Currently: Life Appeal, John H. White, Room for Pleasant Surprise, and Songs That Feel Good With the Windows Half Down/Up (May 11th, 2026)
Currently is where I share some of what has me presently inspired. Welcome, thank you for being here, and enjoy. If you are mainly interested in what I'm listening to, thinking about, watching, visiting, etc. the TL;DR section at the bottom is for you. If you want some of my deeper thoughts on these things, scroll on.
Life Appeal
There are two words in "Uses of the Erotic" by Audre Lorde at least once a year and every time I do, there are two words that stick out to me: life appeal. This is not to say there aren't more parts of the article worth attention and annotation, but life appeal has stuck with me through the rereads. Lorde writes
"The principal horror of any system which defines the good in terms of profit rather than in terms of human need, or which defines human need to the exclusion of the psychic and emotional components of that need - the principal horror of such a system is that it robs our work of its erotic value, its erotic power and life appeal and fulfilment."
Before reading this article, I'd heard of different kinds of appeal (sex appeal and whip appeal, just to name a few), but never "life appeal." My first thought was, what is it and how do I get it?
After searching the etimologies of both "life" and "appeal," the definition I landed on is "the quality of life being attractive." There is more there. There is a clearer definition in my body. If you are a poet reading this...have at it and report back. I'll likely workshop it further, but I can feel the definition in my body more than I can articulate in my head. What I can share is that this definition inspires me to make my life something that appeals to me.
Now...Lorde was speaking of life appeal in the context of something that was stripped away from us due to the many systems that work to reduce us to dollars and output. She likely was speaking to life appeal (as the erotic and much more) being innately in us, and it's through the sterilization of our lives by way of capitalism that we are distanced from it. She likely would say that life appeal is not something to create, but rather to savor/protect/rediscover/sometimes grieve.
So when I revisit what I just wrote above, "inspires me to make my life something that appeals to me," it is powerful to center my agency in that AND worthwhile to remember that this attractive quality of life is in me and life itself* and what I'm really doing is going home to it. Life appeal is a useful framework and organizational tool for my brain as I tailor the rest of my life to myself.
*I speak life and its appeal, recognizing that life and living are two things that are not innate to everyone, and I honor that.
John H. White
A friend and I ventured (it doesn't matter where you are in L.A., the Getty feels like something you've got to venture to) to the Getty Museum this weekend for the Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985. I would highly recommend seeing this exhibit as there are a lot of photos and history there. Experiencing the medium of photography at that volume was special and at times even challenging, so go knowing that you might need a break or to go a couple of different times to experience the whole exhibit.
Later that night, I was clicking around doing one of my new favorite hobbies: digging for Black art in the public domain. I came across a collection on The Public Domain Review, "John H. White’s Photographs of Black Chicago for DOCUMERICA (1973–74)". After looking a little deeper, I realized one of White's photographs was featured in the exhibit at the Getty.
"BLACK MAN OPERATING A NEWSSTAND IN CHICAGO ON THE WEST SIDE THE CITY IS BELIEVED TO BE THE BLACK BUSINESS CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES. CENSUS FIGURES SHOW IN 1970 THERE WERE 8,747 BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES IN THE CITY THAT GROSSED MORE THAN $332 MILLION. BUT BLACK CAPITALISTS STILL HAVE MORE TROUBLE STAYING IN BUSINESS ONCE THEY BEGIN AND THE MAIN REASON REMAINS RACIAL PREJUDICE. LACK OF CAPITAL LACK OF BUSINESS EXPERTISE AND LACK OF SUPPORT FROM THE BLACK COMMUNITY ARE OTHER FACTORS"
White's photos remind me of the beauty of Black mundanity and the justice in saying something plainly.
Room for Pleasant Surprise
In a text message to one of my best friends, I said, "I want my life to have room for pleasant surprise," and that desire has stuck with me.
I reminisced with her about the days when we set out to get work done at a cafe, a simple enough task. We would finish that task and venture to a grocery store, from there we might get inspired to make a lavish dinner or decide to get snacks and go to a movie instead. After the day was done, we would look back on the day and revel in what felt like a pleasant surprise. The key to that desire was having the room to do so. Room in the day, in our minds, and in our bodies. What does my life look like when there is room?
Granted, back then we were full-time grad students/teaching associates with fewer resources, so maybe the limitations necessitated creativity in some regard, but this desire points me toward greater simplicity. Less scheduling, less grand plans, less "needing to make leaving the house worth it" and less intensity. More room for life to surprise me. Let's see what it takes to create room.
Songs That Feel Good With the Windows Half Down/Up
I'm not proud of this, but depending on where I'm driving, I prefer the cool air from the fan/AC in my car over having the windows down. I live right next to the 10 freeway, so windows up is often your best bet at securing some peace as you drive around. But gas prices are wild as hell so I've been driving with the windows down more often. Not all the way down but halfway to catch a breeze. As summer approaches, these are a few of the songs that have felt good on La Brea, Adams, and Crenshaw, old and new:
Crack the Code - Joyce Wrice
EOD - RM47
Wonder - Chenaydar
Running - Sparklmami
Crush - Zhané
Tl;DR
Photography and the Black Arts Movement at the Getty | John H. White Photography in the Public Domain Review
How to create a life that leaves room for pleasant surprise?
Songs have felt good with the windows down/up (see above)
Until next time.