I mean it literally when I say I like to use music as a crutch. Most of the time I can’t do anything unless I have my earphones crammed into my ears. I listen to music to help me stay focused, inspire my imagination, to brighten my mood, and, occasionally, to also set the tone for the day or any activities I’m doing.

These days, one of my favourite activities to do is create my aesthetic music playlists. I like to think of them as modern-day mixtapes or records. More so, I like to make playlists that fit into some of my other hobbies, for example, blogging, journaling, studying, or writing.

Today, I thought it would be fun to share 3 different ways I make music playlists, while also sharing some neat ideas and prompts for playlists that you can make too.

SONGS OF THE MONTH

The key to making a great ‘songs of the month’ playlist I’ve found is to be open to new things. Explore new genres, artists, songs, and bands. Follow, not only your favourite artists but also people you love on social media who make playlists. Such as Youtubers, bloggers, and writers.

Check new songs and ‘discovery’ pages every day if you can. Find related artists to the ones you like. Set yourself a personal goal of listening to a new song, playlist, or album each day. I find ‘songs of the month’ playlists are the best when the songs are as diverse as possible.

Whenever I find a new song I like, I will either write it down in the notes app on my phone or I’ll write it down on a page in my journal. Then, I’ll turn that page full of song titles into a curated playlist on Spotify. This way, unstructured and diverse, the result is always something eclectic and unique; sometimes with high energetic pop beats followed by sombre piano or lo-fi tones.

AMBIENT & INSTRUMENTAL

When you watch a new movie or tv episode or if you play a video game (or simply watch the gameplay as I do), pay attention to the music playing in the background. The instrumental score and soundtracks that create tension, conflict, and emotion in the scenes playing out in front of you. Then, listen to the soundtracks online and pick out the song titles that resonated with you the most. From there, you can organise them into a range of other playlists.

It is best to have an aesthetic or concept in mind with these kinds of playlists. For example, meditative, classical, cozy, calming, just to name a few. You may pick out songs from “Harry Potter” or “Lord of The Rings” and turn it into a soundtrack for an epic fantasy adventure. Or, you might find classical pieces and turn them into a soundtrack for walking through museums. It all depends on what the song makes you feel.

One thing I like to do when I’m working on my creative writing is to compile songs together that remind me of the fictional world, situations, or characters that I’m writing about. I imagine the playlist itself to be the film score or background music to the story I am writing in my head and on the pages. Depending on the melody, a song can help me write specific scenes like travel scenes, fight scenes, or character conversations.

BOOKS, TV, & FILM

Curating music playlists for your favourite media is a major way for a fan to show their appreciation and love for it. In the same way that some fans will draw amazing artwork, or others will write engaging fanfiction. You can find a lot of fans and fandoms sharing music content on social media channels like Tumblr.

The easiest way to make your own fandom playlist is to search online by fictional character, world, or story. That way, you can pick out the songs you like from other peoples’ playlists to make your own. Another way is to return to your previous ‘songs of the month’ playlist and pick out songs from it that you think would fit into certain fandoms or media.

I like to keep in mind the tone, aesthetic, and often, the themes or motifs of the book, tv show, or film. A playlist inspired by “Harry Potter” will be very different compared to a playlist inspired by “The Avengers” even though they’re both adventure stories. I also like to mix instrumentals and vocals in these sorts of playlists, but that’s just my preference.