No matter the day I am having, there is always a piece of music that can relate to the way I am feeling. Even as I write this post, I have headphones in, with a playlist of mine playing. Sometimes I believe that for someone to really understand who I am as a person, then they should scroll through some of my playlists. Each playlist has a title, which is a feeling or mood I may be in, a destination I am in, the season I am in, or the activity I am doing. I put very detailed attention into each playlist I make, for they are everything I feel they are. For instance, I have a playlist strictly for the morning. These “morning” songs are how I feel towards the mornings I most often have, with songs that are softer letting me ease myself into the day ahead of me, no matter what I may be doing. I have another playlist titled “singing in the shower,” which is composed of songs that I can not help but burst out singing to whenever they come on. For me, categorizing these various songs is a way I express myself creatively, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
I can very strongly relate to the importance of music that you feel in your life. Music has been and always will be one of the most important things in my life. One time a friend of mine told me that he never really sits and listens to music just to listen to it, he always has to be doing something. After hearing him say this I became conscious of the fact that I DO listen to music “just to listen to it”. I definitely listen to music while I do homework or while I’m at the gym, but sometimes I simply sit down, put my headphones on, and listen. I don’t believe in making playlists though. I have my favorite genres, favorite bands within those genres, and favorite songs from those bands. Whatever I want to listen to I will find it and listen to it. I can’t group songs together because there’s no telling whether or not I will want to listen to every single one of those songs… at the same time… all the time. Instead, I just go to my Pandora (yes, I still use Pandora and no, I will not switch to Spotify) and pick the genre or the band I feel like listening to and let the app take care of the rest. This way I can listen to what I feel like listening to, but I won’t be able to predict every song that will play.
I agree with your idea that there is always a piece of music that can relate to how you are feeling. Personally, I find it interesting how easily music can enhance my emotion or even change my mood. Last week I was in some sort of slump dealing with a bunch of stuff, and found myself only listening to instrumentals. But when I felt I needed to energize and get out of my head, I turned on songs that I could sing along to and just focus on the lyrics or rhythm of the song. Listening to music is instrumental in my life, so I fully understand how important it can be.
I really relate to this- I am obsessed with music. I have music on in my room almost 24/7 and if I’m walking to class alone or anywhere else I have to be, I have my headphones in. I listen to music when I study, when I get ready, when I eat, when hanging out with friends. In my case, music helps me experience life in a more emotional and creative way. I often use it to make sense of my emotions and thoughts, listening to what I think reflects my current mental state. Like you mentioned, I also make playlists that I dedicate a lot of my time to. I will spend hours finding new music or organizing my current music into different playlists. Music excites me, and it’s something I am really passionate about. If you are comfortable sharing your playlists/spotify/whatever streaming device you use I’d love to check it out!