Welcome to the Sugary Scoop, my free biweekly newsletter where we help you see and experience the magic of NYC that I love so much through curated events, experiences, artists, and community stories.

Let’s get to this week’s Scoop!

🍬The Scoop 🍬

• UPCOMING EVENTS

  • NOTABLE NYC EVENTS THIS WEEK FROM OUR FRIENDS

    • WHAT'S NEW

  • THE SUGARY EFFECT

  • PAST EVENTS

    • AND DON’T SAY I DIDN’T TELL YOU ABOUT…

• Connect IRL. Experience Fabrik.

  • EMPATHY PROJECT

Nov. 5th (TBD): Election Night Watch Party - Join us as we decide the fate of our nation.  Will it be Harris-Walz or Trump-Vance?  Who knows?! All we know is that THIS gathering will be an amazing time.  So get your red, white and blue spirit in gear and let’s turn out as we turn up for the nation.
RSVP Here
_{(Social Battery Level: High Ambivert - Crowd Size 50-75)}

_{(Space is very limited for each of these events so if you’d like to attend to any of these events, please hit the RSVP button below sooner than later!)}

NOTABLE NYC EVENTS THIS WEEK FROM OUR FRIENDS

Week of 28th Events at Fabrik HERE

Tuesday, Oct 29th - Table of Contents Reading Series: Caldwell! North! Tulathimutte! - There will be an amazing lineup featuring Chloe Caldwell (Women), Emet North (In Universes), and Tony Tulathimutte (Rejection). Each ticket includes three small dishes inspired by the passages, and one complimentary drink.
RSVP Here

Sunday, Nov 3rd - Chelsea Salon No 1: Ziggy & Miles Johnston, guitar- Australia's trailblazing guitarist brothers, bring a program never played in the US to the first edition of the new Salon at 249W29 in Chelsea. RSVP HERE

Tuesday, Nov 19th - Creator Economy NYC's November Mixer & Panel - RSVP HERE

Redefining Membership

So as the year draws to a close, DK and I have been discussing the development of our membership community further.

One of the elements I’ve been pressing for hard is implementing a deeper curatorial element to the community.

Some of you may remember that I have a very special salon series called Fine Folk that I intend to revive which centers around sharing the greatest experiences with those that have really demonstrated uncommon character through personal experience and distinction.

I bring this up because I’ve always had an intent to draw in some elements of that model into how the Sugary member community would build going forward.

So, what does that mean?

1. We’re Now a Referral Based System - Our membership model has enough of a strong base that we want to turn towards our current members to continue growing the community in a responsible way.  We’re no longer going to just let anyone in with mere interest.  That’s done after this year, so if you’re among those that were fortunate enough to be part of our initial launch, congrats. But going forward, you’re gonna have to know someone from the community, and their regard for you is gonna matter…as will be my own. 

2. Empowered Communities - We’ve received feedback from a lot of you over the past year regarding various things that you want to get out of the community. Based on this feedback, we’ve determined that there’s a need to offer different levels of membership. There’s those who merely want to participate and have access to events and there are those that have experiences and communities of their own that they would like support on. We’ll be creating tiers for both. We’ve been steadily building a resource base both in terms of tangible resources, access and support to help our community members craft the community and supported programming they wish to have. Furthermore, we’ll be launching an a la carte event consultancy service to support the community and beyond.  

3. Personalized Experience - As we begin to reshape this ecosystem, you’re gonna be hearing from DK and I beyond the town halls. The thing is we really care about what’s important to you and so expect that we’ll be trying to fine tune our offerings to build upon the things that work, edit the things that don’t yet always keeping a lens on new experiences to continue expanding and enriching your worlds. 

We will have more information to share as the rollout begins, but for now, I wanted to give you an update as to what is already beginning to happen internally so that you are aware.

We are excited that these changes will continue to move the Sugary community in the right direction and look forward to sharing this journey with you.

🍬🍭🍰 Sugary

THE SUGARY EFFECT

A Republic, If We Can Keep It - Finding Purpose Beyond the Noise

As we prepare ourselves in a week or so for one of the most pivotal elections of my lifetime, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the theater surrounding our democratic process and perhaps impart a morsel of faith in our actual traditions of governance versus the helter-skelter distraction that surrounds it. 

To draw that distinction is key especially when this comes at a time when I have heard from more and more friends and acquaintances that have felt disappointed and let down by our government compounded by the relentless barrage of content streaming towards us at any given point to exacerbate this sentiment.

Turn on the news and its candidates and pundits proselytizing, protestors on every side of an argument expelling their beliefs at varying intensities and external interests each trying their hand at the role of puppet master. 

We’ve literally built an arena for ironic entertainment, a coliseum that places our values center stage and makes a cynical bloodsport out of it for money, clicks and views.

The exasperation is palpable across the nation. And really who can blame any of us? It’s understandable and I have at times found myself asking the internal question, “Can I honestly make any difference at all?”

And this is what I really want to focus on.

It’s true that our governance is far from perfect…but then again no system of governance truly is. 

Monarchy…dictatorship…communism…democracy and everything in between all rely on the one flawed but perennial element in any of these equations…

…humans.

And frankly, we’re messy, you know we are.  Oftentimes irrational, easily misled and almost consistently self-serving.

The one thing though that sets democracy apart from all other governing systems is that it dares appeal to the vitality of the individual voices of a populace.

This creates an assemblage of opinions that strengthens the resolve of the many while diluting the fringe elements of any society.

At the very core of this turbid circumstance, buried deep below the scar tissue of our delegatory sparring across our nation’s history, reflects the most aspirational and longstanding notion that our collective individuality is what makes a more perfect union.

MORE perfect…NOT perfect…there is no such thing in life.

It is the one thing that has placed this soon to be quarter millennial experiment in governance in a class of its own (our country turns 250 in 2026).

Our participation in the democratic process is the life blood to this fragile ecosystem.  Without it, it becomes a slippery slope as we enable the designs of the few to govern the will of the many which was never the intent of our founding fathers.

It harkens back to the immortal quote of Ben Franklin when asked at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 whether in fact we had a monarchy or a republic to which he replied, “A republic. If you can keep it.”

While this open statement offers no certitude, it does offer hope through an informed and active populace that chooses to choose.  

This simple mechanical act we are each afforded to help shape our shared destiny is THE most effective instrument we have towards self-determination when utilized en masse.

Though we may be in uncertain waters more so than we ever have been, I recount that wonderful scene from the film 13 Days (about the Cuban Missile Crisis) in which a last minute tense negotiation between Russian ambassador Dobrynin and RFK yielded this classic statement:

[to RFK]

Dobrynin: “You're a good man; your brother is a good man. I assure you there are other good men. Let us hope the will of good men is enough to counter the terrible strength of this thing that was put in motion.”

There are good people out there in our nation, more than you know. We all have one vote, one voice…

…make it count. 

There will always be those that seek to manipulate and mislead along the way while utilizing instruments of our own digital designs to fearsome effect.  That is a problem that we will need to be constantly vigilant on through education, rule of law and empathy.  

Collectively though, through our participation we can push past most of the spectacle and distraction of the circus and ensure whatever your views, they’re represented.

It is the single greatest right you have in our country… 

Please consider casting your ballot.  

VOTE.

🍬🍭🍰 Sugary

PAST EVENTS

October 19th: Pickleball Social III - Nearly 20 of you joined us to experience one final hurrah of service before the weather locks us all out until next season.  It was a perfect afternoon as DK led a group in open play of his favorite pastime.

October 20th: NFL Double Header Watch Party (49ers vs. Chiefs + Jets vs. Steelers) - About 20 of you came by to check out this epic double header at the start of the season.  We provided some drinks and snacks to kick things off and it ended up being a brilliant series of head to head matchups back to back.

October 26th: GOALszn Workout & Coffee - About a dozen of you came out to join us for a morning of gym and java as we got in the spirit of gains and goals all in the great company and amazing vibes. Check out GOALszn’s newsletter, created to keep fitness fresh, HERE.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Ashvin Harrison

A multi-hyphenate in the truest sense, Ashvin has worn many hats, but it is as a visual pop artist that he truly thrives.  

This self-taught Aussie visual artist is a favorite of mine for many reasons.

But the most obvious one is that I’m a huge fan of the visceral, the kind of art that has an immediate impact on you the moment you look at it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love interpretive works of art as well, but there’s just something about a direct emotional reaction that is just so satisfying.

In this case, Ashvin’s contrast between the hyper realistic detail of his coconut charcoal sketches paired with the vibrant color of his chorus of oil and acrylic accents highlight an uncommonly satisfying dynamic around easily universal themes.

There is also a certain “aliveness” one feels with Ashvin’s art in the explosive arcs and the splashy randomness of his kaleidoscopic accents.

Conceptually, there’s a focus on what is accessible though I suspect we’ll expect to see more thematically complex pieces in the years to come from this artist.

An artist on the rise, Ashvin’s art has made it into the private and corporate collections across 50 countries.

So definitely take a moment, do a deeper dive and check out all of Ashvin’s work.  I think you’ll find it to be an exciting visual feast that you’ll frankly be asking for seconds on.

Turquoise Rain Dancer (Sample 1)

Rainbow Soul Tree (Sample 2)

Sound of the World (Sample 3)

Connect IRL. Experience Fabrik.

Get in touch for a free week to come in and make new friends.

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Sign-up here to experience a free week at Fabrik.

Week of 28th events at Fabrik HERE

EMPATHY PROJECT

Support the Empathy Project by purchasing any of the items from the collection. Be a part of a unique initiative that empowers seven diverse artists to create one-of-a-kind empathy-inspired t-shirts. These shirts serve as iconography tied to our identity, promoting compassion-driven societal impact. 

Each artist picked a 501(c)3 charity of their choice to donate a portion of the sales of their t-shirt design. Your purchase also empowers voices, amplifies the message of empathy, supports charities, and elevates storytelling within our communities, all while building a network for compassion-driven societal change. Join us in making a lasting impact through art and empathy.

You can check out and purchase the 7 different empathy tees HERE