Beauty as a "symptom of life"
Along with being a blossoming floral designer, I am a writer actively conjuring my deep interiority onto the page. Lately, this practice has taken many different forms of devotion. One of the other ways I tend to my love of language, & the themes that rattle in my mind, is through music.
I am a playlist devotee & take it very seriously. As Robyn Brooks, played by Zoë Kravitz, said in the 2020 Hulu series High Fidelity “making a playlist is a delicate art.” Willow’s new song, “symptom of life” comes from a playlist centered on the theme of walking, wandering, & wondering.
Within the Rooted Vernacular Studio (RVS) Mission of Intent, I talk about the importance of beauty through a Black Feminist lens. Beauty, rooted in Black Feminist Thought, is an important pillar of RVS and our floral arrangements.
While it is a fact that beauty is a birthright, it is also a fact that we will experience suffering. While it is true that flowers will bloom, it is also true that they will wilt, wither, & die…just as we will. I am painfully learning how to continuously hold these things simultaneously. I’m constantly being asked to grieve & have hope in the fact that something else is taking root.
“I’m terrified at the moral apathy, the death of the heart, which is happening in my country.” — James Baldwin
So, I hope you view this music video & let the language of the song crack open your heart. When the music video dropped, Willow posted the following message via Instagram post.
“This visual is for all the beautiful people who have ever gone into nature with their friends & been guided to a deeper understanding of life together through plant medicine 🌱🌞 I hope this song and visual can bring catharsis to anyone who experiences them 🙏🏾”
Thank you so much for taking some time to interact with these words. As mentioned in our previous post, “Love’s Trumpet,” Rooted Vernacular Studio is preparing to open our books/intake form for floral arrangements. Be sure to subscribe to this substack publication to be the first to have access to the form & get fresh blooms in your hands 🧡.
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