Discover more from Shared Frequenciesᵀᴺ
Introduction by: Jordan Nerison
At a time when culture feels truly deep-fried—where everything is easy to produce but hard to make meaningful—finding a clear signal is harder than ever. Everything feels disposable, algorithmically optimized, built for clicks rather than connection. As I reflect on my decade of being a “Professional Creative”, what I’ve learned is that true resonance isn’t about perfectly timed tweets or viral moments—it’s about creating spaces where people can genuinely connect.
This summer, Jovian and I explored what it takes to break free from ^^^ this cycle with Total Vibes Locked. What we discovered is that the most future-fitted brands aren’t just chasing metrics or cranking out content—they’re focused on becoming part of people’s real lives, their daily moments, and rituals.
I believe the future belongs to those willing to experiment, to prioritize depth over reach. It’s time to lean into curation, creativity, and community, and that’s what this issue of Shared Frequencies is about. Today, we’re starting with the fundamentals: touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound. Starting with the senses reminds us that connection isn’t just digital or transactional—it’s visceral and embodied.
The way we engage with the world, through these senses, mirrors how we engage with each other—whether across virtual spaces or in person.
Over time, I want to shift these frequencies from my thoughts to our conversation—a space we can shape together. Because ultimately, this isn’t about growing a subscriber count—it’s about building something meaningful.
Let’s see what emerges when we slow down and really feel. 💚 Enjoy!
“Grandma, I hope that wherever you are, you can also feel me.”
This short film by Léo Cannone had me tearing up on the J train—it’s a beautiful reminder that touch transcends the physical. The ways people touch us are countless, and sometimes all we need to do is resurface those memories to feel that love again.
Submitted by Minh Do, cofounder of Machine Cinema, “Although, from a technical point of view, this film doesn't showcase the latest and most complex tools and workflows, what it does show is the storytelling that’s possible with very very few tools and a creative mind.”
I hope this film touches your heart the way it touched mine.
Too many tech events stick to the same tired formula: panel, pizza, happy hour. Why invite the world’s most disruptive thinkers to your office, only to serve them the same old playbook?
Jordan Nerison, design director at Times Newᵀᴺ, created the Salon Series inspired by her experience at industry events in NYC. Drawing on the tradition of French salons, this event series is designed to explore what the future feels like—emotionally, socially, and collectively. Each event sparks connection by transforming what might seem like niche topics into accessible, relatable encounters, focusing not on expertise but on imagination and emotional exploration. This December, she’s excited to partner with Shelby Hipol to host a Salon centered on how food and storytelling intertwine with memory. Together, they’ll break bread and dive into the stories that shape us
For this month’s exploration of sight, Jaime Derringer—Head of Brand for TRAME and Founder of Design Milk—takes us on a visual journey through Electric Op, on view now through January at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Below is Jaime’s review of the exhibition, in her own words.
“This exhibition, featuring over 90 works of art, pulls you into the world of Op Art—a mind-bending style from the 1960s that plays tricks on your eyes. The Op Art visual revolution not only captured the essence of the Space Age, but it marked the beginning of the Information Age.”
Just like digital art today, Op Art was a launch pad for new creative expressions, challenging how we see. The exhibition connects classic Op works with early video art and contemporary pieces that engage with light, patterns, and pixels.
Artists like Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley played with optical illusions, making art that appears to be moving. These works set the stage for contemporary digital artists like Cory Arcangel and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, who build on these ideas with interactive media and light installations.
Curated by Editor-in-Chief of Artforum magazine, Tina Rivers Ryan, the exhibition spans six decades and features artists from Yoshiyuki Abe to Bill Viola. Accompanying the show is a bilingual catalog packed with insights from leading scholars and essays by the artists, including essays on abstraction and technology.
If you’re into optical illusions, visual trickery, or want to see how art has evolved alongside technology, this is one not to miss. And if you can’t make it to Buffalo, Electric Op heads across the pond to the Musée d'arts de Nantes in 2025.”
Our exploration of smell comes from Jordan Nerison, who shares, “One of my favorite icebreaker questions for founders (or anyone with a strong personal brand) is: “What does your brand smell like?” It’s my personal Tinker Test—a quick way to tell if someone has built a real brand or if they’re just riding on a fleeting competitive advantage.
This question was inspired by a quote I saw on LinkedIn:
A healthy, performant brand is more than a logo or a campaign—it’s a framework that invites endless imagination, a canvas for world-building. Beyond being a conversation starter (and occasionally terrorizing networking events), this exercise can be a powerful tool for evaluating your own brand. If your brand is feeling a little stale or lacking that “wow” factor, this is your homework assignment:
Block off 15 minutes of your day.
Head to this form: https://tally.so/r/wb4rYE
Tell me… what does your brand smell like?
And lastly, explain why.
Stay tuned for the next issue of this newsletter, where she will unpack some of your responses and show you how this exercise works in practice.
For this month’s exploration of sound, Kaya—founder of Renraku—has curated a playlist that reflects the moods and energies of the changing season. In his words: “As the weather changes and we’re heading into the cold I wanted to pick tracks that capture moods and energies of the season. Songs that pulse and resonate in the background with nuances & subtleties that reward the active listener. Perfect for small spaces, daydreaming, or focused work.”
Network updates
Building a “Future in Love” together at LoveFest Nov 14
Jovian is currently on assignment at Radar, a neighboring community in the creative futurist ecosystem, where they are project managing an online conference. LoveFest is all about transmitting optimism and asking us to imagine a world where LOVE is THE driving force for personal, social, economic, and political transformation.
From the lead curator, Keely Adler:
Throughout LoveFest we’ll go from big ideas and dreams to human-and-community scale actions, alternating between curated panels with a selection of stimulating and varied experts and workshops in which you’ll take part in co-creating a future in love, with of course some breaks where you can choose to touch grass or take part in exciting side-quests. We promise that no matter who you are or where in the world you're joining us from, this will be an engaging, thought-provoking, and energizing day.
Friends of Time New can get tickets at 20% off with the discount code TIMESNEW20 (and there are additional options for price-inclusive tickets, as well). The conference will be translated live into 13 languages. We would love for you to join us for this magical day!
I hope this issue gave you a moment to pause, to reconnect with yourself and the world around you.
Join the conversation in the comments on Substack—let us know what you’d love to explore next. Until then, let's keep listening, feeling, and creating—together.
Editor in Chief: Jordan Nerison, Design Director and co-founder of Times Newᵀᴺ. You can find her musing about brand-building on Warpcast, or follow her art on Zora. If you would like to share anything in upcoming episodes, you can reach her at: hello@timesnew.xyz
This episode’s contributors:
Jaime Derringer is Head of Brand for TRAME, and Founder of Design Milk. She is also an artist, musician, and writer at Blob. Follow her on Instagram @jaimederringer.
Minh Do is cofounder of Machine Cinema, an AI creative collective and Fantastic Day, a web3 & AI venture studio. He is also a filmmaker, writer, and budding YouTuber. Follow him anywhere at @minhsmind.
Kaya Bowman is the founder of Renraku, an electronic music record label & sound design firm based in Minneapolis. In addition he is the co-founder of Superstructure: A digital design and development studio.
Domingob ⌐◨-◨ is a Brand Designer/Creative Director of Veleta Studio lab based in Medellín. He crafts future-forward brands and aesthetics for brands and studios worldwide.
Jovian Browne is a futurist scholar, brand and cultural Strategist, and community builder navigating the complexities of human nature and emerging technologies, to empower thriving communities.
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