Kumusta everyone !
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| She is winning the “I Have Not Blogged For Centuries” War … I am truly and positively back ! We up ! |
| Hey guys ! |
I am so happy to be back ! I have been recuperated with a great blogging spirit, I am feeling really positive.
It is good to be back, semi-blogging at a regular pace now, I have always wanted to put effort into my passions. Sustained, genuine, true effort. I know all of these adjectives are just arbitrary, motivational jargon - but let’s cross our pinkies in a "pinkie promise" from across the screen. I am “real” about writing.
Even if my writings are sporadic haha, I am talking as if I am in some music mock-umentary ? Let me just be “serious” and by “serious” I mean relaxed. I am going to let myself talk like a 17 year old blogger, let’s start rambling !
It is funny because on my sidebar I have "Jede Woche neu !!" in bright letters, but I do not post something new every week ... yet !
Sorry ... I have been such a flaky lady, ugh!!
How has everyone been doing, have you been doing good, bad, stressed, sad ? Whatever you may be feeling, I hope you have a productive weekend, a sound weekend. Everyone deserves to totally soak up the flaming British sun !
Eh, I know on occasion a “different me” would like to refute such claim. It is absolutely boiling over here, and in no way is it particularly tolerable nor kind. Sweaty forehead, thighs, feet - and I would not forget the nape of the neck. Perhaps an overly precise element of the body to pick out, surely all of my body is burning up into the abyss ? But no, the nape of my neck in particular - always feels so hot !
For my loving friends who do not live in England, it t is extremely humid and warm over here, it was definitely warmer last week though. If I survived last week, I can survive the next. I have hard around the grapevine though, that England could potentially hit temperatures of 40 degrees this summer ... again. Why ?! I always lackadaisically mention this fact, but Britain is not meant to get this hot ! Definitely something to do with global warming methinks, although I am certainly no expert.
My blogs have followed this similar, sporadic, bric-a-brac format. I ramble upon my current inspirations with no particular focus nor cohesion, it seems. I have never been one for orderly artistic material ! Organised chaos is how I would define it all. Today we will be exploring some recent trips, influences activities, flashbacks and artwork in that particular order.
Before we get into the “meat” of this blog, I would first like to do a bit of "admin work" shall we say ? Here is some information about the direction this blog is heading in, in terms of format, content, and aims.
1. I have updated my blogger profile, for the first time since I was 15 or maybe even 14. I am 17 now, just to preface ( eek, it is not really a preface because I said it afterwards, whoops ). I used to update the profile picture regularly, but the description of my profile always remained the same. Now my profile is more indicative of my own tastes and interests, it was necessary pour moi to make this change. I like using capital letters nowadays, It is not really "me" anymore to type exclusively in lowercase, I feel my snappy, Decora-ridden, youthful way of speech do not encompass the full spectrum of my passion and practices anymore.
( Random update : In between the foregoing paragraph and the next, I went downstairs to help my mum carry the groceries into the house. I was genuinely pumping iron not to sound stupid but I felt bench - except instead of dumbbells I was carrying a plastic bag with two milk cartons in it and 15 free-range eggs, Lidl's finest - upon various other groceries. Bodybuilding has always been my passion ... just kidding. )
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Ha ha ha. Get it Terminator ? Because Arnold Schwarzenegger was a body builder ? So cheesy … I just wanted an excuse to use this Terminator GIF, if I am being wholly truthful. |
Perhaps I have gotten more boring, perhaps I have grown more minimalistic. I fully refute that claim actually ... hold on wait no, that is completely false ! In all ways I have just grown into a more "organic", personal sub-section of Decora, which I would happily nestle my head into and live with.
But I have definitely gotten more maximalistic and elaborate in all facets of my artistic life, I assure you more is more. You can never have enough ... debate me. To be honest you can definitely have way too much, you could be a billionaire ...
This is my new profile picture ( in a high resolution because if you attempt to click on my Blogger profile picture via physically kicking the picture it has the quality of a 2009 lost media ARG ), it is an edit of a photo I posted on my story.
I simply placed a white vignette around the original photo. I think it works. Wow, so subversive Cyd - your face is not in your profile picture, wow ! So mysterious and elusive.
You know, sometimes I make myself cringe when I analyse the amount of attention I place on my presence on the web. Is changing my profile picture really necessary ? I hate the "is it really that deep" train of thought ... but is there any gravity to any form of digital self-portraiture / curation ?
I would never want to overestimate my own importance at all ! That is a commonly told piece of advice for artists - never self-aggrandise ! But part of me sometimes fantasises about how my blog could be received in 1000 years ? It is quite naive to believe cyberspace will still accommodate my janky blog in the next millennia.
The most salient propositions for the reason for art always emphasise a personal catharsis. If you enjoy your work, I am sure other people shall enjoy it too. Even in 1000 years when the robots overhaul Web 2.0, or Web 3.0, whichever one we are "officially" on ...
Anyways let me move on to "Point Number Two" before I start rambling on about net art. I am going to save the net art talk for later, I think that would be of interest to people !
2. I have made adjustments to the format of my blog, mostly trying to add more of my own work ( and a few loving artworks of my friends ) onto the sidebar. You might have noticed a few more photos have been added ! My blog is about 34.7% realised in the grand scheme of things - it is not NEARLY as prolific nor as intricate as I desire.
But in the midst of schoolwork, making physical artworks and various other projects I plan to pursue - blogging has taken a bit of a back foot, as I articulated in the preceding post and earlier in this blog post, respectively. I am slowly attacking this blog, and progress shall ensue. How shall this "progress" shall manifest ?
I have a few ideas. But for now I should not get so "ahead of myself" I should focus on one thing at a time : I think an atrociously long sidebar which could give the Great Wall of China a run for its money in terms of length is an achievable goal for the short-term let me focus on that.
( Well done Cyd for not taking a whole decade to get on to point no.3 )
3. I am planning to make more focused blog posts. In all earnestness, all of my blog posts tend to be a spasmodic, saturated hodge-podge. This is okay of course, but I want to start mixing it up ! I am currently writing up a blog post which will show outfits which I would wear throughout the week ! I want to make this into a series too, the "Outfit Diaries" so to speak ! Personally, I would be really content if I made more focused, curated and intricate blog posts. I want to take a ton of photos - I want to put in the work for everyone ! Ah, how amazing it is that everyone has the ability to improve their craft, everyone has the chance to become better !
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Not my own photo but rather a random image of a Spar sign, off of the internet. |
Here are a few photos detailing some key events in our day. I think these pictures mainly cover everything, except for the long coach rides which, hm on the ride home, I almost felt semi-nauseous of.
Do not down a milkshake and then board a coach, eurgh my stomach felt like a Masonna song. Oh, we also took a quick trip to a corner shop and McDonald's - I did not purchase anything if I remember correctly, I did remember me and Tanjipa commenting on the slightly hefty price for one hash brown on the breakfast menu though.
You might have seen the majority of these photos on Instagram already :
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Foam call ! Me and Inezzy look really sweet here. I am sure she is a lucky charm, as well as a loving friend. I like how I look in every photo I have with Inez. Most likely because she is very gorgeous herself - she exudes radiance, definitely so. |
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Hehe … definitely rinsed these photographs on Instagram. May as well have them on the blog ! For a temporary period of time, thought about quitting Instagram altogether and switching to permanently being a blogger. That idea can be put on hold. |
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Free face paint was offered on the Hull Uni campus, I simply let the fave painter do whatever they please. I like giving people that creative freedom. The lady made a lovely flower pattern in the middle of my arm, and she also complimented my outfit for the day. She was very beautiful herself. |
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Inez is genuinely so beautiful. All of my friends are beautiful ! |
I believe one of the unabashed highlights of our day was visiting a lecture about chocolate, which extended to commentary on how supply-chains work and then resulted in a chocolate-making workshop where we learnt how to make ganache with simply melted chocolate and water. Apparently, making ganache with water, compared to the traditional way of making ganache with cream, is much more advantageous and practical. All I know is that it did taste the same.
Here is some photos of our expert "chocolate making-skills" ( there has to be a more articulate way of phrasing that ). Truth be told, three of us only piped the ganache and decorated our chocolates. Tanjipa made our ganache for us as she volunteered to aid in the demonstration. She did a fantastic job as all of our chocolates tasted sublime. Inez's hand is in the photo in spirit, I promise.
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Everyones’ chocolates was expertly decorated I must say. Finally, a photo with Ben Guang in it ! |
Here is Tanjipa doing the demonstration, doing a fantastic job with the spoon I must say :
It really was a fantastic day, we boarded the bus to Hull at about 8:30 and got home at around 5:00PM. I slept soundly that night, and thus a new day was upon me.
Another shout-out to Inezzy, we hung out with one another on Saturday - I was extremely happy to see her. Pitta bread and tuna is really the stuff of gourmet restaurants. We rested in my garden in a slap-happy, carefree money, legs dangling off a sofa. The forecast was kind yesterday, so we went on a walk as we engaged in trivial chatter.
I often lock myself in the comforts of my own home, trying to buckle myself down with as many tasks as humanly possible. We all need to remember to spend time with the people we love, we must all tend to our emotional needs and responsibilities as friends.
Roaming around and engaging with nature reminded me of a trip I took with my family to Robin Hood's Bay, that clear sky had such a particular emotion to it ; half-contemplative, half-joyful.
It has dawned upon me as of recently how sedentary my work can often be, sitting on my bum spending ages editing photos, or formatting blogs.
Who would have thought going outside would be so crucial ? Now that makes me sound properly terminally online, can a lady not observe nature in peace hm !
I had a proper "Coy university student pursuing a BFA in the Fine Arts" outfit on that trip. It’s that corduroy jacket and those "boot-cut" ( more like floor-cut ) jeans. I look a bit "hipness purgatory" in these photos.
It is so nice to reminisce on old memories with a positive lens, I really enjoyed the weather here. I believe this was in February ?
I remember being obsessed with Jarvis Cocker's work as a documentarian at this point, I remember writing about him on my blog. His work with outsider artists was fantastic. Got me through a lot of sleepless nights in fact.
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Snooze ! Sleep ! Flutter ! |
My outfits can really fluctuate in their complexity, it is not often I go simple ( like in the images from Robin Hoods Bay ) but when it is necessary or more practical to do so, I will. If I want to I will opt for something a lot more impractical, something which is very intricate.
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Everyone dresses for their circumstance. In the preceding photo is my perception of a simplistic outfit. The beauty of nature far outshines any regalia I could ever adopt, look at the kind formation of the rocks on Robin Hood’s Bay. How reliable and speckled they are … |
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Ah, the coveted “skiyodu” Instagram profile picture. Once again, uploaded to this blog in a higher resolution as a little treat, so to speak. As your Instagram profile picture is a meagre little circle which prohibits people from seeing any comprehensible amount of detail on the app. |
I wore a rather intricate hairstyle yesterday, in fact my profile picture which I displayed earlier, was taken yesterday - go figure.
I have quite a knack for "eclectic" braided hairstyles so to speak, they are minimal effort and they are not hard to do, but the decorations make them look properly fancy and meticulous. Here are a few examples :
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The default Instagram filters work in the context of the look. I hope my hair is visible in this photo. A slightly tangled, braided mess … |
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This time no safety pins jammed through my braids, although this looks rather complex as well. I range between 4 to 8 braids on average, depending on the width of said plaits. I really liked this outfit it made me happy … I felt like a stylish grandma from Chinatown, with the clashing colours and stripes. |
Styling your hair can really elevate a look. When I started committing myself to properly posting in Decora, I was 14 and I had a blunt fringe and my hair was cropped to just slip past my shoulders. Think Edna Mode if she forget to get a trim.
I found this rather restrictive in fact, I could not properly do plaits and I also had a hime cut at the time so my plaits would always look super thin. My hair looked nice, but it was not versatile and I only had two options which looked somewhat clean : pigtails and having my hair down.
I suppose this is why I am hesitant to cut my hair nowadays I do not want to be limited in terms of my hairstyle options.
Plaits ? I would like them !
I love this photo of me and Inez so much, we truly look cheeky. I try to minimise the amount of photos I take nowadays, I used to have 20,000 and now I have 3,000. Even so, I cannot resist a dual selfie …
Ponytails ? Yes please !
Does this technically count as a ponytail ? Part of my hair is in a “ponytail” but I suppose it is more of a half-up-half-down sort of deal.
Twin buns ? Absolutely !
This photo has got a proper default Instagram filter quality to it. Oh well, blogs are made for scratchy photos and spontaneous selfies …
A combination of frankly everything and anything that goes ? Count me in !
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This hairstyle was quite eccentric. Those little antennas were made by placing two medium-sized plaits inside a claw clip, the antennas are a result of loose hair sticking up outside of the clamp. The rest of my hair is braided haphazardly. |
I try to practise and maintain self-control in many areas of my life, hair is not one of them. I will gladly do anything with it, anything I please.
I like perusing the web on occasion for hair inspiration. A lot of people have recommended for me to get coloured extensions or for me to colour my hair, I am open to everything. As long as my hair stays relatively lengthy.
When I think of crazy hair I think of Death Rockers or New Romantics, in terms of the West and I think of "Shamate" in terms of the East. I always see Instagram Reels where people mock the Shamate style, I personally love it haha.
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S M A R T |
One of my favourite British bands, aesthetically speaking are no strangers to outlandish hair. Do you like Rubella Ballet ? I certainly do. They are described as a Gothic Anarcho-Punk band, they formed in 1979 I believe and disbanded in the early 90's.
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The animated GIFs you can find under the “Gothic” tag make me laugh, they really are a product of time. Almost bordering on Petrarch-level clichés haha. |
They really amped up the colour to a hundredfold, they were not relegated to a black uniform. Their sound is indicative of the time - quite prototypical British post-punk and Gothic, but their visuals really had an impact on me when I was younger. I am not exactly an 80's lady myself, nor am I particularly a Goth ( quite the opposite ) but I admire the members' styles strongly.
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Love this dress, the triangular sections of red form a flattering shape. Of course, the hair remains the centre-of-attention, it really is its own work of art … |
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My favourite image of the main members of Rubella Ballet. They look absolutely and utterly phenomenal. I am positive Robots in Disguise took inspiration from them. |
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Love this scratchy, comical style Rubella ballet would fashion their promotional material with. Very DIY, very anarcho-punk as they lovingly were indeed, anarcho-punk. |
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Love how graphic the designs were for Rubella Ballet’s projects. I really love this high-contrast print, the geometry of the members’ looks aided in these strong, stark imprints and silhouettes. That must be my favourite word for this blog - silhouettes. |
They are still performing today, and they are so fun. I wonder how the Electro-clash scene in the early 2000's perceived Rubella Ballet and whether or not they had significant influence on the stylings of the aforementioned 80's revival movement. Electro-clash screams Rubella Ballet ! As the tacky teen phrase goes "Rubella Ballet walked so Electro-clash could run", ya know ?
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Robots in Disguise have my mid-2000’s Electro-clash heart. |
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Absolutely incredible, they are a true product of their time - musically and fashionably. |
I should do a blog post where I try various sub styles I have been dying to try just for a day, and evaluating if I could work them into the unofficial fashionable "Skidoo" canon. Need to revive my Electro-clash gear ( and my Nu-Rave gear oh my gosh ) and try out a Rubella Ballet-esque garb.
Look at me planning ahead ... what an organised girl.
On occasion, I tend to get so morose and down-trodden at the fact that I will never be able to participate in ever subculture which has ever existed in the world since the beginning of time. It is a similar phenomenon to musical grief, or whatever it is that you call it : the FOMO you get from the fact you will never be able to listen to every song in the world.
Although, I have found a nifty coping mechanism for this subcultural FOMO. Revisiting artworks made about subcultures which I have prior knowledge of, and remembering why I found them so initially captivating.
I am sure most people have seen this short documentary, it got really famous :
Stefan Ruiz uses outdated language once just to preface ...
I have always had a fascination with Cholombiano culture, but this subculture is consistently surrounded with an influx of Western photography and cultural mysticism.
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Had to paste the Colombian flag upon mentioning Cholombianos ! |
It is important to see all sides of counterculture and this article is really well-written, I would totally check it out if I were you ! It also briefly touches on the movie "I’m No Longer Here" which depicts Cholombiano culture in a movie format. It is still available on Netflix !
Now, I am not a Cholombiano myself, I really like Cumbia music ( Spotify playlist for Cumbia music is being curated as I speak ) however I think the subculture is absolutely fascinating. Stefan Ruiz is noted to have documented Cholombiano fashion in extensive detail in his photography, which is what the documentary ... documents ( a bit redundant ).
His photos are simply sublime, and everyone looks fantastic in them. Let me show you some of his shots :
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I am interested in this Cholombiano’s use of text in their fashion. I assume … might be a wild guess here, that he might be called Diego ? I would love a similar accessory, which says “CYD” or “SKIYODU”, if I feel like shamelessly plugging my name on virtually ever social media. It is interesting the emphasis we place on self identification and their relevant semantics. Why is wearing your own name so powerful ? Perhaps I am “deeping it harder”, so to speak. |
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 Love the combination of the religious motifs, and the white belt with a star buckle, adorable ! |
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Intricate hairstyles take time, I wonder how long some Cholombianos took to find their signature hairstyle ? |
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There is something very sentimental to participating in subculture on occasion, I have always made it a priority to not dramatise subculture nor trivialise it. It exists in this great in-between of ritual and good fun. I find it hard to not get passionate about such things. As if there is anything wrong with being passionate … |
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The silhouette of the clothing, and the proportions of each item in ratio to the other, makes the Cholombiano style stand out. Everything is extremely baggy generally, particularly for male Cholombianos. Baggy with a capital “B”. |
Cholombianos used to be portrayed in the media as consistently aggressive or intimidating and violent, it makes me sad. I partly feel as if this assumption was racially motivated and partly an attack on youth culture in general. The culture seemed fairly peaceful, youthful and fun. Cholombiano culture has said to have died out now, with only a few loyal followers. I hope they are doing well.
I know Amanda Watkins created a famous book on Cholombiano culture, I have yet to view it. It has over 100+ images displaying the intricacies of the subculture through her own photography. Were Cholombianos a popular subject during the early 2000's ? It is like every hip photographer had photos of Cholombianos under their belt. Reminds me of how circa 2013-2014 everyone just hopped on the bandwagon of photographing Japanese teens again. You see that with subcultures, they obtain this synthesised notoriety and exposure for a period of time, and then they migrate once again to a niche circle.
If you desire to learn more about how to achieve the supposed "Cholombiano look" this article is a good starting point. it also touches on Amanda Watkins' work with Cholombianos and her respective photography.
I think Cholombiano style is really cool, and Cumbia music is good in my books. The colour schemes of their outfits as well as the silhouettes are particularly inspiring. These comically oversized necklaces and overblown patterns certainly tickle my fancy :
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Heavily inspired by the oversized religious iconography that Cholombianos don - whether that is through their apparel or their choice in jewellery. I think it is very high fashion. |
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These guys have taken the adjective “baggy” to its ultimate extremity. The patterns which the Cholombiano dons on the right are particularly inspiring. Graphic, oversized prints ought to be utilised in a more innovative manner, not a fan of just seeing predominantly oversized stripes or polka dots. No hate to Strawberry Switchblade, they are great … |
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The most adorable outfit from a lady in the Cholombiano scene ! I love her gelled bangs and her play-suit. The colour scheme is extremely satisfying as well, the pinks blend wonderfully with the whites. Ugh and the accents of blue, yes ! |
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The neckwear that Cholombianos have adopted are particularly inspiring. Love the scale of their neckwear and the intricate details. Large up Watkins for getting photos of ladies within the Cholombiano scene too, those are not as common as male portraits. |
Style is truly such a humorous thing to me. Oftentimes people tend to approach me with this stoic sense of seriousness when we talk about fashion, I do not take offence to this of course. I do not take offence to many things. People often ask,
"How long does it take you to get dressed, hours ?"
45 minutes to an hour and a half on a normal day - including makeup . Give me three hours for a full sculptural, conceptualised, Decora look.
"It must be hard to style things Cyd !"
I wish I was a bit more meticulous with what I choose to wear. But, truth be told, I literally slap things on, throw jewellery across my body. Everything is strewn together off of sheer feeling, hence why nothing matches. This is not a "eurgh I am such a sensitive artist I just totally go off the vibes" spiel, absolutely not haha. Quite the opposite !
I say no to overthinking your look, and you should reject pretension ! Wear what feels personal, and what feels nurtured and comfortable. I have lived with all my clothes for a prolonged period of time, I think this aids in my comfortability with just combining ... whatever. I believe I have a subconscious eye for colourful cohesion, or at least I would like to believe this.
Hush hush, Skidoo, save this for the next blog.
There are some things you can withhold for a temporary amount of time, you know the things which you can prolong and say "in a minute dear" to. But ... there are a select, few things which must be addressed right here, right now. In the present moment !
Droopy ...
Right, I enjoy some slapstick comedies and a few 90's American cartoons, but I was never too invested in the "Golden Age of American animation", so tell me why an anthropomorphic Bassett-hound is so strangely satisfying to look at ?
Okay, yeah that sounds vaguely creepy. But Droopy is extremely cute, and makes for some amazing Blingee collages and pin badges. Of course, it goes without mentioning, the cartoon is fairly entertaining too - it acts as good, passive background material whilst I blog or paint or sew.
Droopy is so cute ! Eurgh, I always get randomly obsessed over these small sub-sections of pedigree-related media. I am a dog person, but I am very particular with the type of dogs I like, in tandem with my opinionated, strong-willed Decora self. Droopy fits my criteria for dogs I find cute, and yes I know he is animated but it does not matter. He is literally so so so real to me.
He has this perfect balance of discontentment and cuteness, which almost reads as weariness. Such a grand spectrum of emotions one cartoonish dog could display !
Upon nearing the conclusion of this blog, I realise that I often have a hard time finding titles for any of my posts. Probably because the subjects that entail my blog posts are so haphazardly disconnected haha. I might just name this one something obvious and dry. I will just list everything I have spoken about in the post in the title - totally bric-a-brac.
Ahhh ... one last thing before I leave.
I think, correct me if I am wrong, I expressed in an early blog how I do not listen to music whilst I blog. This has stayed relatively true. Although, in a seemingly oxymoronic fashion - it has been really nice listening to noise music and breakcore whilst I work on the blog ?
I do not think this is particularly unique or that peculiar though, I know for a lot of my friends noise music can be extremely therapeutic. If anyone has recommendations for me in terms of noise music, I would be elated to listen to what you are consuming !
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Masonna, my beloved noise musician. Why is this the only properly “HD” photo of them on the internet ? We really could not get anymore in a decent resolution ? |
Just to note, this project, composed of various artists' works, has potentially my favourite cover art of all time for a CD, If I were to be reincarnated I would hope to look like this sketchy bunny. DJ Floorclearer is also part of this compilation, a total positive.
I really enjoy a lot of the work which comes out of "Wrong Music Label" it is certainly vulgar, but equally visceral and thought-provoking. I enjoy this combination, and the cover art for their projects makes me extremely happy too. Of course.
Speaking of sleep, I am going to try and get an early night tonight and by an "early night" I would like to finish all of my online work soon so that I can rest up for school tomorrow and brainstorm other ideas for future blog posts. Might examine the entirety of the Lightning Bolt discography before I go to sleep too hmm ... the night is still young !
Thank you to everyone who got to the end of the blog post ! Even if you read a small bit, I am so very appreciative. I hope everyone had a blessed Tuesday, and may your Wednesday be brilliant as well ! I am getting back into the pace of blogging, it feels so rewarding to be back. Skidoo is alive and breathing !
Goodbye for now everyone, lots of love !
