Music

Music is one of the categories of media that I frequently forget about. Even though I listen to music every day, multiple times a day, I don't think about its influence on me as often as other types of media. This week I had a couple of experiences that made me consider how music influences my life. 

First, I went to the gym this week. Like most people, whenever I workout I like to listen to music. When I go running I need really upbeat, pump up songs. The faster the music the faster I can run. I don't know why but it really helps me go. However, when I choose the fast, upbeat music it tends to be rap/pop/hip-hop music that contains explicit language and unwholesome messages. When I went to the gym this week, I had an internal struggle because I need fast music to help me run but I didn't want to listen to crappy music. I ended up listening to some music a little different than my usual. It wasn't as fast and motivating, but it also didn't leave me feeling like I needed to wash my ears out. 

Second, I got to go to the Q&A with Colbie Caillat! She is an amazing artist that creates music that is happy and cheerful. I will never forget my middle school self jamming to Bubbly. I am grateful for artists like her that create music that uplift and share goodness. It was really neat to hear her talk about her journey as an artist and why she chose to write certain songs. When she spoke about her song Try, she explained that she had been struggling with self-worth. She said that in the industry she is constantly being told she needs to be a certain way to be popular and successful. It was cool to hear her explain that the most important thing is to be your genuine self. 

Music is awesome and can have such a huge influence on us even when we don't realize it, so it is important to be aware of what type of music we have in our lives.