Ajiri Aki and I met many years ago through the overlapping social circles of Americans in Paris. We became fast friends exchanging on previous lives in NYC, a mutual love of fashion history and the eternal hunt for acquiring beautiful, old things. The only word I can think of when describing the baby shower she threw me is “dionysian”.
Ajiri is the author of Joie: A Parisian's Guide to Celebrating the Good Life and a brand-new Substack, Notes on Joie, both sharing tips on finding beauty in everyday life, celebrating the objects that you love and other musings from a a long-term American in Paris. She is also the founder of Madame de la Maison, a lifestyle brand and online boutique filled with French cherishables. But there’s a so much good that can be derived from slowing down and seizing the beauty in the world at large; it’s one of the daily pleasures of living in France. I asked a few burning questions related to her life-long pursuit of beauty and calming down enough to cherish it.
Q: I love André Leon Talley’s famous quote from the documentary The September Issue about there being “famine of beauty” in contemporary fashion. Why do you think that beauty isn’t a lauded pursuit?
A: I think beauty is a lauded pursuit in France more than America. In America we are more obsessed with efficiency, profitability, and scalability. Many times making things that are beautiful take time and don't make a lot of money so therefore not a lauded pursuit to cultures that are deeply concerned with consumerism and money.
Q: Do you recommend any ways to retrain your eyes to seek out beauty (even if you aren’t in Paris)?
Like I mention in my new book, JOIE, sometimes slowing down and learning to be a flaneur or simply an observer of life passing by is a starting point. There is so much to appreciate when you slow down.
Q: I know you have a watercolor kit. What do you love about watercolor and how does it connect to your daily joy practice?
I do have a watercolor kit but zero skill or talent. There is something about the softness of watercolors, the way that the colors bleed into one another and how hard it is for me to control them that I love. When I spend a little time alone in the morning getting inspired sometimes if I find a quote that I like, then I write it in my journal in watercolors and that feels very calming to me.
Thank you, Ajiri!
Thank you for this interview and for sharing!!