If you've been following along—thank you. If you're new here—welcome. Either way, I'm glad you're here, because today marks something special:
The relaunch of my newsletter as "The Double Helix."
Why "The Double Helix," you ask?
Well, let's rewind a bit first.
Living a Double Life
For years, I've felt like I was running two parallel lives:
By day, I'm a Business Affairs leader—deeply embedded in the nuanced world of advertising, compliance, AI, and complex contract negotiations. This professional identity demands precision, strategic thinking, and a constant eye on risk and responsibility.
And then, there’s my other life: a musician, producer, and artist. This creative identity is fluid, expressive, intuitive. It thrives on possibility and emotional resonance. It resists constraints.
For so long, these two worlds felt distinct, disconnected—maybe even incompatible.
I remember when I first started out, I would talk about my life as an artist with excitement. But I quickly learned it wasn't always met with enthusiasm. It often felt like a mix of judgment and confusion—as if only people with "Creative" in their job title were allowed to be creative. The message was clear: work was for work, and passions were for the weekend. The two weren't supposed to mix.
At one point, I was even passed over for a promotion because my manager believed I wasn't serious enough about my career. She heard my passion for music as a conflict with my dedication to the business. She couldn't envision someone fully embracing both worlds simultaneously.
Over time, I built a wall between my two identities. My music became a hidden side of me, a secret I let people uncover. It became a kind of game—if you discovered this creative part of me, you found the real me.
The irony, of course, is that I always knew my creativity was my superpower. It allowed me to connect deeply with creative teams and gave me an empathetic, ground-level understanding of the messy, beautiful, non-linear process of bringing ideas to life. It was the "why" behind my work, though it was a "why" I mostly kept hidden.
The Moment of Convergence
As I progressed in both realms, the more they began to blur. Eventually, that blur became clarity. My career wasn't about climbing a single ladder—it was more like a double helix: two intertwined strands of identity, making each other stronger.
Generative AI has accelerated this convergence and fundamentally shifted how these two strands intertwine for me. Creativity and compliance weren't just complementary—they became inseparable. Strategic decision-making required imagination, and creativity demanded ethical responsibility and regulatory awareness.
It felt like a fundamental shift in how the world around me was working, too. The separation between creativity and compliance wasn’t just irrelevant—it was impossible.
This realization was profound and energizing. It changed everything.
And so, I decided it was time for my outward identity to match this inner reality.
Thus, The Double Helix was born.
Beyond the Name: Why “The Double Helix”?
On the surface, it’s the new name of this newsletter—yes. But it’s also much more than that.
The double helix is more than just the iconic DNA structure discovered in 1953—it's a profound symbol of interconnectedness, balance, and growth. Two strands spiraling around each other illustrate the harmony created by bringing together distinct, complementary identities.
Historically, the double helix imagery has represented wisdom, synergy, and the strength found in dualities. Similarly, this newsletter explores the deep and beautiful interconnections between art and science, creativity and compliance, music and strategy.
Ultimately, it's about living at the intersection and discovering how meaningful life and work become when you fully embrace your multidimensional identity. In short, this newsletter’s new identity better reflects what it has become—a place where my creative side and analytical insights, personal stories and professional lessons, intertwine. The name “abbipress” (while literally my name) didn’t convey that duality or purpose. The Double Helix does.
What's Changing (And What's Not)
Don't worry—it's still me, Abbi Press >‿‿◕. You'll continue receiving the deeply personal stories you've enjoyed, now intentionally woven with strategic explorations of AI, creativity, ethics, and innovation.
As I grow into this new direction, I'm planning to introduce new formats, like "Double Take," where I'll analyze a topic from both my artist and business leader perspectives, and "Strand by Strand," a Q&A series with other hybrid thinkers who blend multiple disciplines.
This is a space of evolution, and I’m still figuring out the exact direction forward. But you can always expect:
Personal Narratives: Lessons from my journey in music and business, highlighting creativity as a tool for strategy and leadership.
Thought Leadership: Real-world analyses of generative AI, ethics, compliance, examined with curiosity, openness, and grounded skepticism.
Creative Experiments: Insights into how emerging tech, especially AI, reshapes creativity—and vice versa.
This Is a Space for the Hybrid Thinker
"The Double Helix" is for the strategists with a creative soul and the artists who are also business leaders. It’s for the compliance professionals who innovate, the regulated industry creatives who push boundaries, and the curious minds navigating the intersection of technology and humanity.
If you believe that embracing your full, authentic self is your greatest professional asset, you’re in the right place. Here, we'll explore AI with openness, curiosity, and grounded skepticism, building a vibrant community of hybrid thinkers who defy simple categorization and bring fresh insights across disciplines.
What's Next?
The conversation is just beginning. In my next piece, I'll be sharing a dispatch from my two worlds, looking at a single, pressing issue through the lens of both a business leader and a musician.
To give you a feel for what that intersection looks like, here’s a recent creative experiment: an AI-assisted visual I created for my song, "Atmadja."
Fittingly, the central lyric of the song is, "How do you define me?" It's a question that has been at the heart of my own journey, and one that feels more relevant than ever as the lines between our roles, our tools, and our identities blur for everyone.
More new features, series, and community opportunities coming soon.
An Invitation
If you resonate with this vision, please stick around. If you’re new here, I’d love for you to subscribe, share, or just drop me a line—tell me about your own double helix. What strands make up who you are?
Let's redefine what it means to live, work, and create at the intersection.
Welcome to The Double Helix. It’s good to have you here.
With excitement, gratitude, and newfound clarity,
Abbi Press
Artist • Strategist • Author