I continuously notice when I’m going through a big period of change, because many of the things I surround myself with change alongside. I start listening to different music. I find myself really enjoying a different form of exercise. I have a great conversation with someone I’ve not spoken to in months (maybe years) or with someone I literally just met. Even the colors that appeal to me change. It all slides and swirls in to place until a new image is reflected back at me.
When I was feeling adrift and with no real vigor behind my passions in New Zealand, I found myself reaching out for grounding things. The music that comforted me then, I no longer own. It feels alien to me now that I would ever have known it, let alone enjoyed it. The color of this blog back then was white, with tiny restrained blue flower buds.
This weekend I went to see Federico Aubele live. Federico is actually one of my few constants, and the proof is on my iTunes, where pretty much all of his songs are listened to more than any others. I have felt his music in my whole body from the very first day I came across it. He was fantastic live, but I didn’t expect any less, given I listen to recordings of his live performances frequently. He left the stage and I wanted more, more, more! But then, as you’d guess by now, I could have listened to him all night non-stop, until he fell off his stool.
By virtue of seeing Federico, I also got to see Melody Gardot. I already had Melody’s music on my iPod and I had put a few of her songs in my on-the-go playlist recently. Last night though, she blew me away and opened another path in my mind. This is one very talented artist, and the musicians who were playing with her were outstanding. They were playing to the very beat of my life here in London. The jazz was big and loud, flirty and fun. And the whole stage was a box of talent so intense that even when laying in bed afterward I had trouble going to sleep. I was so inspired.
You may wonder where I’ve been all this time, but until she made references on stage about pain, I had no idea of her story. When I googled her today, I read that she has just two suitcases of possessions in this world. This really resonated with me. I have daydreams of what freedom looks and feels like that flicker across my eyes when I stare absentmindedly out of train windows. I flicked Andy an email this morning saying “How about it?”… I don’t think we’ll ever get our possessions down quite that low (I have to own my own hair dryer for one, not being able to rely on a stylist to have one handy) but even with all the clearing out we’ve done for the past year, consistently wiping off layer after layer of stuff, it seems we are both inspired to clear away yet more. Preparing another canvas to decorate and design, morphing into our next experience.
