Write for Fun
Hello Dear One,
I had a reflection recently. For a long time music was a huge part of my life: I hung around Fopp buying way too many CDs; reviewed bands for magazines; wrote a blog; obsessed over albums; downloaded everything physical onto iTunes and forced long-suffering friends to see new acts with me at festivals. I knew the albums I loved inside out and felt their presence intensely at unique moments in time.
Then Spotify came along. Life got busy with other things and, slowly, I stopped trying.
This absence of musical euphoria has been nagging at me. I listen to music every day but gravitate towards what I already like, playlists from yoga classes, or ready-made mixes - mostly melancholic songs - making minimal effort to discover new artists. And all those records I bought? They sit lifeless on my shelves.
The thing I forgot about music is it’s fun. There’s nothing like discovering a song you love. It makes your mood better, your day better. If you’d told me at sixteen I could listen to whatever I wanted on my phone I would have thought the future was a pretty cool place to live.
And yet, I’ve let myself live in an echo chamber, frustrated as the same tracks come up again and again. The thing is: this is my choice. It’s my choice to let a machine be in charge, to go with what’s convenient. These days so much is put in front of us that we’re encouraged to be disengaged. But we still have agency.
I do know this: when we actively look for opportunities for fun we feel more joy. So, this week is an invitation to resurrect what feels good or try new things. Fun can also be an antidote to anxiety, if we welcome it.
I’m going to listen to records, invest time in finding new music and see if I enjoy it. My list of other fun things includes doing my hair, experimenting with makeup, dancing, doodling and bobbing about in the waves. Just thinking of all that makes me smile.
I hope you have lots of fun this week and find some lightness, even if life seems heavy.
Thanks for being here and being you.
All love,
Jo
I have a couple of exciting new collaborations on the way, keep an eye on this letter or my Instagram for details.
If this letter made a difference to your day I’d love for you to share it with a friend, or you can buy me a coffee at Ko-fi.