Power of the Playlist

 I love a good playlist. And I have one for everything. Whether I'm reading, working out or at a shoot, I have a dedicated playlist for it.

WORKING OUT

By far my favorite playlist to make and remake is my workout playlist. Working out is something I take seriously (when I'm actually doing it), and the only way for me to get in and remain in the headspace necessary for me to forget literally everything else going on in my life and even around me in the gym, is music. I use my workout playlist when I'm strength training. That's when I need the motivation to dig a little deeper. But I'm pretty particular about the music I train to. I don't listen to slow jams or songs crooning about lost love. For me, gym time is the time to release any frustration, anger, pain, and confusion. I leave it all on the treadmill and free weights, or at least that's the goal. A huge help in making that happen is the music that amplifies those feelings. Up tempo, loud bass and a great hook. The other holy trinity.

READING + WRITING

When I'm reading or writing, the last thing I need is lyrics. One of my earliest school memories is of my teacher making us free write for 10 minutes, and every time, she'd turn on Classical music. It was like a light would switch on, and the words would come. Classical music allows me to tune out everything; it automatically relaxes me and puts me in a state of flow where I can think clearer, order my thoughts, and...write, basically. Even as I type this, I'm listening to this playlist.

EDITING

Editing is SO much fun for me, and I pair that with a mix of songs that makes me happy and keeps me focused. I treat this mix like background music, in that it's more so about the tempo than the song itself (though I do love them).

SHOOTING

When I'm shooting, I want to have music that helps the model have fun. I want different songs to convey different feelings. There's songs to make the model feel happy, sexy, silly, and always confident. Genuine expressions are my bread and butter, so I do what I can to bring those feelings out.

I try to keep my playlists updated so it doesn't become completely normal for me. I change it up once per month. Sometimes I'll add one song. Sometimes I overhaul the sucker completely. The thing I love so much about my playlists is that they cross multiple genres, decades, and races . There's something about a crazy techno beat followed by one of my favorite trap songs. I swear it makes me feel 10x stronger in the gym. Classical music will keep the thoughts flowing forever, probably. R&B, Pop and Rap keep me positive and focused.

What kinds of playlists do you have? What do you listen to when you're working out, reading or at work? What songs should I add or subtract from my playlists?  Tell me below in the comments!

Talk to you soon.