Welcome to A Common Thread
Hi! I’m Jess Kirby, an ex-fashion and beauty influencer who left it all behind to start an anti-consumption newsletter about buying less stuff, and pursuing a more meaningful and intentional life.
At a time when so many of us seek community and connection, I hope this newsletter can serve as a place to support that.
I walked away from influencing and paid partnerships because I was tired of selling people things they didn’t need and that I knew wouldn’t bring them the joy and fulfillment they were seeking. This newsletter never takes money from brands and I don’t use affiliate links. Your paid subscriptions help cover the cost of this work.
What is A Common Thread about?
This newsletter is about breaking free from the endless cycle of consumerism, and reclaiming our time and attention to build lives with intention, meaning and purpose. I write about a lot of different themes, but here are a few popular essays to check out:
As a paid subscriber you get:
My most popular weekly Sunday series Click. Read. Love. which includes the best recommendations from around the web including essays, articles, podcasts, books, recipes, TV/movies, and more
My weekly series Offline, On Purpose, is about reclaiming our time and attention, to build lives filled with creativity, meaning, connection, and community, with prompts, ideas, rituals, tools, and practices to explore going offline, on purpose
My monthly Book Thread with everything I’ve read over the last 30 days, book recommendations, and a discussion thread in the comments
Opportunities to connect with the community in the comments and access to the entire archive
What paid subscribers say:
“I appreciate how you are honestly writing about some of the biggest issues I am also currently dealing with - consumerism, motherhood, negative effects of social media, threats to reproductive rights, and others.”
“I love reading your newsletter and your transition away from social media has inspired me to do the same.”
“The links you provide are top notch, and always interesting, diverse, and well curated.”
“Your writing (on a wide variety of topics) is always relevant, thoughtful, and thought-provoking.”
"I love that you moved from influencer to anti-consumption advocate. Such an important message to share with the world! And I'm inspired by your no-buy approach and your efforts to break up with tech!"
"I followed you back in the day, and absolutely LOVE what you're doing now. I need to hear from someone else that, by giving away our attention, we are unwittingly giving away our rights. Thank you."
About me:
I live in Vermont with my partner, daughter, two dogs and one cat. I love our slower pace of life, being surrounded by nature, and the sense of community in our small village.
