Midway through the fall semester of my junior year of college, I’ve found myself living more independently than ever. A weird experience, might I add, but a rather profound one that has contributed to a period of self-discovery. My favorite moments of being on my own simply involve putting my AirPods in and taking the metro to run an errand. Right now, if you are reading this article, find a day when you have nothing important to take care of and leave your living space with your music on shuffle to explore the environment around you.
I’m a frequent fan of going on walks, especially at night (This is probably not the smartest idea). On these walks, my music is on shuffle and my mind wanders, pondering my life and the world around me. In my honest opinion, it feels nice to listen to music with only yourself involved. I created a playlist this past summer that is just songs that I’ve discovered over the course of time. I then go do something by myself with this playlist on repeat, allowing the environment to morph through the lens of a song.
Recently, I’ve been obsessed with this unreleased PinkPantheress song, “All Pretend”. I discovered it while waiting for the train at King Street-Old Town Station, and it ended up encapsulating the entire train ride back to my apartment. Lyrics of an impending ultimatum became the soundtrack of my venture back from Alexandria, inciting immense introspection. Honestly, it was such a chill moment hearing the music play while looking out the window and seeing the leaves rustle while the metro sped by. You may be thinking already, “Why am I advocating for this?”
The further I progress into my college experience, the more I have faced an increasing reality of being self-sufficient. At first, this reality was odd to acknowledge. I’ve always had a friend with me at any moment of the day, my whole life, and now here I am buying groceries by myself or going to an art museum alone. It truly is a daunting feeling to be alone. Yet it doesn’t have to be. Playing music helps saturate the world around me.
A mundane experience like taking the bus or withdrawing money from the ATM can be transformed into a memorable experience when you attach a song to a moment. Some of my favorite songs have these memories attached to them that, once I press play, my mind immediately flashes back to the moment and feeling. World-building your life may sound weird, but life can feel cinematic from doing so. For example, yesterday I took the initiative to finally shoot the remainder of this one roll of film I’ve had sitting in my camera. Half of it was shot at the Alexandria Halloween Parade, yet I needed to utilize the remaining unused film to develop the roll. I ended up taking my camera, along with my AirPods, to the Glover Park Community Garden. I put my playlist on shuffle, “Vivid Light” by Blood Orange played while I traversed through the labyrinth of the community garden with the sunset and leaves fluttering in the air occurring in the background. A memory of shooting a roll of film became this vivid moment now associated with a Blood Orange song. For those still reading, create memories with your music.
Adulting and figuring it out solo can be a daunting experience, but it doesn’t have to be entirely. Find the little opportunities to create an experience to your liking. Doing so brightens the world around you. For me? Music has been the key aid to handling the trials and tribulations of living on my own.
So put those AirPods on, take the metro, and press shuffle. See what moment you end up creating for yourself to look back upon.