You are my sunshine...

I have a love-hate relationship with clichés. I love them because they always hold some kind of truth. You will have to wonder why some things are being experienced and said over and over again. It can only be because so many people feel the same thing.

But clichés can also really piss me off. And it is when they are just fired off as the final proof of something, without further thought or consideration. It is so lazy to just fire off a cliché, bordering the ignorant. And I have a bad habit of turning clichés upside down, just out of interest, just to explore. And it can make me really annoying to work with.

For instance, when I worked in interior design, then I would hear this quote over and over again: "white walls makes rooms bigger". And I would actually challenge my colleagues to measure up a room that was white, then paint it a different colour and measure it again. Annoying, I know! But I developed at set of rules for interiors purposes, of where to add colour or wallpaper, in order to make the rooms look even bigger than with white walls, and it worked (thumb rule: add colour to walls that frame the complete layout of a flat/ house/ shop/ space (so no internal walls that separate rooms inside the space), and preferably walls that has no windows or doors. And on those walls, you can go really bold). But before I get too nerdy, then let me explain why…

I like my mind to be challenged. I like my mind to feel provoked. I like to see something that pushes my sense of perception. It tickles the old punk in me and reminds me of my youth, and wakes me from the sleepy state of being middle-aged. And I am grateful for whoever will do that to me. 

Like this interpretation of 'You are my sunshine'. It may not tinkle my peace or help me dwell, but it is performed with such craftsmanship, intelligence and personality that it makes me want to roar. And that is the very juice of life for me! You can see it here for yourself:

-and of course then I can't roar all the time. And sometimes, well most of the time, then I like to hang on my sofa, with candle lights, the sweet smell of incense and a romcom recommended to me by Netflix… I have always been a sucker for diversity too…