Current inspirations collated by Ivy Nina Valentina xx
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A very warm welcome back to THE MOOD! My series where I show and tell about all of the fun things I’ve been recently inspired by. MOOD 3 is BIG. I had a lot to say. So here’s everything I’ve been thinking about and interested in and loving. Dig in :)
My morning walks
I used to be a runner, but sometime around mid August I learnt about the efficacy of zone two cardio. I’m no scientist, but the hype behind this low intensity training seems to be due to the way it increases one’s cardiovascular fitness and overall health without making you feel like you’re going to explode. That was enough to sell it to me and my buckling knees.
To be honest, I’m not sure why I’ve put this at the top of the list. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with my walks at the moment. I’ve spent the past couple of months trying to establish them as a habit. I try to walk 10km around 3-4 times a week. But at times the pressure of this expectation I’ve set myself has been enough to keep me in bed an extra two hours. Might just be a bit of a dip in my motivation, I’m not really sure.
All the same, there is a lot to love about my walks and I really do think that people belong outside and in nature so it’s something I want to vouch for despite my mixed feelings. On these walks I get to detach from my stresses for an hour or two. Sometimes I listen to music and cultivate an excitement for the day ahead. Other times I’m taking out the wires and pausing the music because the scenery around me and the natural music of the world are so beautiful. The nature around me can really bring me into the present and with the lack of distractions my mind has the opportunity and the room for creativity. There have been times mid-walk where I have pulled out my phone to record a line for a poem or an article idea.
I really try to appreciate the natural spaces I have available to me. Recently I took my digital camera on one of my walks to capture all of my favourite spots which is where the photo from above came from. Generally, walking can only do good. It’s pretty low effort, clears out the mental cobwebs and personally, I find it quite chic. I may just have to work on the fact that I only deem a walk “worthy” if it is of considerable length. Forever struggling against the pressure of my own expectations <3
My CD player
Went shopping with my you-need-this!!!!! best friend (Anyka). We were at Kmart and she helped me hunt down the CD player they have recently started selling because I needed it. She was right. It was a killer purchase. Not only do I exude infinite amounts of swag when I use it, but I feel like I’m properly taking in the music because I’ve been listening to whole albums rather than my melting pot playlists. I feel like I’m getting the whole story. The sound quality isn’t great, but it’s a good starting point (and it works with my Sony headphones which is a big redeemer). Wires over bluetooth makes me feel like I’m doing a service to my health as well. The design is sleek and simple and I can’t wait to find a cute sticker to dress it up with.
Dido, ‘No Angel’
First of all, brilliant name. It encapsulates the vibe of the album perfectly. It’s airy but daring. Sultry but sweet. Finding a new album to love was a natural follow on from the acquisition of a CD player. My love for this album was unexpected. I had purchased it a while back when I realised the CD player in my car produced a much nicer sound than its bluetooth counterpart, but I hadn’t actually listened to it. Now imagine this: it’s been quite a long day, I chuck on Dido’s No Angel just wanting to give my new CD player a whirl and on comes Here With Me. A gorgeous and haunting tune. But if you’re a 2000s kid, you can only associate this song with the heartbreaking WorkSafe TV ad that featured this track and was airing around that time. The one where the police come to the door of a young mother informing her that her husband has passed away in a work related accident. I’m not even kidding, instant and hysterical tears. It felt weirdly cleansing? Anyway, great song, great album. Thankyou is also an obvious classic and I am quite fond of the dancey bonus track Take My Hand as well.
‘Your phone is why you don’t feel sexy’ by Catherine Shannon
I feel like I’ve established my growing distaste for my iPhone on this blog. Attention span is weak. Mirage of human connection through isolating digital spaces is strong. But this article extrapolates on “a very specific kind of badness” – the fact that “our phones are (also) killing our ability to feel sexy”.
This was such an interesting article! It paints a picture of the innate importance of eros and desire and the way in which the immediacy of access that our phones provide us is whittling away at it. Catherine Shannon writes that “easy things are not desirable or rewarding”, tapping into the invariable truth of the concept of delayed gratification. A concept that has been traded for the instantaneousness and light-speed efficiency of the modern smart phone. She notes that “today, everyone and everything is always available, and there’s nothing less sexy than that. There’s no chase. [No] time to yearn.” A collective decrease in confidence is attributed to the pervasive and eternal access that we have into each other’s lives and the constant influx of information detailing what we could be or should be doing with ourselves. I wish I had read this article before writing ‘LOVER, YOU SHOULD HAVE COME OVER!!!’, it very succinctly bolsters and elaborates upon some of the ideas I was exploring there. I strongly urge you to read it, I think it took me less than 10 minutes!!
‘You Don’t Need More Discipline, You Need More Love’ by Bailey Schildbach
What a beautiful video that popped up in my YouTube algorithm at exactly the perfect moment. As a person, I tend to stress and worry about my future a lot which leads me to chase discipline in hopes that what I achieve through stringent routine will provide me with a sense of fulfilment and direction. However, I have found that the pressure I inflict upon myself to do better and be better when not coming from a loving place often works to demotivate me and ultimately hinder my own progress. This idea is exactly what Bailey Schildbach discusses in her video.
Schildbach encourages a very simple philosophy and that is to “put love at the centrepoint of your life.” The concept sounds so straightforward, but it truly does make all the difference. “When you do something [out of] love, you expand”. “Discipline without love turns to self-punishment”. Whether it’s self-love or love for a certain activity, person or thing, the viewpoint that Schildbach shares suggests that “love is a fuel that doesn’t burn you out” and that “you can push yourself everyday but if you’re doing it from a place of hate or shame or comparison, it rots you from the inside out.” This video was a circuit breaker for me. I was in a bit of a rut and it was the mindset readjustment I needed to get me out. I would highly recommend a watch if you’re feeling like you need a bit of a mental shake up.
Third time’s the charm!! That’s the end of MOOD 3! Thank you for reading and caring about the things that I find interesting. Please comment any of your current thoughts or feelings or inspirations below.
I love you all a lot, a lot, a lot <3
Sources:
Dido No Angel Album Art (Front), SOURCE
Dido No Angel Album Art (Back), SOURCE
‘Your phone is why you don’t feel sexy’ by Catherine Shannon, SOURCE
Flip phone iPod photograph sourced via @thatssopintrest, SOURCE
‘You Don’t Need More Discipline, You Need More Love’ by Bailey Schildbach, SOURCE
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