Weekend wanderings on the interwebs
I read something yesterday that an ‘influencer-ish’ type person who I have followed for years wrote about trying to lean back into the contentedness of her life and not just chasing the happiness. I really appreciated the distinction between the two. So much of the world sets itself up as a means to engender/sell happy or, in other words, to tell us that we are to avoid more complex emotions, that uncomfortable feelings are wrong and should be changed. It feels like we are all just chaotically buying into some ideology of a ‘good life’ as dictated by the current socio-cultural trends mostly revolving around consumerism and social media. I hate it; I feel so needlessly anxious in all of it. We are deeply dissatisfied because we can’t figure out how to embody the ‘aesthetic’ of a meaningful life instead of doing the work within us to find out that what is meaningful to us as individuals can’t be packaged up so simply within the homogeneity of the toxic positivity sphere. Contentedness is not pretending you are happy when you are struggling, just going out and buying things or scrolling online to get an endorphin boost. There surely must be more; I am not sure yet what being content fully looks like for myself, but I am stepping onto a path of figuring that out, I hope.
Reads
Conspiracy, monetisation and weirdness: this is why social media has become ungovernable by Nesrine Malik, The Guardian. This article I found really aligned with the way I have been thinking a lot about currency of the self and the exhaustion of trying to be whole, happy, healthy, momfluenced, creative, productive, financially successful, pursue passive income, a homemaker…blah blah. You could insert any number of identity boxes the world is pushing on us as a means of keeping us in a state of constant lack and chronic consumption, I fully believe we are suffering from chronic MUCHness.
“The result is that increasingly, you have less control over what you see. And the less control you have, the more these platforms become a jostling market of attention-seeking and selling. ”
Currently at the stage of life I am in, making time to make art how I want to is not feasible. I don’t have hours of free time to paint and draw so I have turned to writing as a swift means of getting my creative juices flowing. I read this lovely interview conducted by a writer I enjoy-Maggie Smith-who loves to investigate into the roots and fruit of creativity in our lives. Enjoy the interview here, Interview with an Artist: Helena Wurzel, and I am attaching the website for Helena Wurzel so you can leisurely look through the delicious visuals of her lovely paintings all of which I wish could adorn my bare ass white walls of lifelessness in my overpriced rental bunker with.
Bants
April has arrived. I listened to a banger of a song this morning with my teacup human, and it just lifted my spirits that have been feeling so low lately. A lot was weird and uncomfortable about pop culture in the 2000’s. I would say it was not the coolest decade or so, we did many awkward things (miniskirts over jeans…why?) and worshiped just pure shite to be honest (I’m looking at you trashy gossip mags with your celebrity bullying and eating disorder propaganda nonsense). You know who was great though, Natasha Bedingfield. I know she was classic girly pop tween bubble music or whatever, but her song writing was solid, ESPECIALLY the song I Wanna Have Your Babies now that is a hit :P As is the trend with the passing of the torch of the generation of the moment, her song Unwritten has swung back around into popularity with Gen Z and I love it, it’s so wholesome it’s so unifying. I just read that this song has gone back to the top of the charts because of a popular romcom and the return of the romcom is something I am also here for. This song came out TWENTY YEARS AGO, ooof do I feel my age. I recommend you play this video at full volume and get right down into your body in all its glory, embrace your silly self in all your uniqueness, be grateful for your aliveness, reflect on your story and just have a wee giggle. As you watch the music video laugh in remembrance of the yummyness of the noughties trends-the dressy waistcoat paired with the grungy, flowy pedal pushers, the brazenly bared bellybutton decorated with bulky belts and bangles, the major gospel choir vibes. It is a joy.
Here is Bedingfield herself sharing on her Instagram some of the darling Gen Z ticktock moments that just kind of makes me a little happy. I want this next generation of young girls to be free of the torments of an uncaring world that profits from women being made small.
The 2000’s-when Jane Norman was considered haute couture to working class folks. Notice how focused I am on sucking in my belly. So glad I have a mom pooch now and do not do the tummy suck ANYMORE. Hopefully my sister does not destroy our friendship for me sharing this photo. It’s too priceless.
Eats
Alright I am going to share a sweet little recipe here that I found online. You can make this yummy dish without chai, perhaps I will get some to make with this. It’s expensive here though so to keep cost down I most likely will make without. Absofruitly I will be making cream cheese frosting I am not a madwoman. Husband and I eat sweet cake loaf things very quickly, these do not last in our house.
Love you all so very much thanks for lifting my spirits by making me feel as if I am not just shouting into the void.