what's your vibe this summer?
giving you TONS of inspiration from a bunch of my favorite substackers, plus sharing my own summer vibe 🌻
i am, notoriously, a summer hater. a bit ironic for a girl from arizona, where it was basically summer all year long, but STILL.
i no longer live in the desert’s dry heat, but instead live in virginia where humidity reigns supreme and it feels like a swamp outside. i (and my hair) hate it. i don’t like sweating, i don’t like having to always consider what clothes i’m wearing so you can’t tell that i’m sweating, i don’t like the pressure to be outside and doing things and having fun just because there’s more sunlight in a day, i could go on!
add in a nationwide heatwave and i am MELTING and NOT HAPPY. 🥵
but, as i get older, i’m feeling the shifts of the seasons more acutely, and wanting to lean into them more intentionally. (working in higher ed helps, as it’s a very cyclical calendar!) i don’t want to just groan and gripe all summer long, wishing for fall and sweaters and cooler temps.
i don’t think i’m alone in this either, and if the many articles flooding my inbox with themed summer ideas are any indication, i think many of us are desiring more grounded, nostalgic, thoughtful ways to spend our days.
(i think there’s also something to be said for the fact that our world is a MESS and we’re all trying to grapple with how to be humans, employees, parents, friends, partners, community members, ETC while reconciling what’s going on around us… it makes sense to me that we’d be yearning for stability, security, nostalgia, safety, delight, whimsy, joy, and beauty in the midst of ~everything~)
so!
i’ve rounded up a bunch of summer inspiration that’s landed in my feed, and i hope it provides not pressure to make summer perfect, but fodder for how to make the most of the next few months in a way that’s life giving and meaningful to YOU.
enjoy exploring the following articles and ideas for how to find your vibe this summer:
ps— this email is too long for your inbox, so be sure to click over to substack so you get all the goodness! and don’t forget to drop a ❤️ on this post and a comment, too, if you’re feeling generous — you’ll make my day!
what’s the vibe this summer?
this article from i-D called “Wait—What’s The Vibe This Summer?” is a bit tongue-in-cheek but also spot on when it comes to how we label our summers and our vibes.
“It’s not enough to have a song of the summer or even a color of the summer (RIP the Tomato Girl), now the whole season must be branded under a clear and discernible banner.”
(if i had to choose one vibe from their list, i’d go with “touch grass summer” with a side of “lomography”)
inspo i’ve gathered:
📓 an american girl magzine summer
writes: “I want to create pockets of joy for myself this summer by living as though I was the girl in the 90s and early 00s who subscribed to the American Girl Magazine and incorporating the lifestyle of that magazine into my life as an adult now. When my bi-monthly issue of American Girl magazine arrived in the mail, I would pour over the pages and devour the content. The segments in American Girl ranged from how-to guides to brainteasers with real girls on every page. Sometimes celebrities were featured, but what I loved so much about this magazine is that it featured real girls and celebrated the simplicity of being young and carefree. By embracing American Girl Magazine Summer, I will heal my inner child while simultaneously taking care of my adult self.
I’ve gone through old issues of AG Magazine and picked out prominent features and segments. I’ve planned how I want to incorporate them into my life now as an adult living in 2025, all with the goal of creating those pockets of joy and making summer a little more enjoyable.”
🎨 a before screens summer
encourages a summer full of HOBBIES. (you know i love this!!!)
“Hobbies, people.
Unleash the hobbies.
No, I’m not making ribbon flip flops.
But on my might craft list:
Coloring my one coloring book (or using blank paper)
Using my stickers in daily life (not on your phone? You get a sticker!)
Crochet projects (a friend gave me a bag of yarn)
Attempting a friendship bracelet
Paper Collage (not digital—but that’s fun too)”
🫖 earl grey summer
writes: “A season of soft mornings, lavender wafting from the countertop, tea brewing in a pot, a deck of cards sprawled out, with quilts and cups of tea nearby. There are very few things I love more than the delight of a foamy London Fog. I enjoy it best on a rainy day, in a wide “for here” coffee cup, with milky bubbles brimming on the surface. But I also like it on a sunny day, made in my kitchen, or honestly, anytime, anywhere. Earl Grey deserves a moment, I think.”
🌼 throwback summer
writes: “This summer, let’s lean in with simple ways to embrace the feelings of nostalgia. Think of it like a yearbook sign-off from your inner child: “Have a throwback summer, bestie! K.I.T.” This isn’t another thing for your to-do list. It’s just a little spark of joy.”
🎀 hot GIRLS summer
writes: “Because wasn’t it wonderful, being a child in the summer? The timeless freedom of it? Existing without a future, without a past, only you and your soft skin, staring through the tiny gaps in a trampoline, or sliding your body across the seats of a car baking in the heat. The particular, peculiar smell of fresh grass and petrol, the taste of the chocolate chips in mint ice cream, all of it melting on your tongue. Dirt under your fingernails. The whole of life a game. The heat a balm, not a punishment. No need to scrutinise your body, to worry about parts of it rubbing together, because you are eight years old and you have bigger things to worry about (staying up late to watch a film; seeing a snake for the very first time, slinking at the bottom of the garden; whether this car journey would ever ever end). Because when you were eight, and it was the summer? Well. You were too busy seeing the world to worry about it seeing you.”
📚 a summer of loving literature
writes: “On a more intentional parenting note, this is also partially because I have a hunch that the ability to read, interpret, write, and communicate clearly will soon be rarer than a Tom Cruise movie without him sprinting. And the fewer people who can do it, the more valuable it will be as a serious competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Could I be incredibly wrong about this? Absolutely. Are we doing it anyway? Also yes.
Which is why we’re starting with short stories and poems. This is about small wins here, people. No one wins a literacy war by hurling their child straight into Moby Dickon day one. The name of the game is brief, nimble, and thought-provoking.”
⛵️ a nancy meyers summer
writes: “I’ve been feeling inspired lately by a social media trend to have a “retro” summer - if you’re an 80’s baby like me, you remember those hot, halcyon days where schedules were wide open, neighborhood kids played outside all day, and boredom was just part of the deal. I’ll definitely be taking a page from that playbook this season with my kids, but as for the adults? I’m hoping to have a “Nancy Meyers inspired summer”, myself. If you’re a fan of Nancy’s movies (It’s Complicated, Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday, Father of the Bride), you know her aesthetic is relaxed, chic, cozy, inviting and makes you want to just throw the windows open and bake something beautiful (Jimmy Fallon sums it up quite nicely here). I’ll be taking inspiration from her films to live seasonally and embrace la dolce vitawhenever possible this summer.”
🍉 a 90s summer
writes: “The 90s was in many ways, one of the most formative decades of my life. I went from age 6-15 during the 90s. No internet, no social media, no cell phones, the Spice Girls. What a time to be alive! I have a lot of nostalgia for that time. Yes I was a kid, but things felt simpler.”
🌻 my personal summer vibe:
as for me and my house, i’m hereby dubbing the next few months slow bloom summer.
to me, that means prioritizing rooted joy and radiant ease. it’s a season of sun-warmed fruit from the farmer’s market, and thrift store treasures, of being barefoot in the grass outside the art museum, and making arts and crafts in the evenings. it looks like library visits and journaling on the back porch, going to yoga classes and taking myself on solo dates.
i want to embrace the gentle art of tending — my plants, my bookshelves, my own self. i want to form my days around joy and delight, and be formed by the same. i want my days to feel like summer thunderstorms and the calm that follows — surprising, soothing, refreshing, alive.
i’m picturing crunchy sandwiches (a la !) eaten outside, a hand out the car window as i sing along to my summer mix playlist, a good book or a new needlepoint project in my lap, whimsical wildflowers on every surface, juicy peaches and sunkissed skin.
i’m not chasing anything. i’m becoming. i’m forming myself, my life. slowly, brightly, beautifully.
slow. bloom. summer.
more of my inspo linked on pinterest here
more to come!
drop your summer vibe in the comments — i’d love to hear!
xo, rad
Slow bloom summer looks divine! This was such a fun read!
It's summertime in the city for me! My husband and I moved to NYC this weekend, and I am soaking up alllll the city vibes.