February 15, 2018:
As I sit down to write this week’s article, I instinctively open my favorite Spotify playlist I created titled “sad shit for rainy days.”
This particular playlist has a way of setting just the right mood for writing, and as I’m contemplating article topics, I wonder about the ways in which other people prepare themselves to write.
Of course, the luxury of creating an ideal space to write in is not always realistic. But when I am granted this luxury, you’ll find me buried in a well-worn flannel and burning a blackberry sage candle. Surrounded by warm lamp light and dozens of succulents perched in window sills, I settle into my space.
I always start out by playing the song I’m craving in that moment, but then I allow the playlist to shuffle through the other 288 (and always growing) songs. Tonight, I begin with “Tilikum” by Benjamin Francis Leftwich.
This playlist is littered with different artists, but some are frequent repeaters because they are some of my most adored artists (including but not limited to: Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, Gregory Alan Isakov, and City and Colour). The genres vary as well. There’s folk, indie, pop, rock and essentially every variation of those four genres. There are acoustic songs, electric songs, and even some instrumental songs.
Tonight there actually is soft rain complimenting the sweet sounds of my favorite sad songs, but there doesn’t need to be. This playlist is just as soothing on sunny days. In my opinion, sad songs are good all the time.
So, if sad music is your shit too, maybe this playlist is for you. Whether you use it for inspiration when writing, or just as a calming soundtrack for everyday life, I hope it speaks to your soul the way it does to mine.