things i've been enjoying lately
i would like to make a post like this a regular thing in my little corner of the internet! i used to write little compendiums of all the media i loved on my blog i ran as a teenager in like 2016 — although i just haven’t been able to write about culture until now because i expended so much of my energy analysing it all for my thesis last year, i think perhaps i am back to finding a lot of joy in sharing that with you all???
anyway, let’s start off with…
vibes
i am just like every other person in the world and i have fallen back in love with pinterest (though unfortunately not yet at the expense of my instagram addiction). here is a little glimpse into what i’ve been inspired by this month aesthetically…i feel like the vibes can be summarised by some lyrics from a little song called ‘dragon new warm mountain, i believe in you’: “it’s a little bit magic, like a river of morning geese…when the top soil is kicking up into the storm…and a billion planets are born.” lots of magic in the autumnal sunshine and in the vibrant colours and in the light refractions on the cool clear water!
i would say that this board has been a successful predictor of how my month as gone so far! i’ve been enjoying the last dregs of warm autumnal sunshine, i hosted the most delightful party that i think will go down as one of my favourite memories of all time, i’ve been making a lot of art, and i’ve been spending a lot of time amongst the trees again as it finally becomes cool enough to be outside for longer than 20 minutes at a time… here is a little glimpse into some of my OWN photos from this month (which i now save into a pinterest board too…it’s a bit cringe i know):
p.s. if you want to follow me on pinterest you can find me at tangerinetrees99, as i am on every other platform haha
music
i am going through a phase with both buckleys at the moment – jeff and tim. i hadn’t listened to grace in many years, until i read this utterly stunning essay about his work and life. i put it on as i was riding the bus to work on a particularly chilly, sunny morning, and as the light turned all the autumn leaves into tiny stained glass windows and as jeff’s voice ascended into the high heavens, i thought my heart might burst straight out of my chest. his music sounds like how my life feels right now – the sadness and joy and the lostness and the freedom are all the most precious of gifts, and my heart is fluid and liberated like water and sunshine and soundwaves. (also my partner’s name is grace so it’s perfect hehe.)
i am a little more familiar with the elder buckley’s work, but i also haven’t listened to him in a couple of years. terrible parenting aside, GOD what a set of genes! pleasant street might be up there amongst my top 5 favourite songs EVER. i listened to this song during my first psychedelic experience – i remember staring up at my partner’s ornate bedroom ceiling and watching the carvings pulsate to the rhythm of the harpsichord.
other music i am loving can be found on my monthly playlist, which i’ve now been compiling for over four years! lots of adrianne obviously…the new mj lenderman song…lloyd cole…this song by frog that i’ve been absolutely obsessed with…find out for yourself!
visual art
in my (very shitty) visual arts practice this month, i’ve found myself feeling enchanted and inspired by the incredible paintings of margaret r. thompson. a contemporary artist who lives in the desert in new mexico (just like georgia o’keefe!), the curved lines and brushtrokes and folksy symbolism in her paintings encapsulates something inarticulably and eternally fundamental about human existence. i fucking love it so much. they are so full of hope.
i also want to state here that i have just bought myself a set of oil pastels and i think i have a new favourite medium to fuck around with!! i love how vibrant and rich and easy they are to draw with!
book
i’ve been really struggling to get into reading lately – i think i just read so MUCH last year for researching my thesis and it all felt like such a chore that i’m a bit burnt out on it. HOWEVER, i have been very slowly worming my way through women who run with the wolves – yes, yes, i am trying to find some meaning in my life, it is so obvious – and of course, i love it! i just read chapter 3, all about the story of vasalisa, and i feel like estés’ rallying cry for women to really trust that they know what their bodies are telling them, and to trust what the fire in their skulls is revealing….it has truly awakened something in me but i don’t know what it is yet.
clothes
i bought a STYLE BUNDLE (pictured above) from one of my favourite vintage shops – sunflower seed vintage – and what a special treat it was! absolutely PERFECTLY curated…i am obsessed with every piece she sent me and have been wearing them all the time. anyone reading this would know how much i adore vintage clothing, but would probably also be aware that i have often found the process of shopping for pieces i love as a plus-sized person pretty triggering – to have that step taken out AND to get a parcel that feels like the best christmas present ever was a really lovely feeling.
here are some glimpses of some other things i’ve been inspired by on pinterest lately…
i’ve got to go get ready for work now but i hope you enjoyed this little guide to what’s been lighting me up these past few weeks!!! i’d love to hear what you’ve been into lately too :)