The shifting of seasons is one of my favorite experiences. Springtime is when everything becomes green and new life is all around, the world around us is shaking off the feelings of hibernation and stretching up to the endless sky. It's when all of the elements blend into synchronicity, infusing us with wild new energy and purpose. All the seeds planted long ago begin to sprout, even the ones you may have forgotten about.

At the end of March, I traveled up to Chicago for a 2-day family affair, the Bassnectar Spring Gathering. Traveling always brings me new perspective and rich experiences. But, there was a message during the show that resonated with me very deeply. It was an excerpt from the Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast. Check it out below - it's worth every second.

This speech nails it. It's such a brilliant perspective, and the metaphor of spring perfectly reflected my soul and countless other bass heads. I get chills every time I relive that moment. But the part that left me dead in my tracks was the line that goes "you'll meet someone new, and realize that it's possible to fall in love again." It was as if everything I've been experiencing at the end of my winter was coming full circle. I recently fell for someone who's soul mirrors my own, and we traveled to work the show in Chicago together. We've both been in such disbelief at how real everything feels, and how undeniable our feelings are - even if we were both scared to explore them. But that 'glimmer of hope' was staring at us, and we knew. This is real. The birth of something incredible. And, the cherry on top of this speech was the backtracking of Bassnectar's remix of a Glitch Mob track called "Beauty of the Unhidden Heart." It was no coincidence that Brandon and I's relationship blossomed the morning their new album was announced, when we discovered we were both mega Glitch Mob fans. That level of serendipity is becoming more and more frequent ever since our souls met. I recapped more about Chicago in the Instagram below:

Back to the sprouting of seeds, I fully believe that in order for new cycles to emerge there must be some sort of maintenance beforehand. We need to declutter and let go of past habits. Resurface your neglected interests, give your hobbies a rebirth. For instance; yesterday I noticed a trail of ants in my room. At first I was annoyed and looked at it as a nuisance. And while I pretty much had to tear apart my room to get to the source, they led right to my arts and crafts box under my bed. Once I cleaned up the stickiness they had found, I realized I hadn't opened my craft box in a veryyyyy long time. So, I spent the next hour cleaning it out, inventorying my supplies, and becoming inspired by all of the things I had the tools to create. All of the seeds I needed to create new and beautiful things had been planted under my nose for months - yet the timing hadn't worked out for me to make anything of them. Well, that little seed I forgot I had planted has now sprouted out of the ground, invigorating me with the drive to create, and I'm now grateful for those ants leading me to a passion I once enjoyed but had forgotten. 

I noticed this pattern about myself and I wonder if any of you also find yourself in this situation. I tend to gather, gather, gather... research more information, collect more supplies and resources, keeping notes of random thoughts and ideas for reference, storing things for later use like a squirrel collecting food for the winter. I got a laugh out of it actually, realizing my odd behavior (it also reminded me of this great blog about Underpants Gnomes). 

But to get back to the point, now is the time to uncover your acorns. Now is when you decide which ones are worth acting on and which ones just became clutter. It's okay to let go of past ideas + projects, don't see it as a failure. Instead look at it as maximizing your energy. If you're anything like me, you have to prioritize your wild ideas and hone in on the ones that will be the most beneficial. What have you been pondering? What have you put off or felt uninspired about? Have there been signs leading you somewhere - such as the ants leading me to my passion for crafting? Remind yourself of the breadcrumbs you left in the past, of the thoughts and ideas you wanted to revisit, of the hobbies you put on the back burner. Take advantage of the longer days, and the sun's extended energy. Just MAKE something or DO something or PUBLISH something - ironically the situation also motivated me to create a blog post for the first time in 3 months. Oh how I have so many unpublished thoughts. I plan to comb through them and do a little spring cleaning of my own mind. After all, I need to make room for the new and exciting things I have ahead of me. Including a book that I have already begun writing - to be published later this year! That's the goal at least. The more people I tell, the more accountable I'll be to make it happen.

I'll leave you with this; don't hesitate. Let all of your hesitations, procrastination reflexes, and paralyzing anxiety or thoughts wash out of you. That was winter talking; spring is the time to emerge and make moves. And, if you need a soundtrack for your season, check out my RENEWAL playlist on Spotify!

​Much love and endless gratitude, 

The long awaited return of the Glitch Mob has come to reality. This was the first single released off their upcoming album See Without Eyes (out May 4th!). The first drop is everything you could ever want from a GM song, deep penetrating bass with the overlayers of ethereal synthy magic. This track takes you on a journey. This song found me at a turning point in my life, a time that I allowed myself to surrender to a new love that I was scared to fall into. But hearing this song for the first time, the morning after we shared our first kiss, all of the hesitation went out the window as we asked ourselves "How could this be wrong?" 

The lyrics in this song are so empowering. "Gotta hold on, gonna make it through this time." It's got to be one of the best songs for anyone going through a difficult time. It inspires so much hope and it's just one of those songs that makes you believe that better days are ahead, that it's okay to admit you're a bit broken. But you have to keep moving in order to get to a better place in the future. Aside from that, it has all of the classic Odesza-esque loops and synths which makes it such a beautiful track.

I am absolutely digging everything about Minnesota's new EP Curio. This song is one of the thicker tracks on this mix but it offers a nice contrast from all the bubbly tracks. It just layers on so heavy, and keeps building throughout. Not to mention the funky blips and beeps make you feel like you're exploring the catacombs of the pyramid level in Mario Bros 3. I'm super stoked to catch Minnesota throwing down next week at Digital Gardens! His shows always throw down, and I'm dying to hear this new new live.

I've known this song since it came out in 2014, but I never truly listened to it until this year. It was dropped at the Spring Gathering, making for one of the heaviest beauty banger moments of the weekend. The lyrics (sung by Simon Morel) are highly uplifting, and the message I take from it is not to be afraid to open up to the people around you. I've spent the better part of my young adulthood insistent on handling things on my own. But by being open to help others and be helped by them in return, you allow space for collaboration and new inspiration to spark; ammunition to be loaded so to speak. And, while I haven't been one for love songs until recently, I now find a whole new meaning to the lyric "you're my ammunition" - because finding someone that feeds your passion and supports you is rare and I for one feel unstoppable because of it.

There are almost 50 tracks on this playlist, and I could talk about all of them but instead I'll let you explore the mix for yourself. I hope it brings you breaths of fresh musical air and inspires you to keep moving no matter what. Enjoy!