Bush Test Recommendations Week 2
The bush test is simple, you take out a piece of art and see if it still matters when out in the bush — In this case during self-isolation during Covid-19.
Welcome to the second instalment of the bush test, something to read over the Easter long weekend. I have decided to turn this into a weekly article until the world returns to some level of normalcy. Below I have the outline of the idea, keep reading or skip ahead if you read it last week.
Bush Test Recommendations Week 1
A couple of years back I came up with an idea, I named this test the bush test. The premise for this test is simple, you take out a piece of literature, music, art or anything creative and see if it still matters when out in the bush.
I ask myself three questions to decide if the creative piece passes the bush test. The first is, does the piece of writing feel like it matters? The second is, does it make me feel emotional when surrounded by nothing but nature and yourself? The third is, do you still find value in this while out in the bush?
I bring this idea up for two reasons, you all know the world has been struggling over the past few weeks, we are losing lives, losing jobs, and are isolated in our own homes — we are feeling melancholy, and just plain lost and I wanted to attempt to make something positive. The bush test feels applicable to many things we read and listen to during the Covid-19 crisis. There are books, and albums I just don’t feel hold up right now. Often, they just don’t feel like they matter within the current climate of the world during this crisis. I am not naming which do and don’t, that’s very much up for you to decide but I believe it’s an interesting conversation. I will be suggesting creative pieces I feel still matter during this pandemic. The best part is I do the test for you. Still back and enjoy.
Chamomile- Slowly Slowly:
I am starting this week with an album, partly because I am listening to it as I type and because it makes me feel emotions, I wasn’t aware I had. This was the first album release from the up and comers Slowly Slowly, dropped in 2016 with 8 tracks. The album has a mix of slow and fast sections– with the feel being of a slow summer day in the ocean and finding big fast waves when a set roar’s through. Ben Stewart an out of the box writer, lyricist and top-notch singer pulls at your heartstrings with the stories, lines and notes he hits on this album and every other album released to date (more on those albums another time.) The band feels like an underdog at the beginning of this album ‘Chamomile’ and by the time you hit the second track ‘Hey You’ you know they are not here to fuck around. By the final song ‘New York, Paris’ you are screaming for more, you won’t understand how they haven’t been in your life forever and I guarantee you won’t be letting them go anytime soon.
This is the album I listened to while writing my university assignments — in some indigent way, not sure I’d ever make something of myself. I still love this album for those moments. I love this album for what it represents. I love this album for everything it makes me feel both good and bad. I love this album for making me want to crowd into a room with my closest friends in the world and listen to Slowly Slowly play live. I love this album more than I could ever explain and to me that makes it special.
The War of Art- Steven Pressfield
I have read this book half a dozen times, mostly when I am stuck creatively. This short book by Steven Pressfield (168 pages) suggests different ways to overcome the resistance we have when creating. This book can be applied in different ways, but I suggest it for anyone feeling lost as I believe it will spark some raw emotions inside of you as it did me. This book has helped me be more vulnerable, more honest and more importantly stop avoiding the writing I want to be doing but often find excuses not to.
Shoe Dog- Phil Knight
If you need a memoir that makes you believe you can do absolutely anything with the right drive and big enough balls this one is it. This memoir by Phil Knight the creator of Nike is one wild ride-deciphering the creation of one of the world’s most famous companies Nike, but it wasn’t always that way. The reason I liked this book and feel it still matters (passing the bush test) is because it’s the origin story, not about Knight becoming famous–it’s how he went from selling shoes from the boot of his car when he was flat broke, having his back against a wall and still not backing down from a beyond ludicrous dream. There’s heart, there’s spirt and beyond all it’s a man who had a simple dream showing you it’s possible to chase your own.
“Giving up doesn’t mean stopping, don’t ever stop”-Phil Knight
