Things That Have Moved Me

Most days, I am emotional to a fault. I feel a lot of feelings, and although that means that I spend a disproportionate amount of time trying not to cry in public, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's inconvenient; I won't argue with that. However, it breeds empathy and sure does make for good art. With that being said, here are some sublime works of art that have moved me and have made me feel feelings that are difficult to articulate into words. Regardless of my lack of eloquence, I can only implore you to feel for yourself. These works are well worth checking out, I promise!

WARM GLOW - HIPPO CAMPUS

If you've ever wondered what sunset is like in the form of a song, it would definitely be this. This band has definitely soundtracked a large chunk of my 2017, in the best way possible, and I'm stoked to be seeing them play at Imperial tomorrow. It would be a vast understatement to say that I'm looking forward to finally hearing this song live after having listened to it so much this past while.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN

I never really pegged myself as a 'loves musicals' kind of person, so I was pretty much blindsided by my love for this production. I had tears in my eyes from start to finish but it's difficult to explain why. I've heard musings before about so many others praising Dear Evan Hansen and it never really registered into my radar completely. I had brushed it off thinking it wasn't for me and boy was that a mistake. For weeks and even months after, I have not stopped listening to and thinking about the songs. They're relatable, comforting, and beautifully composed, and I know understand what the hype was all about.

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

I'm pretty horrible at describing genres -- be it regarding music, books, or films, I struggle with boiling down the essential elements of a work of art into a single cohesive category. A lot of people would label this film as indie, but somehow that label has lost all meaning in my books. Does indie simply mean that it's not a blockbuster -- that the budget doesn't have as many commas? Or does it mean that it has a slight tinge to the color-grading of the film paired with an obscure soundtrack? Hard to say, at this point. 

Regardless of the classification, I know what this movie made me feel. I cried (a lot) watching this, and unexpectedly, I laughed a lot too. There's an intimate humor laced into the sullen, morose aspect of the "dying girl" that manages to make everything so balanced and bittersweet. Not to mention that the cinematography and the artistic direction was ace through and through. If you feel like braving the topic of life and death in the form of a poignant yet uplifting narrative, then check this out.

WILD EMBERS - NIKITA GILL

Sure there have been a rise of modern poets as of late. Thanks to Tumblr and Instagram, your average human with a penchant for word play can post serif-fonted poetry and prose for all to see. I'm not bashing on this subculture by any means. I know myself that my own poetry lacks quality and depth -- really I just write to bleed. What I do find aggravating though is that this ease of sharing and posting has made it difficult to unearth great writers. I can appreciate and relate to a lot of what I see on my newsfeeds and dashboards, but it takes a certain kind of special to make me cling to your words with knuckles that turn white while my eyes fog up and I feel for a split second that I have just had the wind knocked out of me.

Nikita Gill's words have had that effect on me. In fact, almost every single poem in this book thus far has given me a semblance of those feelings. Normally, I devour poetry books in one sitting. With this one though, I have had to will myself to stop every few pages and resume on other days so that I can relish and digest each body of work. I'm barely even a quarter through, and I've had this book for months. I don't want it to end, but I also don't want to rush through and dismiss the profoundness of the words before they even register. So I'm taking my time. Meanwhile, I already have her other collection, "Your Soul Is A River" stacked on the shelf by my bed on standby.

BYE BYE BY ADRIAN BLISS

Without fail, I am always excited when I see that Adrian has a new project. This one, in my opinion, is his best one yet. Bye Bye by Adrian Bliss is a parody of YouTube culture (not unlike his prior works) that manages to convey depth and carry weight when you least expect it (also not unlike his prior works). The theme for this series was essentially the concept of "new year, new me." As always, I started watching with the expectation of being entertained. I knew it was going to be witty and intentionally facetious. As always however, the supposition of lightheartedness only led me to be blindsided by the deep contemplative moments that left tears in my eyes by the final installment. 

That pretty much sums up the first round of 'Things That Have Moved Me.' I'm sure there'll be plenty more to add on to this list in the future, so stay tuned.

Stay gold,

Kimberly