A book of wisdom and wits
As cliché as it may sound having good friends can be life changing and sometimes, having good friends can culminate into a book. That’s the story behind 100+ Days of Quarantine, the latest book by Luthfi Hasan, a designer, curator and practitioner of advertising and communications.
With many of his friends active on Instagram Live during the quarantine period worldwide, Luthfi followed suit to keep in touch with friends near and far, and old and new. Although the topics vary from one friend to the other, they all had the same connotation and relevance that gave Luthfi his lightbulb moment. Realising how insightful, valuable and candid those discussions were, it's a shame for the world not to know about it. The documentation process soon began and several months later, Luthfi shared his findings and wisdom in his third book.
The topics of the conversations are extensive from economy to mental health and everything in between, every topic has its own merits but the most enlightening and astounding are platinum women, mental health, philosophy and religion.
“Platinum women over 50 is a very fresh and rare topic. Louisa (Tuhatu) who brought up the issue is frustrated that this is not discussed and taken seriously by the mainstream media. While the potential, influence and power of this group is significant,” said Luthfi.
Mindfulness, a topic that is foreign to him is also one the highlights. It was discussed at great length during his sessions with a number of Gen Zs. “The importance of having a healthy mind, interestingly this topic was brought up by the Gen Z. Compared to older generations, Gen Zs are more aware and conscious of it because the world is more chaotic when they were born. They overthink and depression came early for them, which is why it is important for them to balance between work and play,” explained Luthfi.
The other enlightening subject was philosophy, religion and humanity discussed with M. Fariduddin Attar. “We talked about the Muslim philosopher, Ibnu Sina. The thinking of the Iranian philosopher is very progressive and controversial, it’s about god,” said Luthfi.
With so many topics discussed, the book packs a punch and the invaluable wisdom is not to be missed, especially for the younger generation.
Nin Djani, the editor of this over 400-pages and full-coloured book explained, “we felt the urgency to get the book published by the end of 2020 to not lose the momentum. This book contains practical wisdom and invaluable insight into the world of art, design and creative industry – an industry, believed to be the future of global economy.”
Luthfi is grateful for all of the insights provided by more than 60 opinion leaders that he calls friends, without their knowledge, wisdom and friendship, this book would not have materialised.
“The most amazing thing that I learned from this process is that how important it is to have friends and having good relationships with people. What I get in return is kindness. They gave me their time and helped me create this book, otherwise it won’t happen. I learned from them everyday,” said Luthfi, who is also a designer and owner of Jakarta Vintage.
Designed with colourful, Instagram features on each page, this book is divided into seven chapters, from Art & Design to Social Movement & Humanities.
Pre-order the book here.