Out There, Vol. 4: The most unJanuary of Januaries, micro studios, tea
Or, where can I find a decent cup of tea in London that does cost FIVE WHOLE POUNDS FOR HOT WATER AND LEAVES AND NOT EVEN A BISCUIT
January 2025 arrived with a sigh and ended with an avalanche. Of news, chaos, and to my surprise and delight, briefs! The past two years have felt like trudging through treacle in the creative industry – brands tightening budgets, projects shelved, optimism in short supply. Good briefs have been rarer than kyawthuite, now they’re like bloomin’ buses. There’s movement. Not a gold rush, but an undeniable shift. So nu – what’s changed? Let’s get into it.
Business is back (with cautious optimism)
I don’t think it’s optimism exactly. I’m not sensing people feel great about the world. It feels more like the flood gate of boardroom decisions has finally been cranked open, and they’re now cascading through the corporate layers, reaching agencies at last. My studio, Magnus & Co, is booked solid until mid-March – meaty positioning projects with B2B scaleups and some delicious writerly world-building for a DTC startup's conversion funnel. It’s the kind of work that makes you want to roll up your sleeves and go – ride the wave while it lasts.
Micro is mighty
There’s a quiet but powerful shift happening in the creative industry: small is becoming mighty again. Clients, once obsessed with the prestige of big agencies, are now opening up to collaborations with micro studios – 1-2 person teams of sharp, specialised experts. What’s driving this? It’s partly the fallout from large agencies swallowing smaller ones, creating bloated structures that feel impersonal and rigid. But it’s also a growing realisation that agility, direct relationships, and transparency matter more than a glossy agency deck.
I’ve noticed brand agencies, having downsized over the past few years, actively reaching out to collaborate – not as silent, white labeled partners, but as equals, with both names on the proposal. It feels refreshingly honest. This isn’t just a budget-driven shift – though small studios are often less expensive; it’s a change in dynamic where deep expertise, not headcount, holds the power.
But while businesses are back in action, and micro studios are rising, the job market is telling a different story.
Fractional Is the New Full-Time
Senior professionals – smart, experienced, top of their game – are finding the job hunt brutal. The safety nets of “big roles at big companies” are looking more like cobwebs. Enter: the rise of the fractional. Not quite freelance, not quite full-time, but somewhere in that sweet spot where businesses get high-calibre expertise without the full-time price tag.
Here’s the thing: fractional roles could be a win-win, but the market doesn’t quite know how to talk about them yet. Are they consultants? Embedded team members? C-Suite on tap? The language is murky, and until businesses can articulate why fractionals aren’t just glorified freelancers, this space will stay in its awkward teenage phase. I’m extremely pro the model personally, and believe this is one work trend that’s here to stay over the next couple of years at least.
WHERE THE HELL IS THE TEA
Here’s the real tragedy: the state of tea shops in London. As in – where are they? I’m not talking about your standard English breakfast from a café that smells faintly of toast and regret. I mean proper tea – gorgeous, unusual blends served in places that don’t make you feel like you’re in a waiting room. I want a ceramic tea pot with an unusual blend. I want a ceramic cup. A dinky jug of milk, if appropriate. A sturdy biscuit or two for dunking. NOWHERE DOES THIS ANYMORE.
Coffee shops? Thriving. Boba tea? Everywhere. But here’s my gripe: I like the chewy balls, but after one cup, I feel like I’ve swallowed an inflatable mattress. And the ordering process? It’s discombobalating (thank you I’m here all night) “How much sugar? Ice percentage?” I didn’t know my drink required a precise ratio, it’s all very stressful. Can you just sell me the thing please, I don’t want to take an exam for it.
Yumchaa used to be my go-to – a chain that actually respected tea. Long gone. Like my coworking space lol. I JUST THOUGHT THE OVEN WAS BROKEN, WHAT A MUG. I’m still not over that. ANYWAY.
Look, dear gentle reader: where do I go for a weird, wonderful cup of tea that doesn’t require a dissertation-level order process? I just want a good cuppa with some interesting blends where I can drink and write. It shouldn’t be this hard. WHERE ARE THEY?
Monthly recs
Reading: Life 3.0 - A brilliant explainer on AI, how it works, how humanity shapes its development, and how that influence may impact us for good or ill. An optimistic primer for a technology that’s changing everything. Must read.
Watching: Dubai Bling – LOOK I’VE HAD THE DOOM COLD + INSOMNIA OKAY. I’ve needed something which requires no thought, as an antidote to my reading list. Also, see below, the axis of influence has shifted to the UAE and I see it as educational.
Listening: Rest of Politics US – I have a morbid fascination with US politics and I find the Mooch’s takes on Trump interesting. But please god give me better recommendations, I desperately need to switch off from it.
Playing: Metaphor Refantazio – It’s cheesy, the plot is ridic, the music is BANGING, I didn’t know I was into monk rap but apparently I love it. It’s an optimistic, nakedly political game and I welcome how they challenge real issues in the world.
Oddments:
The Streets Are Screaming
Took a walk through Shoreditch yesterday and the vibe was… tense. Street preachers railing against tech bros and billionaires, graffiti that feels less “artsy rebellion” and more “we’re actually furious.” The anti-wealth sentiment isn’t subtle anymore—it’s loud, raw, and spilling into public spaces. The world feels angrier, and it’s not just online.Lush: Ahead of the Curve or Just Lucky?
There’s renewed chatter about Lush ditching social media a few years back. At the time, it seemed like a questionable choice. Now? It looks more like a savvy, ethical move. People are tired –of the algorithms, the monopolies, the endless doomscrolling. We’re less captive audience, more hostages to the algorithm. There’s this loud whisper of people wanting to leave social platforms entirely. But can we really quit? The tech monopoly isn’t new. We’ve been tangled in this web for years. Deleting an app doesn’t cut the cord – it just makes you miss the memes in real-time. What are you thinking of doing? Are you going to flounce off, only to come back? Are you distancing yourselves? Are you burying yourselves in a hole of despair and trying not to think about it like me?Dubai signals cult, opulent, pistachio luxury
I’m probably mega behind the trend on this one – but Dubai chocolate – the viral tiktok chocolate bar stuffed with pistachio cream and kataifi pastry – has infiltrated high end chocolate shops and bakeries. It’s a cult status item – they sell out FAST. I’ve seen Dubai buns, cheesecake, croissants, croiffles, cruffins, sundaes, and glazed artisan chocs now. Dubai is a proper luxe signifier across food, drink, beauty and beyond. The gravity shifted a long time ago. That Jaguar rebrand? That wasn’t for the West. It was the the minted middle-upper crust of the UAE, India and China. We’ve got to readjust our frames of reference.
So here we are: a world cautiously reawakening, professionals reinventing themselves, tea lovers in crisis, the streets thrumming with discontent, Dubai is the luxury nexus (YES I KNOW I’M BEHIND ON THIS). The winter winds are changing. I just hope they’re blowing us somewhere good.
Until next time nerds – stay curious, stay caffeinated, help find me a decent tea spot.