Monthly Musings - January Edition
ART
In the midst of social unrest, a lot of inspiring and encouraging artists have been popping up on my Instagram feed. One of these artists is Frances Cannon, an artist out of Australia that creates linework illustrations of women in their natural form. The drawings are inclusive of all kinds of women and all contain a message of self-love and positivity. What I love most about Frances’ art is that she does not attempt to cover up the female body, but rather illustrates it honestly and without sexualizing any part of it. Her love for humanity and equality is evident in everything she creates. Follow her on Instagram and check out her website!
MUSIC
This month I have been listening to Solange’s ‘A Seat at the Table’ non-stop. Although this album came out in September, it has been the soundtrack to my life this month. This album is not only incredibly well-produced and unique in its style, it carries certain importance that can only be understood by those who listen to it with an open mind. This album is a discussion about race, culture, and experience. It is smooth and groovy with dashes of funk sprinkled throughout. This is an album that took me outside of my listening comfort zone and exists as one of my favorite albums of all time.
BOOKS
Osho’s Love, Freedom, Aloneness was recommended to me by a friend over the holidays. I was hesitant to read it at first, simply because I have been into reading more poetry and fiction recently; however, I decided to once again step out of my comfort zone and allow this to become my first read of 2017. I haven’t finished the book quite yet, but what I can say so far is that Osho has a way of explaining large and abstract concepts in a way that makes sense. He gives a certain tangibility to the abstract, which is why his work is so unique. He does not shy away from explanations but rather guides the reader step by step into broader and more complex ideas. His explanations are simple, beautiful, and worth stepping out on a limb.
FILM
Over the holidays, I dedicated time to watching movies that had been on my watch list for months. Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom was number one on that list. This is the first Wes Anderson film I have seen and I loved it. Aside from the quirky and sweet storyline, the cinematography and costuming were astounding. Every scene was astonishingly beautiful with its vintage scenery and styling. Suzy is definitely my style inspiration right now.
MEDIA
Keeping with the theme of branching out to new things, I have been trying to find new blogs to read, new YouTube channels to watch, and new people to follow on social media. This month I found myself craving more fashion-driven content. I stumbled across a channel called TOMBOYISH that I instantly fell in love with. The channel was created by a woman named Ari Fitz who has amazing style and a really inspiring attitude. Go give her a watch!
SELF- CARE
One of my 2017 resolutions is to commit to doing at least one self-care activity each week, whether it be something simple like filling up my gas tank before the start of each week, doing a face mask, or cleaning my room. The goal is to do at least one small task that will set my week up for success. For this month, I found myself going to the grocery store each week. Not only has this made me a better planner and cook, but it has also made my spending more efficient as well. At first, it felt strange to be going to the grocery store once every week/ week and a half, but it has slowly become part of my routine. It makes me feel so good to know that I have the food I most enjoy waiting for me when I get home.
Thank you so much for reading 🙂
xoxo,
Lexi Jade