I used to like pop music but it doesn’t do much for me anymore. I used to watch every MTV Awards ceremony. In a way, it felt relevant. It no longer does.
It’s curious how taste evolves and changes. The things we like are directly influenced by our circumstances and inner states.
At a certain point, we may need some kind of empty entertainment. Other times, we may seek to read or watch content that makes us learn something new. We may, at a particular time in our lives, prefer to go out and dance to commercial hip-hop songs versus staying at home listening to jazz. We may need both scenarios too.
But I’ve found that after experiencing profound changes in life, the things we like change as well.
I recently visited a few art museums and I’ve found that contemporary art, mostly conceptual video art, doesn’t get to me. I simply can’t stand it and I don’t even make an effort to understand it anymore because it makes no sense.
I’m both perplexed and glad to witness the impermanence of taste. In a way, it forces me to stare at the long road of that growth and evolution.
What used to be relevant, no longer is. What used to be pleasurable, no longer is. There’s space for new things, or old things seen through a different lens.
Photo: Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, “Wilkinkarra” (Lake Mackay), 2020