More often than not, the path towards our dreams and goals is far from linear. The roadmap changes with us and we change with the world, especially if we’re dedicated to growing, to evolving, to wanting more, to always keeping ourselves updated and building better versions of ourselves.
“Got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul” (Guaranteed, Eddie Vedder)
Blending thoughts, tangent potential pathways, confusion, daily pep talks, self-questioning, endless lists of wishes, dreams, realities, pros and cons, a state of unfriendly stillness and creative anxiety… and the constant inner reassurance that it’s all part of the journey.
This new edition of LAUREL Monthly Soundlust taps into the meaning of Crossroads, seen in the larger scheme of things, where we find ourselves on two (or more) roads at once, having to choose between the safe and the unknown, facing the ever-changing state of life and honoring our perpetual quest for a purposeful living.
Roadmaps and course corrections
Caught into a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, lately I have found myself at crossroads from a zillion points of view, where Reason and Heart would constantly quarrel, where they’d debate the livelihood of the present and the future. It felt almost surreal to participate, at times, as a silent spectator to this whole theatrical.
It’s no wonder that it took me more than usual to put together this edition of the Monthly Soundlust. With all that noise, with Easter events only recently done and gone and a post-holiday work week crazy full, allowing myself to hit pause on everything around me and think about all the big questions and all the variables, in honor of what came to be May’s Soundlust theme, was not an easy task.
Nevertheless, I have finally been able to return to my nook of creation and summon all my muses and my fairies to gift me with a drop of inspiration and a breath of creative flow, so here we are.
Mixed paths, mixed sounds, one journey
You know, I don’t want to take this idea of crossroads too lightly. Not necessarily because I love debating life concepts and ideas through these monthly musical materials, but because it’s the scratch one can see at the surface of a deep dive into the uncomfortable, into the becoming, into the building of a life worth living, that I’m sure many of you have found yourselves in at some point down the road.
Yes, there’s a playlist at the end of these paragraphs, with songs that might inspire or that might suggest various facets of a decision making or creative process. But it’s also important to have this conversation about the struggles we experience in our journeys and, while at it, I hope you find a good soundtrack for your own story.
Speaking of the playlist, let me tell you, it’s a pretty diversified set of sounds: from Aurora’s ethereal, otherworldly voice and singing style, to Eddie Vedder’s acoustics from Into the Wild coming as an open invitation to explore the unknown, passing through folk and indie sounds that seem natural to such exploratory rides.
No doubt, the lyrical world and the stories shared in this music collection come from a mix of miscellaneous genres, including blues, indie pop, folk, alternative pop-rock, just like we can all come together from different parts of life at a certain moment, in a certain intersection of paths.
“Street walkers, small talkers
When we should be daydreamers
And moonwalkers and dream talkers” (Daydreamer, AURORA)
Without further ado, I will leave you in the company of fellow explorers and life wanderers, of stories and sounds to bring you a tiny piece of comfort and inspiration. Enjoy!
