unexpectedly comforting videos: beach and seashells

[elisem]

Sometimes I like working in silence, and other times, I like having some sort of audio thing going on. There's probably a whole series of essays that would be needed to explain this hard-of-hearing person's complicated relationship with audio, but today is not the day for that. Today I just came here to say that lately I've been putting on videos of this beach lover who finds seashells, and it's really nice to have them on. I find them quite soothing, in similar ways to how I find woodworking videos can be soothing.

Do you have something of the sort, as far as video/audio goes?

Comments

[kaffy_r]

Since I'm not hard of hearing, it would be wrong to say I understand, but it does seem to be a reasonable thing to me. I remember reading about Evelyn Glennie, the profoundly deaf Scottish percussionist, who feels the music vibrations through her feet, although it's not quite the same thing, I suppose.

I definitely do have music that I find makes me a lot more productive. I love jazz, and I love the pianist Bill Evans, so I'll sometimes put him on. Some of Miles Davis's stuff is good that way, but a lot of other jazz I love I can't listen to while I'm writing, because the music demands your attention.

The music that does work for me (and I know that Bob doesn't quite roll his eyes, but it's definitely not his cup of tea), is ambient, and especially low-fi music. It's just interesting enough that I don't scream at the boredom, but background enough that it soothes me, and somehow gets my brain going.

[heavenscalyx]

I have the MyNoise app on my phone and also make use of their website, and I go through and concoct whatever mix feels good at the time for work-work or shiny-making or kitchen chores or whatever. I’m struggling with music these days, and MyNoise is just changeable enough to soothe.

My wife and I have started watching a bunch of youtube channels that do travel around Japan videos. no voices, just walking around looking at sakura, or taking trains or ferries different places. We just cuddle up and watch and it’s lovely.

[tournevis]

Not hard of hearing but not quite neurotypical, so yeah, sound. It honestly depends on the day. Some days, I do need silence and alone-ness. Most days, though, I need something to concentrate against. That can be the bustle of a public place (café, cliché), a talking podcast or some music. Nothing too atypical. A particularly difficult creative task might require a specific type of music that forces flow. Usually those are songs that drone, with heavy repetitive rhythms and most often sung by a barytone. I have a playlist. Worst case scenario, I put on Cover Me with Flowers by David Sylvian on repeat and plow through for two hours or more. It works, but it will have emotional consequences. I'm going to be emotionally drained for a while after a session like that. Works though!