Hey y’all 👋🏼 I hope you’ve been enjoying Sana’s Notes so far, if there is anything you’d like to hear about from me, just hit the Reply button and let me know! I hope you enjoy this week’s catch-up.

— Sana Tabassum

🍎 food for thought

She’s survived the awful illness folks!! I don’t feel 100% yet, but we’re slowly getting there. Honestly, the recovery from being sick is like coming out of a blurry cloud. Anyway, this week has been kind of busy as I’m finally settling back into the new work routine. If you’re not already following me over on Instagram, I’m sharing some laid back content, as well as updates on my home office which is in need of some upgrades ⚒️

This week I wanted to talk a bit about the creative industry. I had a small rant over on Threads about architecture influencers. To be clear, I wouldn’t count myself as one. I think there’s a worryingly increasing number of people on social media who are very quick to bash the industry because it gets views. I get that not everyone has a duty to post content which helps people, but if your entire identity has been about architecture, it feels icky to me to use that to discourage younger people from entering the profession.

But, its a good eye opener. It’s been 4 years since I started my platform, and I’ve changed gears a few times. From being unemployed, to working in practice and then being a student again, I’ve tried to document as much as possible and add benefit to the archi-community. Going forward, I want my content to resonate with you guys as we all grow and evolve.

What I’ve learned 👇🏼

• There’s no harm in unfollowing people I’ve been so caught up in my feed lately, that the idea of unfollowing someone seemed alien. But I did it and now I feel so much better.

• A good routine can take you very far. I love the excitement that comes with a new routine, finding moments of satisfaction or silence and I think we need to be left with our thoughts more often 🧠

• Don’t compromise on health. I was pushing through each work day despite feeling rough. But I didn’t have to do this and the times I needed to, I did rest. So even if it means you’re not completing your goals, choose health over everything else.

🍗 content nuggets

my favourite video of this week dropped earlier today. I don’t even think I need to say much, but the storytelling, filming, editing and effort that Dan puts in his content is so admirable 🕊️

Another bit of content, that I saw on X, was a compiled list (we love lists) of lessons learned from watching the show How I Met Your Mother. I think this is my all-time favourite, feel-good TV show. I won’t go into each and every lesson but here are some highlights:

⌛ Here’s the thing about mistakes, sometimes even when you know something’s a mistake, you gotta make it anyway

🥺 You can’t just skip to the end, the journey is the best part

🦘 If you’re not scared, then you’re not taking a chance, and if you’re not taking a chance then what the hell are you doing?

🦋 casual magic

My casual magic for this week has got to be the weather !! I’m so happy that we’re finally getting some sunshine. I’ve been hesitant to work outside in the garden but weather permitting, I might start doing more of this. It’s no secret that a little bit of Vitamin D can do wonders for your mood 🌻 Sometimes it’s the little things that can cheer you up. I’m going to try and take more walks and get out of the house.

🔥 on the back burner

GUYS! I finally dropped a new YouTube video 🙊 It’s definitely taken me longer than planned but I’m pretty glad I filmed, edited and published a new video. Remember, it’s not about being perfect, just about showing up. Watch it here and pleaseeee give a lil sub too 😉

— Sana x