i used to like the california shabby-chic style from the mid 2000’s most because it was cheap but also because of the sprezzatura nature of it was natural for me due to being a life long lazy dresser and not caring about fashion and you’re right about this kind of ethos being far away from art, culture, and new thought.

i’m an engineer without a single artistic bone in my body; but i’m been surrounded all my life by artistic & politically active people (mostly through blood) and; since they’re an overwhelming majority of the people i care about in my life; i’ve learned to let their outsized influence be the biggest source of new forms of art, culture and new thought to enter my life.

i still have my own sources for those things; but they’re all grey beards like me and the stuff coming from gens z & alpha is usually much more fun. lol