Welcome to 2024. The new year is always ripe with promises of hope and new beginnings. It promises us that no matter the hurdles or struggles of past years, we can always try again.
A tradition I started last year was the ‘best of the month’ list. I made a list at the end of every month, of my favourite movies, music (or albums) I listened to, and books or literary journals I had read. As the months progressed, the list expanded to include favourite art/artist(s), favourite YouTuber(s), favourite Twitter(X) accounts, etc. It was a quick and fun way to look back and see some of the things I lent my time to or things I enjoyed.
Half way into 2023, I thought about turning my lists into blog posts and sharing some of the things I was enjoying or being inspired by, but it was too far along into the year so I decided to shelve the idea until the new year. Here are some of my favourites of January:
My greatest joy about this book’s discovery is that I got to know about it from YouTube. Kariza is a YouTuber who up until this year I never knew about. A few of her videos had been recommended to me by my algorithm and I never viewed any. Then one evening, I happened on this video in which the YouTuber talked about the charm and aesthetic appeal of Kariza’s videos and what made her channel resonate with a lot of viewers. After the video, I went back to my earliest recommendation and viewed it, that’s how I discovered the book The War of Art.
The War of Art talks about how as an artist or creative person, you are in a never ending battle with an invisible enemy called Resistance, which seek to prevent you from attaining your full creative potential. I like that the author defines anything that stands between you and your creative work or potential as Resistance. However, where I drew the line and where most of people’s criticism of the book came from, was in the chapter ‘Resistance and Self-medication’ where the author wrote “Attention Deficit Disorder, Seasonal Affect Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder. These aren’t diseases, they’re marketing ploys. Doctors didn’t discover them, copywriters did. Marketing departments did. Drug companies did”. There are other polarizing opinions in the book that may sometimes put off the reader but once you’re able to get past them, there are troves of wisdom to be discovered in the book.
Some might remember him as the rapping Indian guy on Katie’s Mathletthe team from the movie Mean Girls. I didn’t instantly remember until I Googled him. Like so many of the YouTube channels I’ve come to discover, Rajiv Surendra was suggested by my algorithm. After reading his biography, I grew a deeper respect for him as an artist and as a person. And if you ever binge through his videos, you’d come to find that he’s a bundle of talents wrapped in one person. Watching his videos have inspired and challenged me to have more practical hobbies.
CON-SCIO is a African literary magazine published by Words, Rhymes and Rhythm LLC. I discovered the magazine around late 2022 and have loved reading them since. CON-SCIO ISSUE 3 VOL. 1 (migration issue) has a rich collection of poems, short stories and essays along with some visual arts and is a pleasureable read.
There’s poetry in the way this story is told that draws the reader in and makes it such a delight to read and come back to again. Soursop tells the story of a boy who is born without the ability to speak. It’s published in CON-SCIO ISSUE 3 VOL. 1 (migration issue).
Toni Braxton is a living legend who’s sang since the 80s. Over her career she has belted rich sultry, and soulful RnB hits and unforgettable ballads. Even though her voice has been considered a low female singing voice and she’s easily left out of musical conversations, Toni is a very technical vocal singer. The video explains how she uses vocal techniques like breathiness, growls and vocal fry to convey emotions through her singing and give it the signature ‘Toni sound’. By the end of the video you will have a renewed respect and admiration for her as an artist and person, and you’ll come off more educated on how artists use their voices.
LareWrites 