Finding Inspiration Amidst Turmoil
This past month it has been hard to find inspiration to write when there’s so much going on all over the world but especially here in America. So as of late I’ve been constantly telling myself, “I need to blog , I need to blog because it has been over a month.” But I put the pen to the paper and I got nothing.
When America really started showing it’s true division based on race and religion during the acts of Charlottesville, I didn’t want to write when I saw so much hate in my world. I experienced harassment and hate on the streets here in Georgia and I became disheartened and discouraged. Before we could even gather ourselves and figure out how to fight extremists, through petitions, marches and getting local governments to change laws about Confederate statues we experienced the biggest hurricane flooding ever. Just one of the effects of global warming and a representation of how our climate is changing progressively. It hurts to see the faces of the families displaced and lives completely changed by something that you have no way of controlling. Jesus take the wheel.
In the midst of these tumultuous incidents I turned on music that made me feel good. I listened to the conscious rhymes of Kendrick Lamar’s “Damn” and the pop up beat of “Spice World” by the Spice Girls, which automatically puts you in a good mood, lots of podcasts on Tidal such as Rap Radar, In Real Life with Angie Martinez & Miss Info and Guest Spot with Cipha Sounds. I also took time to read some of the Rolling Stone magazines I’ve received in the mail and even watched a few episodes of Carpool Karaoke on Apple Music.
Through the awfulness going on I found solace in music and music enthusiasts and it helped me change my mood and I realized that while I was away from writing, I was actually taking the time to get inspiration and new ideas and questions. So I said all of this to let you know that music can be used as therapy and can help you find inspiration when you are feeling low. Not only music but when you feel like you can’t do what you love to do anymore because of whatever life is throwing at you, find a positive distraction to help you get through and that may help you get back on track.