In an age where it can feel impossible to escape the glow of a screen, a group of teenagers in New York City is quietly rebelling.
They call themselves The Luddites, and every Sunday, they meet in Prospect Park, laughing, crafting, and just talking. No texts, no selfies, no scrolling – just uninterrupted human connection.
What makes them stand out isn’t just their commitment to leaving phones behind, but the simple joy they find in doing so.
The group takes its name from the original Luddites, 19th-century textile workers who protested the rise of industrial machines they feared would replace them.
Today’s Luddites aren’t rejecting technology outright – after all, some of them still use flip phones – but rather resisting its excesses, its ability to vacuously gobble every spare moment. They believe in using technology mindfully, rather than being used by it.
Freed from the constant lure of notifications, they’re rediscovering long forgotten hobbies. Sketching, painting, writing poetry, learning new crafts – things that, for many, have become lost arts in the digital age.
But their movement is less about nostalgia and more about intention: making space for creativity, even boredom - and for the kind of deep, unhurried conversations that happen when there’s nothing to distract you.
Photo Credit: Lynn Ma/NYCity News Service
And this got us thinking – what are the spaces here, closer to home, that offer that same sense of tactile creativity? The answer: plenty.
There are workshops and classes happening all over the UK, offering a chance to whittle wood, print lino, master dim sum making, or try your hand at anything from dry stone walling to kintsugi. A quick search will lead you to a craft class, a supper club, a skill swap – all invitations to step out of routine and into something absorbing, analogue, yet new.
We’ve been called analogue ourselves, once upon a time – a light-hearted dig, but increasingly, we think of it as a compliment. There’s something undeniably satisfying about making something with your hands, striking up conversation with a stranger, or sitting down to a meal where the only thing glowing is candlelight.
So, put the phone down for a while. Go chat to strangers, try something new, feel properly present. Who knows? You might just find yourself wanting to do it again next week.
Photo Credit: The Flower Factory London + Derwent London
We know, we know — the irony isn’t lost on us. A brand with a social media presence extolling the virtues of logging off?
But we like to think of it this way: if we’re going to be online, we want to make it worthwhile. Less doomscrolling, more real-life happenings, like the Surplus Supper Club we hosted last week, or the kind of joyful, odd, and inspiring things we collect for our Stuff We Saved, Just Because series.
Because if the internet IS going to take up space in our lives, it may as well make us smile.
A couple of weeks ago, in a realpinch me moment, I had the chance to sit down with the amazing Denise Van Outen on Channel 4’s Alcohol-Free Booze: Is It Worth It? to talk about our unique dealcoholisation process — on national TV, no less.
We’re constantly asked, "How’s it made?" so being able to describe our unusual process to millions of viewers was incredible. And to top it off? We won the red wine taste test — often called the Holy Grail of alcohol-free wines.
A huge and heartfelt thank you to the team at Channel 4 for scouting me out and giving us a voice.
Until next week,
Luke x
