Firstly, thank you for your comments in the community forum! I love reading about everyone's personal experiences and how you're dealing with being pent up. Like my dear friend Kelsey told me the other day, now is the best time to connect and support one another. So, thank you for being here and supporting me in this new blog adventure! <3
During this quarantine, I have picked up a lot of new hobbies: this blog being one of them. I've started working out more, and spending lots of time with myself in meditation or meditative movement. I started working for Instacart, which is a grocery shopping app, and honestly it's kind of really fun. (I will do another entry on Instacart soon.) I started this blog, which has brought a lot of joy into my life, and it hasn't even been a week yet! I did a number of paintings in April, and I started reading a lot more.
There is also so much time for songwriting now! It has been really wonderful to get all the "me-time" to start all of these things. But besides those more productive aspects of my quarantine, I have also spent a lotttttt of time on my phone and laptop; so, here are some of my quarantine guilty pleasures.
Let's start with music!
I have been in a seriously powerful mood as of late, so I've been listening to a lot of other powerful women... Doja Cat, Ariana Grande, Maggie Rogers, Cardi B (serious guilty pleasure), Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and many many more. There is a playlist called Bad Bitch Energy on Spotify that I have been living for. On days when I need more relaxation I opt for artists like Harry Styles, Bon Iver (all time fav), Daniel Caesar, and Fleetwood Mac. It's been pretty interesting seeing my music flip flop so drastically each day.
Next up, apps!
Okay, so like I said earlier, I spend wayyy to much time on my phone. And recently I have been using it a lot more for things that I feel connect me to other people. Can you guess which might be at the top of that list? TINDER.
I know... yikes.
But it has been super fun! Tinder recently made its passport feature free to all users (whereas usually it is available to premium members only). So this means that I have been setting my location all over the globe and meeting people from everywhere! It has prompted me to start learning French again and brushing up on my Spanish skills. I'm learning a ton about different cultures, and I'm meeting some truly amazing individuals. So guess what Mom and Dad, Tinder isn't always bad for me!
Next up to Tinder is Snapchat. I love my Snapchat <3 It let's me talk to all the people I meet on Tinder! Just kidding (kind of). But seriously, I love Snapchat and am on it so frequently because I get to keep up with my friends and their lives. After leaving my close friends with little to no notice when the pandemic hit and all of us having to leave school to go back home, Snapchat has been instrumental in keeping me feeling sane and connected to the people I love.
Now last but not least, I. Love. TikTok. I am almost 22 years old, and I am not ashamed to say it. TikTok is not just cringey teens dancing to Say So by Doja Cat (even though you KNOW I learned that dance too), but it is also where I get a lot of fun recipes, workouts, meditation guides, and where I can freely post videos of myself singing without having to make it so serious all the time. Plus it has been a great way to send cat videos to my sister :)
And now, video entertainment!
I'm not huge into TV or Netflix or Youtube, but I will sneak some time during the week to just sit and watch and let my mind rest. My mom and sister like to binge watch Netflix series, and sometimes I happen in on them and can't take my eyes off the screen, and then somehow I'm still there hours later with them. Oops. With that being said, I just recently watched Upload, which I enjoyed tremendously! (Side note, it's on Amazon Prime, not Netflix). It's a sort of dramatic comedy with its plot centered around uploading human consciences to a virtual realm that would replace Heaven. It was really fun to watch, and it was even cooler to see because the virtual Heaven, called "Lake View," is set at Mohonk Mountain House in my very own New York State.
Another super fun series to see is Schitt's Creek. I usually avoid comedy like this show, but it was really witty and current. It's about a very very VERY rich family that is suddenly deprived of their fortune. They have to move to a small little town in the middle of nowhere and learn how to survive in the world of the typical American. Very funny. Very cute. 10/10.
If you're not into comedy so much, try out All American on Netflix, or Bosch on Amazon Prime. All American is a drama set in Los Angeles. It's inspired by the life of American football player, Spencer Paysinger. It's a sort of coming of age story in the setting of social injustice, high crime, and gang violence. It certainly struck a chord with me, and with everything that is going on right now with our own issues of prejudice, is a really good watch.
Bosch is a crime and murder mystery series. I personally LOVE murder mysteries and all their creepy realness. I don't think there's too much more that I can add other than to say, WATCH IT.
As for YouTube, there are very few YouTubers who I give my time to, but one of them happens to be my friend Kelsey. She just recently started a channel, called Kelsey Lue, where she talks about her Etsy, and where she does little tutorials of some of her favorite activities like pottery making and painting. She has some absolutely beautiful work that you can find in her videos and on her Etsy. And aside from being an incredible artist, she is just an amazing person and she inspires me so much everyday. Fun fact, her Youtube is what inspired me to start this blog! So thank you Kelsey!
Please check her out and support your fellow creatives during this time!
And her new video, posted today, features some of my music. You can watch it here.
And I will leave you with this message that she wrote to me the other day which is exactly what we all need to be doing during these hard times...
"I think right now, in the craziness of everything, the importance of supporting one another and creating is vital. It doesn't have to be anything crazy. You don't have to write a novel or create a masterpiece, but take time to create something everyday even if it's just a nice meal. Supporting and connecting with people and taking the time to, for example, look at their blog or share and offer help is really important. Just because we can't be around people, doesn't mean we can't keep building and growing our community. In fact, this is an amazing time to do just that."