Originally published in November 2019
Block Club brand director Adam Buehler shies away from the spotlight but seldom keeps his eyes closed. As an avid traveler and eclectic reader, he absorbs ideas and appreciates the value of a well-executed joke. In this installment of 37 Questions, a humble nod to Vogue’s 73, Adam fills us in on his passion for art, literature, history, and binge-worthy television (among other topics).
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Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere: movies, TV, pop culture, museums, and books
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What is the best book you read this year?
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo. Right now, I’m reading These Truths by Jill Lepore, and I expect it to take the lead by the time I’m finished with it.
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Do you have a favorite writer?
Joan Didion
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What’s a cause that’s close to your heart?
Equality
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What is your favorite memory from 2019?
Traveling to Cuba with a group of friends who have all moved to different cities across the country
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If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?
Folding a fitted sheet
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What brand do you love?
Atelier Ace
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Are there any words that you live by (or try to)?
Always keep your eyes open.
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Where did you go to school?
Fashion Institute of Technology. I started studying design but ended up with a degree in international trade.
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Have you lived anywhere else?
Different places. I was born in Chicago and grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. I lived in New York City for fourteen years before moving to Buffalo in 2017.
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What’s the best place you’ve ever traveled to?
Internationally: London or Rome; domestically: the Oregon coast
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What is your best piece of travel advice?
Don’t be cheap.
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What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Take a vacation alone
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Do you collect anything?
Souvenirs. I always pick up any cheap pins, key chains, patches, magnets, or museum maps I can find. When I get home, I save them in a travel box. When I’m feeling nostalgic, I open it up and organize everything.
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Do you have any upcoming travel plans?
Next year, I’d like to go to Greece.
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What’s your favorite place in the world to eat?
Honey & Co. in London. I’m a sucker for a mezze.
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Where do you do your best thinking?
Taking a long walk by myself in any city
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How do you motivate yourself?
I try focusing on the things that bring me joy.
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What brings you joy?
Making my husband laugh, discovering something new, sharing four or five bottles of wine with a group of my closest friends, taking a nap with my dog—things like that
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What’s the best news you’ve heard recently?
My brother and sister-in-law had a baby this morning!
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What have you recently formed an opinion about?
The NFL. I really enjoy watching football, but I don’t think they’re taking head injuries or player safety very seriously. I also really don’t like how the organization has responded to the kneeling protests in the past few years. I’ve had just about enough.
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What’s the most interesting piece of art you’ve ever seen?
I like to experience art in context and try not to assign any special status like the “most interesting” or “most important.” There is a lot of art that was interesting and important to me 10 years ago that I think is garbage now. I try hard to balance high and low, too. I can enjoy and appreciate sophisticated things and base things and learn from both. I try to remember that everything is a signal and evidence of the time and place we live in.
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What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
Camp films of the 20th century
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What makes a good life?
Treating yourself and others with respect and kindness, not taking yourself too seriously, and experiencing as much as you can, when you can
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How do you want to be remembered?
As a gentle soul with a disgusting sense of humor
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When was the last time you changed your stance on something?
Constantly. I am not a very stubborn person. I like to have an opinion on everything, but there’s almost nothing that’s immutable.
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Where do you get your news?
New York Times, New York Magazine, but (shamefully) mostly Twitter
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What’s something that will always be in fashion, no matter how much time passes?
Having a point of view
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Do you have any side projects?
Homeownership. I own a 115-year-old house in the Elmwood Village that takes up a lot of time, money, and brain cells.
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If you could have a dinner party with anyone, who would you invite?
Jean Prouve, Mike Nichols, Simon Doonan, Oprah Winfrey, Fran Lebowitz, John Waters, Bill Cunningham, Susan Sontag, Dorothy Parker, Princess Margaret, and James Baldwin
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If your life had a soundtrack, which songs would be on the playlist?
“California” by Joni Mitchell, “This Must Be The Place” by the Talking Heads, “Silver Spring” by Fleetwood Mac, “Kool Thing” by Sonic Youth, “Age of Consent” by New Order, “Deceptacon” by Le Tigre, “Don’t F***ing Tell Me What To Do” by Robyn, and a ton of showtunes
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If someone narrated your life, who would you want the narrator to be?
Anne Bancroft
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Have you binged any good shows lately?
Succession. What a fun show.
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If you could know the absolute and total truth about one question, what would that question be?
During season 10 of the Real Housewives of New York, on the private plane to Puerto Rico, did Bethenny tell Dorinda “You’re a drunk” or “You were drunk”?
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If you could revisit any moment in history, which would you choose?
California, 1968 through 1976
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What do you want for our country?
Let’s put it this way: I think we deserve a lot better than what we have right now.
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What’s your most important goal right now?
November 3, 2020
Can’t get enough Adam? Check out what he has to say about branding and strategy: