Consume Art (Q2 2026)
A few months ago, I shared what art I had been enjoying in the new year, so here’s what I’ve been enjoying since that post:
TELEVISION
I’ve watched my fair share of reality tv, but nothing has gotten me more excited than a new season of Taskmaster. The UK comedy scene fascinates me, particularly in how well they are able to showcase comedians in more ways than stand up specials. Taskmaster brings together a group of new comedians every season and has them compete in completing random tasks from “eat the egg the fastest” to “write a song for this stranger.” Unlike other competition reality shows, the goal is less about winning and more about creating good television. I love that every new season I get introduced to funny people I never knew before, like this season I got to know Kumail Nanjiani, who I only knew as a Marvel actor, and was introduced to Joel Dommett’s childlike whimsy. The best part? They upload the episodes for free on youtube the day after they air! Now I’m following the latest season of Australian Taskmaster on their international youtube page.
BOOKS AND GAMES
Almost 3 full years after its release, I still keep finding new content in Baldur’s Gate 3. The depth of writing and player choice leads to ample opportunities for replaying, which is why I mentioned it in my blog post about narrative games last year. Most recently, I’ve been playing as Wyll, one of my most underutilized companions in all my other playthroughs and am surprised how much I enjoy playing a warlock, despite it being one of my least favorite classes to play in D&D (which the game is based on). Blasting people around battlefields is a lot of fun with the amount of variation in the game’s terrain. I’ve unlocked plenty of sassy “let’s make a deal” character options that have given me a new perspective on the character, particularly as I play him in a duo run with Karlach, who he was meant to kill at the start of the game.
Funnily enough, Wyll’s voice actor in BG3 narrated the audiobook of Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor. His book shares some of his experiences in concentration camps, his reflections, and psychological takeaways. Lately, because the world has felt particularly depressing, I’ve been exploring the concept of hope, and this book helped me recognize the resilience of the human spirit. It is human instinct to hope even in the direst circumstances, and it's only when we let go of it, that we lose ourselves and our will to live. Frankl does not shy away from the complexity of this topic. He holds the reality of abject maleficence in tandem with free will, perhaps best demonstrated by his quote about freedom: “Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.” Simply put, when we hold freedom above our responsibility towards our fellow man, it is meaningless at best and harmful at worst.
MUSIC
Indigo De Souza’s music took me by surprise. Her music is raw and honest in a way that feels like I’m sitting with a friend, talking in a quiet room. Her album I Love My Mom is probably my favorite with amazing songs like How I Get Myself Killed and Good Heart. De Souza’s been open about her mental health and how it’s impacted her music, and I think that authenticity is why her music appeals to me—so many songs express the highs and lows of living with complete normalcy. Boys is another fantastic song that highlights her conversational tone.
In my last post about consuming art, I mentioned Paris Paloma, who dropped another single in May in preparation for her new album releasing this fall. I relate to the point of view in Stem the Flow, as someone who has struggled to let go of toxic or one-sided relationships. Paloma has also cited art history as a major inspiration for the new album, and the impact is evident in the new music video—the whole presentation appeals to my desire to dramatically run around in a blood-red flowing gown during my own heartbreak.
The first song I heard by Aurora was Runaway years ago. More recently, I've been listening to the rest of her extensive discography and found quite a few songs I've been playing on repeat. Like some of the other music I've shared on my blog, her work is ethereal and folkloric. Interestingly, I learned that she voiced The North Wind in Disney's Frozen because of this. It Happened Quiet is one song that exemplifies the softness in her voice, while Running with the Wolves showcases the wildness that equally appears in her music.
What art have you been consuming lately?