Our favorite films, TV shows and books can live forever. Oftentimes, our first encounter with a truly good piece of media can feel life-changing.
The first time we pressed play on the fan favorite “La La Land” or turned the first page on Ottessa Moshfegh’s, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” was the start to a newfound appreciation. There is also the chance that on first glance, these works aren’t immediately our favorite.
Patience is a Virtue
Maybe you watched “La La Land” on a plane, where the glare from your neighbor’s open window didn’t allow for a properly immersive experience. Maybe Moshfegh was an author recommended to you by an old friend, someone you lost touch with and who you couldn’t get out of your head as you turned each page.
In order to truly appreciate the beautiful art forms that are in front of us, we have to be willing to try. We have to put as much effort into consuming these pieces, as the artist did in creating them.
Perhaps “La La Land” becomes your favorite movie when you turn 25 because you’ve finally visited the underground jazz bar in Paris, and danced to the music with your favorite person. Maybe “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” didn’t resonate with you until you were given it on your 30th birthday, providing you with a new outlook to the end of your 20s. Various forms of media have the opportunity to be life-changing, but maybe you have to step away for a moment in order to truly appreciate what it can provide.
Don’t be Afraid to Look Back
Even if a work doesn’t speak to you on your first encounter with it, it’s important to keep the door ajar. Put it aside, move onto the next title from your “to be read” list, and forget about it until someone asks if you’ve ever heard of it.
Sometimes, a piece of media isn’t meant for us until a specific moment in our lives. Maybe watching “American Horror Story” during quarantine in high school wasn’t the best idea, but sitting on your couch in your college house with your closest friends, anticipating the next time Evan Peters will show up on your screen, is the way this media was intended for you.
Approaching dislikes as pauses instead of strict ends to your relationship with the work may be beneficial in the long run. That’s not to say that sometimes the most anticipated film of the year just isn’t good (I’m still too nervous to watch “Wuthering Heights”).
Reconsume! Reconsume! Reconsume!
Maybe reconsume isn’t a real word, but the feeling it portrays outlasts any need for a proper definition.
It’s okay to fall into routine, to read your favorite lines until your highlights and annotations distort the letters on the page. It’s also okay to try something new, to walk out of the movie theatre smelling like buttered popcorn and cherry Coke. Just remember, it is also important to look back at the book you got halfway through in high school, or the movie that your friend recommended to you but you never played.
Try something new, but don’t forget the old!
What’s one book you’re always going back to? Tag @VALLEYmag on Instagram and let us know!
