Most people inherit their music taste from the adults in their life. Most of the music I listened to when I was a kid was either from my mom’s iPod classic, or the CDs I burnt myself. I used to collect quarters so I could buy songs on iTunes for a dollar each, and I’d stack the quarters on my mom’s desk as she burned the songs on a disc I’d take down to the player in the basement. My first ever playlist was a mishmash of Beyonce, Kids Bop, Hannah Montana, and Celtic Women. I also liked movie and theater soundtracks from Mama Mia, Tarzan, and Wicked.

Music was how I made stories before I started writing them down. Writing stuff down is hard, but playing out a story in my head with a soundtrack and all is easy! To me, listening to music in my basement or on car rides was just as exciting as going to the movie theater, because I could watch whatever story I wanted.

My music taste evolved as the music I inherited from my mom meshed with the identity I was forming in queer spaces. I now listen to a lot of artists like Hozier, Glass Animals, Mitski, and Will Wood. I like to organize playlists around whatever artistic projects I may be working on, especially my creative writing projects. Music keeps me motivated when I center the music I listen to around the projects I’m working on.

For me, music is very grounding. I have a lot of sensory issues related to sound; I’m very sensitive to too many noises at once, or noises that are particularly loud. Plugging in my earbuds and turning on one of my playlists helps a lot with this because it provides me with familiar sounds that I can control. This can also help me focus when I’m trying to work on something, as it takes me away from the noise of crowded areas and lessens distracting stimuli.

Comfort Image 4: Music