The @don.jpeg Profile
Introducing, @don.jpeg.
Hello.
Welcome back to SL Selects. This week’s guest is someone that I find to be incredibly creative and unlike many creators I’ve seen. His approach to art, writing, product development, and many other avenues of creativity is very distinct and nuanced. I’m talking, of course, about Don from @don.jpeg and don.earth.
I’m grateful to have gotten him on for a profile and I’m equally as thrilled to introduce you to him. Don, I know you’re reading this, thank you. You are class.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Colorado with my wife and son. We moved here almost 6 years ago to join a cloud startup. Technology seems to be a consistent theme in both my professional and personal creative work. I think WEB 2.0 came about at a very formidable age. I started a blog when I was really young, and it gave me an opportunity to learn and create. I've always gotten a lot of fulfillment out of documenting my interests, projects and ideas. I actually still host my blog (not in its entirety) on blogger as sort of an ode of gratitude to a period of time and product that really shaped a lot of who I am today –
What’s one place everyone should visit?
Paris. It's really hard to define what 'cool' is, but I know it all starts in Paris.
What’s one essential clothing item for you and why?
Levi's 501s. They are timeless and tell the world that you are not too fancy.
What’s one essential non-clothing item for you and why?
My wife got me a Goyard wallet in orange. Orange is my favorite color.
What footwear would be in your top 3 of all time?
New Balance 992. The "Air Steves." Most notably worn by Steve Jobs, the 992 is a classic and harder to find than most models.
I have worn Weejuns forever. They aren't very expensive and look great as they age. You could always spend more on a pair of loafers, but G.H. Bass basically invented the penny loafer, so I stick with the original.
Birkenstock Bostons. Perfectly crunchy.
Danner Mountain Light II. I am from Oregon and I would feel bad if I left these off the list.
Any personal grails?
Art and furniture – I would love to one day be able to afford a Katz or Calder and look at them while sitting on a vintage togo couch.
Current fragrance?
Maison Louis Marie No. 4.
Tell us an underrated brand or person you enjoy.
J.Crew is not underrated, but I would say it has been underperforming the past 5-10 years. With Brendon Babenzien taking over, it's clearly coming back in a big way. I am really digging everything J. Crew is doing right now.
Relevant link below - Jon
https://www.gq.com/story/new-j-crew-brendon-babenzien
Guilty pleasure?
I drink a lot of Diet Coke.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee.
Pencil or pen?
Pen.
Reality or fiction?
Fiction.
There you have it, another profile into the archive. Massive shoutout to Don for coming through and, as always, thank you to the members of this newsletter. I hope you have a great week.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in 7 days.