Hello everyone,
Some days it seems like everything is slightly (okay, extremely) off kilter: Labubus are selling at Sotheby’s, your new therapist is an AI chatbot, and the national guard is facing off with inflatable frogs on the streets of Portland. The technical term might be “cognitive dissonance,” but on a less technical level, it’s hard to describe the sensation of being alive in 2025. The usual words — burnout, overwhelm, uncertainty — don’t quite capture the chaos of it all.
This week, writer and designer Justina Blakeney leans into that dizzy feeling, taking us for a spin through a literal episode of vertigo. Come for the exquisite turns of phrase, stay for the hard-won insights that might just help all of us keep our balance.
Right there with you,
The Prism Team
Justina Blakeney is a multidisciplinary artist, AD100 designer, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of Jungalow®. She has spent her career challenging narrow definitions of beauty — inviting creativity, culture, and personal story to take root and thrive.
One thing that makes Justina feel well: “Gardening!”
Surrendering to the Spin
On Vertigo, Muumuus, and the Myth of Control
I awoke just as sunlight signaled morning; the bedroom was slowly swirling counterclockwise. The sensation was deeply unsettling, like my body was moving forward and my mind backward, unable to choose a moment to settle into. I closed my eyes and opened them again, hoping for a reset, but unlike when I had experienced a similar sensation after too much wine or weed, I couldn’t focus my way to stillness. I felt a bead of sweat lazily trail into my ear, and realized my whole body was drenched. My tongue felt like thick, cold-pressed, watercolor paper, instantly absorbing any and all traces of moisture.
I swung my legs to the floor, but the ground felt like sand in an hourglass. “Relax, I’m okay...I’m okay," I lied to myself, collapsing back onto the bed. I woke Jason. He helped me to the bathroom, handed me water. I peed, drank, and then – projectile waterfall all over the floor. Nausea and panic washed over me. My body was in full revolt.