My little brother is in the process of getting his first real apartment, and as excited as I am for him, I feel for him, too. There's such a steep learning curve to living on your own, and after 10 years in grown-up apartments, I still have so much to learn. While there are a few words of wisdom I could pass on to him (sleeping in a closet is fine but only for about a year, the coolest streets are usually also the noisiest), he'd be much better off with a comprehensive guide…
My friend Michelle introduced me to The Art Of Manliness, and we're both hooked. I've barely scratched the surface of their impressive archives, but they do indeed seem to be "reviving the lost art of manliness". There's a beautiful, Ron Swansonesque timelessness to the skills and style they celebrate, and the topics covered are far-reaching and thoughtful.
With their Heading Out On Your Own: 31 Basic Life Skills In 31 Days series, the great minds at The Art Of Manliness have compiled an amazing reference for anyone heading out into the world — or anyone who's been out on their own for awhile but could use a little help. Some of my favorite topics are Essential Etiquette for Young Men ("Our forbearers saw no contradiction in being ruggedly manly and a refined gentleman"), Living With Roommates, Create A Weekly Attack Plan (I love a good attack plan! Why am I not doing this?), and the Day 1 entry Develop A Self-Reliant Mentality. But really, they're all so good, and they're only up to Day 20. Though the tagline is 31 skills in 31 days, I'd probably advise my brother — and myself — to tackle one article per week. Each one is so chock full of information, they each deserve some mulling over. I have no doubt that my brother's new adult life is going to be a smashing success — but there's always A Man's Guide To Moving Back In With His Parents… While Maintaining At Least A Little Dignity, just in case.
Which of these topics do you wish you'd had help with when your first moved out on your own? Which are you still struggling with? Which topics do you hope they cover in the final 11 days?
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What a great site! Not only about "manliness," but about self-sufficiency for anyone. I'm 55 and still don't know a lot of this stuff.
That tornado print is awesome!
I love that bed spread. Where can I get it?
My husband loves this site! It makes him want to build all of our furniture.
@ Msackel. It is a blanket from Ace Hotel (pictured) made by Pendleton. More here.... http://blog.acehotel.com/post/5776616572/ace-hotel-new-york-pendleton-blanket-online-shop
Pendleton has also started making blankets for Room & Board.
For similar styles try Pottery Barn Teen and MUJI. Both sell nice plaid spreads or duvet covers.
Does anyone know who the artist is on the tornado print? (Or painting, or whatever it is..?)
I love "The Art of Manliness," and I'm a woman! It's got excellent writing.
Thanks for turning me on to this great blog. I have several young men I'm emailing the link to. This is a treasure.
Thanks so much! I've been looking for something like this, and this is fantastic.
Not sure how comfortable I would be sleeping with an axe teetering above my head! Very manly, though! And I am definitely reading the one about the attack plan. Just to say I have an attack plan.
The Art of Manliness is a great site! I stumbled upon it a year ago & sent the link to my son-in-law. My daughter checks it out more than he does! As women, we must remember that we are not the only ones living in the house. Many of us have a man living there, too. And the reason we like them is because they ARE men, with men ways. Soooo, trying to force a man to fall in love with a bed covered with 50 frilly cute pillows is not such a good idea. Balance. Let him be manly just like he lets you be womanly. I had woman friend who couldn't understand why her live in boyfriend of 2 years packed up his stuff, that he was forced to store in the garage for 2 years, & moved out. I asked her "Could it be that you have every square inch of the house decorated with rainbow dolphins?" She came back with "Hey! Don't dis my dolphins! I LOVE dolphins & rainbows!" I rest my case. She's still alone with her dolphin wall paper, seat cushions, pillows, dishes, knick knacks.... he's moved on to someone who lets him be a guy.