Tayler Carraway

New Yorker, Business Owner, future mayor of NYC @gethappymedium

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

Finally retiring our “temporary website” tonight after almost 6 years.

Didn’t support checkout, user accounts, bookings or eComm and yet we still crushed the game.

A reminder that nothing else matters if you have a brilliant concept and can execute well.

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

Wait until they find out about Happy Medium

[Hedgie @HedgieMarkets]

🦔 Millennials are increasingly launching analog, tactile, in-person businesses: art studios, workshops, print products, spaces that require people to show up and use their hands. One Houston experiential art studio has hosted 35,000 guests and generated over $2 million in revenue since 2023 without franchising or outside capital. Google searches for "dumbphones" rose 89% from 2018 to 2021. Netflix is creating in-person shopping experiences. The founders interviewed aren't treating these as hobbies. They're building intentional income streams designed to scale carefully rather than explode unsustainably.

My Take
The framing here is usually nostalgia or anti-tech sentiment, but that misses the economics. Digital trust has eroded because algorithms change and platforms disappear. Burnout is widespread enough that "slowing time" is now a selling point. And labor insecurity means people are building businesses they can control even if growth is slower. One founder said her safety net disappeared overnight despite being highly educated and accomplished. That story is everywhere right now.

The interesting part to me is the anti-scale mindset. These founders are explicitly resisting venture capital, mass retail, and aggressive expansion. That's the opposite of how Silicon Valley trained everyone to think about building companies. But when you've watched enough startups implode chasing growth, and enough corporate jobs evaporate in layoff rounds, "slow and controlled" starts looking less like a lifestyle choice and more like risk management. Friction, when designed with care, becomes a feature. That's a real shift in how people are thinking about work and money.

Hedgie🤗

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

@Wisdom_HQ Goodbye my love

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

@nikunj Toastmasters

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

@emmettshine Thank you 🫶

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

I present to you my most vital tik tok - 2m views and counting

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

@patrickc And we will be taking over the 26th floor on October 22nd from 6-8pm for a cityscape drawing event and you can get tickets through this stripe link :)

https://t.co/fcnDKVtdvw

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

Signed my book at Barnes and Noble today 🤭

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

@ABRAMSbooks @gethappymedium 💗🫶💗🫶💗🫶

[ABRAMS Books @ABRAMSbooks]

Unlock your happiness through art with HAPPY MEDIUM! In this interactive journal from @roost91, the cofounder of @gethappymedium, learn how to implement creativity into your daily life as you write, draw, reflect, and paint! Out NOW! 🌸 🖌️ 💞https://t.co/2sXFWyCAIx

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

Need

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

I contain multitudes

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

In the @nytimes today talking about the next chapter for Happy Medium! Low key building a real estate empire

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

My diet on any given day is either so clean or absolute garbage and there’s no in between

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

If you didn’t smash plates from Goodwill to mosaic a table that would scrape your legs every time you sat down, did you even grow up in a craft home?

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

We are hiring! Looking for managers for both Manhattan and Brooklyn Art Cafes - ft/ salaried/benefit position

Would be good fit if u:
- can keep a lot of balls in the air
- are a nice and fun person to be around
- cool under pressure
- eye for HM brand aesthetics

Pls share!

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

For more context my grandma can only read large print so I’m trying to convince my publisher to do a large print run and then take it on a book tour to old folks homes! Creativity is for ALL ages!

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

Could anyone intro me to founders or marketing teams of companies that are focused on the elderly? I.e @join_papa

My 1st book, a Creativity Journal, is being pinned in Sept and I’m seeking a sponsor to partner with me/Happy Medium on a book tour focused on elderly creativity!

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

Pubbed*

[Tayler Carraway @roost91]

My 85 year old grandma writes a poem a day. This was hers today - never stop being inspired !