The Art Of Liking Things Again
Written By : Grace Weidenhamer
Somewhere between the endless to-do lists and social media scrolling, telling us what and who we should be, what our lives should look like, we forget to ask ourselves: Do I even like this? From how we decorate our homes to how we spend our free time, or even how we dress in the morning, it’s easy to mistake imitation for intention.
Think about this: if you striped everything from your bedroom and started with a blank canvas, how would you redecorate? No Pinterest board or social media for reference. Would you repurchase that artwork above your bed, or did you just buy it in the first place because you saw someone else have it? How often do we connect aesthetics with peace of mind? Our feeds bombard us with clean-girl morning routines and satisfying cleaning videos, making us relate having the cloud couch and a Dyson vacuum to having our lives together. Do we want to learn how to crochet, or do we think we need a “cozy grandma hobby” to feel joy again?
Are we simply purchasing things and creating behavior that imitates this “perfect social media presence” because we think it’s what we should be doing, or do we truly like the life we have cultivated? This leads me to the ultimate question: Do we actually know what we like?
More often than not, I am getting ready for work and want to wear a specific sweater. Instead of trying things on and building an outfit that I feel confident and comfortable in, I go to Pinterest. I consult my outfits board, trying to find an outfit with a similar sweater that I can replicate. The outfit may end up being trendy or aesthetically pleasing, and there’s no harm in looking into the world for a little bit of artistic inspiration, but I still don’t know if I love the outfit because I love the outfit, or if Pinterest told me I do.
Here’s how I’m combatting this.
Bring a journal with you when you leave the house. Sure, you can use your notes page on your phone, but there’s something concrete about physically writing things down. Be an observer in your life. Stare out the window at work, take a walk without your phone at lunchtime, go into a store you always walk by but never enter. When something sparks the thought, “I like this,” or, “this is so cute,” write it down. Later, when you’ve created distance from that thing and have space to think, write what you liked about it. Maybe you saw a pretty flower. What elements did you find fascinating or eye-catching? Maybe it was a pair of boots a coworker was wearing? Do you like them because you’ve seen them on your favorite influencer, or are there other qualities that you appreciate? Maybe it’s the deep brown color, the slope of the toe, or the shape of the heel. It’s all good information, Write it down.
Practicing this can help us be more intentional about what we choose to implement into our lives. It can help us be more mindful about the purchases we make, the activities we plan on the weekend, and even the people we surround ourselves with.
I think we’ll find that the more we pay attention to these thoughts, the more we will end up enjoying the things we have. My favorite piece of art in my home isn’t the Pinterest print I downloaded, but the painting I stumbled across from the thrift store. My favorite books aren’t the ones a random girl recommended on TikTok, but the ones I found browsing through the library. It’s exhausting trying to participate in every trend, keep our homes up to date with the latest style and purchase the “best Trader Joe’s seasonal finds”. If we know what we like, and aren’t swayed by comparison, we can spend more time truly enjoying the things that we...well, enjoy!