Curating playlists can be both fun and therapeutic. There’s nothing quite like listening to a song and immediately finding it associates perfectly with a theme or vibe that’s special to you. Having playlists on hand for travelling on the go, hard days, fostering creativity, concentrating, and celebrations can be great ways to lift your mood and get inspired. If you’re thinking of giving your playlists some revamping here are 12 ideas that could get you started!
- seasonal
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These are great ones to come back to annually and keep adding to every year! This can really help to embrace the seasons, especially if you find some harder than others. It lets you get excited for upcoming changes and commemorate them through music. For example, you could make a Spring playlist with uplifting songs to mirror the sun coming out, and help you through the difficulty of exam season!
- annual
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I like to start a new playlist for each year as I find it interesting to see how what I listen to has changed! I find that I often get bored of past songs if I listen to them too much, so doing this is like a fresh start. I like how it lets me add music of any genre so I don’t get too caught up by making the perfect playlist and I can just embrace finding new music. As the years pass, it can also act as a nostalgic playlist, reminiscing on times you used to listen to each song, and the stage of life you were in.
- Favourites
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Combining all of your favourite songs and artists into one playlist will help you find your feel good tunes with ease, and no more skipping over songs! It’s your ultimate feel-good playlist, and can be used in so many ways, like doubling as your high energy in the morning when you wake up, or fuelling you through a long day on campus.
- studying
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These can be really helpful – as long as you don’t make them too distracting! I recommend instrumental music or soundtracks for this as you’re less likely to get distracted by music with no words. There are so many incredible movie and film soundtracks out there! My study playlist is nearing 15 hours long and has CARRIED me through many deadline seasons!
- high energy
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Fill this playlist with plenty of high energy songs that you can listen to whenever you’re in need! This can be different to your feel good playlist as the focus is really to get the energy flowing – it’s a great place to build a playlist of music that might differ from your daily tunes!
- peaceful
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Fill this playlist with music that helps you calm down and unwind, and feel more at one with yourself. This playlist is ideal for self-care nights after a busy day or week, or slow Sunday’s when you’re re-setting for the upcoming week.
- inspirational
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This is perfect for a creative hobby or passion you have, as it can range from accompanying anything, from painting to running! A great place to start is music that you link to or feel inspired by, and this feeling differs person to person, perhaps you want something to help you escape your daily responsibilities to really help you concentrate, or something to help you with keeping your pace!
- upcoming concerts or trips
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You can make this before or after a trip, to anticipate or recreate a certain feeling or energy. The beauty in this playlist lies in its open interpretation! It can full of songs from your favourite artist or festival, their setlist so you can relive the moment, or songs that you listened to while away. This is perfect for looking forward to events outside of the usual holidays, and can be a good way to change up what you’re listening to if your usual playlists have started to feel a bit repetitive.
- collaborative
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Making playlists with your friends is a great way to mix up your soundtracks, and they’re so much fun to make! You can make them in anticipation of an event, like a holiday (if it ever leaves the group chat), or pres for parties! If you want to surprise a housemate for their birthday, this might be the best way to incorporate they’re favourite songs!
- nostalgia
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Make this a playlist dedicated to your favourite songs from the past. Think of it as a time capsule of your most cherished moments or feelings and evoke those memories through music!
- an oddly specific vibe
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This can really be anything you want -for the vibe of a certain book, show, film, character, or media genre – the possibilities really are endless! It can be so special to capture stories you love, and even better to share with friends who hold the same interests! This can also be great for immersion; you could use it whilst reading and even add to it for sequels. To get the ball rolling you could start by creating a general one for things from the same genre and build a playlist title or aesthetic to romanticise your life to.
- the soundtrack of your life
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This is a really interesting way of getting to know yourself and what you like, and dislike, when it comes to music. Think of songs with lyrics that you might resonate with, or that represent different stages of your life. The beauty of this playlist is that it doesn’t have to be consistent with one genre of music, it can be as chaotic and messy as you see fit best.