SPILT MILK Essentials Vol. 2

SPILT MILK Essentials Volume 2 is curated by my good friend, Steven Radojicic. I’ve known Steven for the better part of four years now and I can safely say he’s truly a unique person. Spontaneous. Funny. Compassionate. He’s been there for me through both the good times and the not-so-good times.

He considers himself a Seeker of the ‘Why,’ a Lover of the Arts, and overall a Pretty Good Guy. I’d have to agree with all of those titles. His taste in music is perhaps one of the most diverse out of all of my friends and he’s always introducing me to new tunes.

Here’s Steven’s thought process behind the playlist he curated:

”Words can be tough. I feel like my brain is often racing at a million miles an hour and it doesn’t want to slow down to turn my thoughts and feelings into text on a page. Enter music. Music is all about conveying emotion through other means. Sometimes that comes in the form of words or lyrics assembled in just the right way, but sometimes it doesn’t. The non-verbal components can tell a full story of their own that is understood by the listener. And the beauty of music is that that story doesn’t have to be universal. It’s yours. The songs you listened to after a tough break up probably aren’t the same ones I listened to, so we take those similar emotions and associate them with different songs. We all have our happy music, our sad music, and our music for every emotion in between. So, how do I craft a playlist for the absolute rollercoaster of emotions that 2020 has brought so far? I let it tell the story of my rollercoaster. 

You’ll find a little bit of everything in here - EDM, Jazz Fusion, R&B, Rap, etc. All things I listen to, but at different times emotionally. Some of the songs I’ve listened to while connected to virtual music festivals with my roommates. Others while I’m in bed alone with tears flowing... because guess what? A global pandemic that’s upended the way we live and taken the lives of people we know isn’t just some ‘spilt milk’... so it’s ok to cry (I know I have) and it’s ok to have really bad days (I know I have)... but we take it day by day and we focus on the things that matter most. And just like the songs that tell our story, the things that matter most to each of us will be different. Focus on those things and don’t worry about the little ones, the ‘spilt milk.’ 

I hope you enjoy the playlist and find something for one of your good days, or one of your bad days, or any of your days in between.”

- Steven

Special thanks to Steven again for throwing this together! Listen to his playlist now on Spotify; link below:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3hKsN9FkaZVTkIsRlEwK5v?si=rfujQpfDQNqxVXQO6PGYmQ

Follow Steven on Instagram @stevenradojicic

Follow SPILT MILK on Instagram @spiltmilk_clothing

Bored to Tears Part 1: Stay The Fuck Home

If you’re reading this right now, it’s probably from the comfort of your home. And if you’re like me, you’ve been practicing social distancing for the better part of a month now. I’ll admit, for the first week or so of “isolating” prior to the state-mandated shelter in place (currently writing this from Los Angeles, CA), I would still get together with small groups of friends. We wouldn’t meet anywhere in public, but we would still hang out at each other’s apartments or houses. 

But since the shelter-in-place order, I’ve been staying at home with family and have fully committed to keeping my social distance. Because of this, I’ve been physically isolated from friends and have to keep in touch using social media and video calls. Because of this, I have to have groceries delivered to my house. Because of this, I can’t hit the gym or play soccer, so I have to do bodyweight workouts in my room.

This has been incredibly difficult to deal with. My friends mean the world to me and, as a naturally-extroverted person, I have often found it challenging to keep myself happy and entertained. Not to mention the fact that I like to stay active and usually get out and about to keep busy. Perhaps it’s having more limited social interaction than usual. Or perhaps it’s simply being confined within the walls of my house. Maybe it’s a combination of both. Either way, I’ve found myself thinking the following far too often:

“I’M SO FUCKING BORED…”

Once again, if you’re reading this right now, you can probably relate. Staying at home can be boring at times (or most of the time, even). Being away from friends sucks. Realizing you can’t go anywhere is frustrating. This is all true, and you’d be right to think any of these things in the situation we’re currently living through. But you’re also very, very wrong in thinking these exact same things. Yes, you read both of those sentences correctly. So how can you be right and wrong while having these thoughts of boredom, sadness, anger, and frustration? 

PERSPECTIVE.

Just take a look at the second paragraph in this blog post. Essentially, I’m talking about the nature of my current situation and then complaining about every aspect of that same situation. Sure, nothing is ideal right now. But what do I really have to complain about? I love spending time with my family. I’m able to chat with my friends and stay up to date with everything they’re doing these days. I have plenty of food to cook meals with and eat snacks whenever I want. I have the time to workout five times every week. 

But it’s that one, small phrase that makes all the difference. Re-read that second paragraph I just talked about. You’ll notice I use the phrase “have to” in each of those complaints. As if I’m completely burdened by these unfavorable circumstances. I want you to try something now. Every time you see the phrase “have to” in that paragraph, replace it with the words “get to.” Go ahead, try it. That subtle swap in phrasing makes a huge difference. With a shift in perspective, you can change your attitude from complaining about how bad you think your situation is to realizing how privileged you really are. 

While staying home isn’t much of a choice if we want to overcome COVID-19 in a reasonable amount of time, those of us who are able to stay home right now are actually quite fortunate. And to those of you who can’t stay home and don’t have a choice in going to work (quick shoutout to all the amazing healthcare, grocery, and delivery workers out there), perspective still matters. The real choice always lies in how you look at your situation. That’s the core of SPILT MILK and our “don’t cry” philosophy. So what if your situation isn’t exactly how you’d want it to be? So what if life knocks you down sometimes? So what if all you want to do is complain about the cards you’ve been dealt? 

Life sucks sometimes. Shit happens. I get it. But look around. There’s a lesson to learn from every bad situation you’ve ever been in and every mistake you’ve ever made. It might be difficult to spot sometimes, but I guarantee it's always there. You may have heard me say this before, but I love failing. Making mistakes. Messing up. All of it. It’s awesome. Don’t believe me? Just check out this old blog post I wrote called “I Love Failing. Here’s Why You Should, Too.” Perspective is everything. The choice is yours.

See for yourself. Write down a few of your biggest complaints about having to stay in quarantine right now. What are you upset about? What frustrates you? Then take a look at that list and try to shift your perspective. What are you still able to do that you enjoy? How bad is your situation, actually? Practicing optimism, especially in the darkest of times, can make a substantial difference in your everyday life.

Remember, this pandemic will not last forever. But with a little practice and a positive attitude, your happiness will increase long after it’s all said and done. Live in the moment. Have fun. Stay safe. Don’t cry over SPILT MILK.

by Noah Jacobs, Founder of SPILT MILK

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Read the other blog posts in our Bored to Tears series: Part 2 & Part 3

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