign. I came of age in the era of MySpace and therefore LOVE a personality quiz, but this is sort of an astrology-meets-Enneagram type of thing that, at least for me, is eerily accurate. I don't even know if I believe in this stuff — maybe I just like it because it says I'm a Personality Type 2: "The Easy Breezy Genius".

Plane or train?

I hate flying for every reason you can think of, so train.

What is one place everyone should visit?

The California coast. All of it! Take a road trip! From Mendocino to Point Reyes to San Simeon to Laguna Beach and everywhere in between and beyond. I know LA gets a bad rap (although I love it so leave me alone) but the access we have to so much genuine beauty makes up for it, I think.

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

I just pulled up my browser history and here are some of the things I've Googled in the past week:

"olsen twins 2023"

"easing catastrophic thoughts"

"denise richards rhobh weed dinner"

"perriots dream edouard menta"

"a girl for all seasons grease 2"

"canapes"

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Ali (AL)

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