October favorites! Books, TV, and music~ (Patreon)

Hope you've all been well! Hoo boy do I have a lot of favs this months so I'll just get right into it.

Books:

-Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert: I know this is required reading in some schools, but I never got the chance. I started reading it because I was itching to turn some pages and I couldn't say no to the possibility of a female protagonist. I've found myself relating to Madame Bovary quite a bit and it makes me uncomfortable, but that's what I appreciate about this book. Without spoiling anything, it takes confusing human emotions such as longing/loneliness/contempt and turns it into something tangible and easier to process. By drawing a comparison between  myself and MB, I realize how silly and extreme her reactions are thereby helping me acknowledge and let go of emotions that would otherwise be keeping me down.

-RENDR sketchbook flat lay: I've been using this product all throughout October for my Inktober sketches and it is fantastic. I talked about it in my previous post regarding my Inktober materials, so I won't go into much detail here. But it's a great sketchbook for markers and I highly recommend it!

TV:

-Gilmore Girls: I've recently started rewatching GG to get me through art packaging sessions and it's seriously the perfect show for fall. It's a slice-of-life show filled with drama set in the picturesque town of Stars Hollow Connecticut, home to many quirky and lovable characters. The mother-daughter duo who run the show are filled to the brim with wit, pop culture references, and a bond so strong and sweet it always makes me smile. If you're looking for something to watch that will put you in a good mood, this is the way to go. 

Music:

-Flume: I know electronic music is practically ubiquitous at this point, but Flume has a fresh take on this well-worn genre. He regularly collabs with singers to bring his instrumentals to life, but his compositions stand on their own. His music is clean and punctuated with bits of tonal texture that elevate his sound from the dull heaps of thudding bass and mindless loops of general electro. A couple of my favorite songs are Take a Chance and his remix of Sam Smith's Lay Me Down . 

-Radiohead: It's funny, I've tried so many times in the past to listen to Radiohead and have always stopped after one song in because I got bored. I listened to their new song Daydream this week and almost started crying. It's slow, but it's by no means boring. If anything, it's overflowing with emotion in the most subdued possible manner. I don't know how they do it, really. It's beautifully melancholy stuff. 

Random:

-Inktober: I sincerely thought I would get one day into this challenge and willfully give up. It's been 15 days in and I'm still going strong, I believe I'm going to finish the challenge this year! It's been wonderful so far. I have my high and my low days, but overall it's helped me develop a strong work ethic and gotten me into the habit of drawing daily. Not only that, but it's given me the chance to explore traditional art, which is great since I spend the majority of my time making digital work. 

Hope you found something new to pick up or try from this list! Let me know in the comments what you've been enjoying  this month, I'd be keen to read about it! 

Till next time,

-Vicki