BY RUBY GORDON//
I consider myself a creative person, but whenever I get stressed, overwhelmed, tired, or burnt out, my innate urge to create something disappears. Creativity, a mechanism to express and process, is the first thing that slips my mind whenever my life chugs along too quickly. For today’s article, I chose to do what I always do when I don’t know how to start a project: a Pinterest mood board. The never ending scrolling through the hundreds of millions of pins feels soothing in a nurture-your-inner-muse way.
The playlist for my mood board feels nurturing. Some old favorites are sprinkled in amongst new discoveries, all united by groovy bass notes and comforting lyrics. The lineup begins with “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5. The opening notes of this song will always make my soul feel so fulfilled. Followed by “Blue Coupe” by Twin Peaks, the songs are starting to set the scene for the unfamiliar familiar vibes the mood board gives off. “Blue Coupe” is reminiscent of an illustration posted below that reads, “I like the inbetweens. I like the time it takes to get somewhere.”
The next song, “Welcome to Eden” by Samia pulls on religious imagery to paint a portrait of young love. The painting of leaves with hands made me think of this song. Next, we have “Jane” by LAUNDRY DAY. “Jane” leans into the bedroom pop trend while also pulling on some R&B roots with synthy bass and tittering drums. “Jane” embodies the feeling of loneliness when you’re not even remotely alone. “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant brings an element of coming-of-age. The illustration of the frogs matches the lyrics longing for someone to stay with them. “Dark Red” by Steve Lacy picks the pace up a little bit and adds an element of maturity and class. As the playlist begins to wrap up, Mazzy Star’s “Fade into You” joins the emotional nature of the poems dispersed throughout the mood board. A little bit in love. A little bit wistful. To close the playlist inspired by a mood board, TV Girl’s “Lovers Rock” summarizes the dreamy romance of it all.
What started as a hard case of writer’s block, turned into a collage, then into a playlist, then into whatever you want to call this block of text. Creativity is not dead, just a little stifled and in need of a spark.
Playlist:
- “She Will Be Loved”- Maroon 5
- “Blue Coupe” – Twin Peaks
- “Welcome to Eden” – Samia
- “Jane” – Laundry Day
- “Cigarette Daydreams” – Cage the Elephant
- “Dark Red” – Steve Lacy
- “Fade Into You” – Mazzy Star
- “Lovers Rock” – TV Girl