I forgot how to write for second!
Anyways, I wrote this article a month ago and sat on it this whole time, so I guess you can read it now,
I doubt there is anyone out there who is a stranger to the concept of a slump. Whether it be a writing slump, a reading slump, a fitness slump, a skincare slump, a social slump, or another slump entirely, we all know that feeling of suddenly finding yourself unable to do something you actually enjoy doing.
It’s fucking weird. And it’s really annoying too.
Now, I’ve experienced about every single kind of slump there is, often a bunch of them at once. For instance, I am a voracious reader. But in the same way I’ve had months where I read eight or so books, I’ve also had months where I read half a novel. I don’t think a day has passed in the last 15 years where there wasn’t a book I was “currently reading,” but there have definitely been days I didn’t pick said book up.
I think writing kind of operates the same way. My brain is always writing, whether it’s texting my thoughts to my friends or piecing together concepts in my mind, I’m always playing with words in some way or another. But that doesn’t mean I always put those words to page, so to speak. And I guess getting dressed is the same too. I’m always physically wearing clothes. But recently, there have been days where I break my cardinal rule and just throw on a shirt with some jeans and walk out the door.
I think Blueberry Milk Nails were the beginning of the end. Because seriously, I just googled Blueberry Milk Nails to find the original article to link for you guys and found like seven completely un-ironic articles about how you need need need light blue nails this summer!!!!!! because TikTok!!!! And the sources range from Vogue, to Glamour, to Hypebae. And like oh my god guys, I literally brought a bottle of Bikini So Teeny by Essie to sleepaway camp with me in 2013.
My final straw was Cinnamon Cookie Butter Hair. And if you don’t like that source I just linked, you can read this one. Or this one. Or this one. Or even this one. And if you still don’t get it, here’s another. And one more for good luck.
And no hate to the people writing these articles, they’re just doing what the news cycle calls for. But Jesus Christ! This is the news cycle? Where oh where is the point of view? What happened to us?
I’m literally so bored. Don’t get me wrong, tons of individuals are constantly putting out interesting work and ideas. And, on a personal level, I lose three hours to a good TikTok scroll every night just like the next girl. But I’ve just been feeling like I don’t have anything to talk about because I don’t want to talk about Cinnamon fucking Cookie Butter Hair and Strawberry Makeup and Glazed Donut Nails.
And like that’s insane, because I’m me, and I always have so much to say about literally everything. And by god have I been thinking about things lately.
So here we are. Me, manually forcing myself out of a writing slump. You, reading it. And I know this is primarily a fashion/culture blog but really, before all else, it’s my blog. It’s a me blog. And I get to talk about all the things that I find interesting right now. So, here’s a list of what I’ve been thinking and talking about this past month since you last heard from me:
Sarah J. Maas books.
Literally you guys, I read Throne of Glass when I was 13 and it altered my brain chemistry. I owned this cover thats currently selling for $450 on Ebay! A Court of Thrones and Roses? I was a freshman in high school! And I’m not saying all of this in a, “You’re wearing a Guns and Roses t-shirt? Name five songs,” type of way. I’m saying it in a, “watching something you have loved since you were in middle school (which most of your friends kind of thought you were a weird nerd for) become a mainstream cultural phenomena when you are 23 is a fascinating experience” kind of way. Like, I was 13 and ranting to my mom about Aelin Ashryver Galathynius and Manon Blackbeak in the car, and she was literally sitting there with her eyes glazed over begging me to stop. And now? She knows who the author is by name. I mean, my TikTok feed in 2023 currently resembles my Tumblr feed from 2016 almost exactly. Like that’s weird!
It’s cool and it’s exciting, but it’s also a weird feeling when something you’ve held close for so long becomes held close by so many other people. I don’t think I really know how to sit with it. Beyond like, harassing my SJM groupchat(!) with my thoughts and theories all day everyday.
Florence + The Machine.
For lack of a better word, Florence Welch is Mother. Have you ever read the lyrics to one of her songs? Me personally? I read the lyrics to every song I’ve ever enjoyed and analyze them as if I have a book report due. Don’t worry if you’re not that type of person, I’ll insert some lyrics from “King” here for you here:
But a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape
Just when you think you have it figured out
Something new begins to take
What strange claws are these scratching at my skin?
I never knew my killer would be coming from within
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am kingFlorence just gets it.
Animated “Children’s” Shows.
So, my younger brother can rejoice because I’m finally making my way through Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Yes, that is the animated children’s show. My friends will know, if there is one thing I’m going to do, it is watch a children’s cartoon and eat that shit up. I’m going to analyze every five man band archetype and fall in love with every villain with a heart of gold. It’s just what I do.
Seriously, during its renaissance a couple summers ago, Avatar the Last Airbender became a core tenant of my personality. And now that they are adapting it into live action I’m kind of annoyed? The show is right there! We don’t need to just make it again in a different visual medium.
I don’t really get this concept of adapting everything into live action (I mean beyond the profit factor). I see the value in some of them. I’m all for adapting Disney Princess fairytales for today’s kids and adding important elements of diversity and inclusion that are more reflective of today’s social environment. Those animated films are adaptations of centuries old stories to begin with. That’s the tradition of storytelling and folktales and allegories and all of that jazz, the maintain relevance because they change over time. But like, I don’t need the Girlbossification of Snow White, and I don’t need Avatar the Last Airbender again but with hot guys. I love animation because every inch of every frame is entirely intentional. Someone drew or digitally designed every inch of that space ship and every color in that fire-bending flame. There’s something really magical about that.
I guess, what I’m really saying with all this is that the only thing that has been able to draw me out of this slump is thoughts of intentionality. I was getting bogged down with article after article that seemed to have no compelling thoughts behind them beyond getting clicks. But an interconnected series of novels set in fantasy worlds with their own mythology that was entirely crafted from one person’s mind? I mean, that’s fucking intention.