music

Hello February 2022

I have been quiet for a while and I am back from a much-needed rest. I begin with honor and choose February to reignite my practice of writing. I begin with Black History Month.

February marks Black History Month. A time for reflection, gratitude, and celebration.

One of the things I am grateful for is how music has made an impact on my life and experience. I won’t even begin to do justice about these words I am about to share here.

I go back full circle with jazz, how it has shown up for me. Drummers who I have encountered in my life from watching live shows with a drummer friend have strengthened my love and respect for music. People tap into a spirit within themselves. To me, it is jazz. It is poetry in rhythm and harmony. Beyond words of longing, love, dreams, hopes, and respect.

In celebration of Black History Month, I pay respects to all the artists out there, the legends, the poets, the dreamers, writers, teachers, those of service, and YOU.

And with this, I also take time to discover artists who continue to push boundaries just like the legends and ancestors. I thank you all. The work to be curious, educate oneself continues. It is all interconnected.

I share some playlists in the hopes you will find inspiration and joy too. Thanks for being here. :) Aiko

Happy April Fool's Day 2020

What better time it is than to post something for April Fools. This reflection is all about our body, the mind, the sensations, and how we imagine and put us in an illusionary state of being as we are facing the reality of global health crises. If you don’t pay close attention, to pause, lean back, surrender, and be self-aware, we can fly off into Lala Land. I documented it through a playlist of love songs.

The Coronavirus came just in time to fool us to believe that everything is over for the future, for love, for opportunities. Of course, all our emotions will come and delude us, so it is more crucial than ever to check in with ourselves, use our power, and get real. It is April Fools, after all, so why not just lean back and surrender and let go.

This isolation and social distancing turned out to be a major blessing and I feel a little tug in the heart. I hear it sound like the Magnetic Fields song “Chicken with its Head Cut Off” a time for me to experiment with romanticism and get caught up in our heads, overthinking and losing touch with the feminine. I am so happy to be able to take a pause and allow time to play with imaginations and fantasy. I was curious and went on a trip to explore the mind, body, and soul for a few weeks now. I allowed myself to experience the endorphin and oxytocin rush, believing in a feeling of something that seems real but not. It was opening. It was lovely. I made a playlist out of it and sent all sorts of fun messages and created some things along the way. I didn’t receive the feeling of musical and playful resonance. It is okay. I am thankful for the experience. No judging but just observing not seeing it as good or bad. It was a meditative journey. The work is a surrender into love. I call it Quarantine Imaginations and a written memoir by a girl who loves to imagine, loves people, claiming she loves ramen and music.

I cannot express enough how important it is to develop a relationship with oneself. Before even going into a relationship with someone else, it is always a powerful opportunity and a great time to lean back and step into your beauty and mystery and take a deeper look at what you really want in life. This time of quarantine due to this very hungry Coronavirus is a time to take a look at the mirror. Take time to play, find joy, not take yourself too seriously. Have a little fun with art. Get tuned in with your body. Meditate. Befriend your emotions during this time.

I am thankful for all the people that show up in my life and put me in places of discomfort so that I can blossom and grow. I realize this is a vulnerable time for everyone. You are not alone. Seek guidance. Check-in with loved ones and offer support when needed.

Headspace has created a space for us during this time of uncertainty and challenge. It is called “Weathering the Storm.”

You can check it out here >> We're here for you - Headspace.

In the next few days, because we need to take care of our mental health, more than ever before, I will take this time to record my experiences using the Headspace app on “Navigating Change.” I hope these videos inspire you to seek meditation as time and space to care for yourself. Thank you for visiting and going on this learning journey with me.

Self-isolation can be hard. It’s okay.

Also, if you are feeling like you need to reach out to your community to help in some way, there is hope. You can call and check on your elder neighbor, get their groceries, with the proper physical distancing of course. You can get creative. Be safe. Stay the distance. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face, especially, your nose, eyes, mouth. Keep your spirits lifted by listening to music, talking to friends you trust and get vulnerable.

What is True Love?

I was recently given the opportunity to take a look inside myself and examine my intentions, my true intentions. I haven’t been in a committed romantic relationship in years. I felt I needed the time and space to look at what I was doing, since I felt a sense of void and unhappiness when I was much younger, often seeking external pleasures and needs. I realized I was always “with a guy” since I left home, not really having the opportunity to figure out what I wanted in life, in myself, for the world around me. I was a late bloomer but to me, it didn’t really matter. I found myself turning 41 and not being happy with myself and who I have become as half of a couple. I never imagined life without anyone. I never imagined being alone. At the point, I felt like I was going through the motions of the so-called falling in love with an idea, an idea of a person or “the perfect relationship.”

I will forever be grateful to all my former boyfriends who shared their life with me during those years of coupledom.

The years of solitude and self-imposed singleness has allowed me to see things for what they are. For this, I am grateful for all that time, now and ever.

*My companion, imaginary boyfriend, and teacher during the years of solitude* - this list will continuously grow as I remember them.

Books with magic (Support your local bookstore):

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel by Alain de Botton

Education thru music and record labels to be grateful for:

Mexican Summer, a record label >> https://www.mexicansummer.com

Drag City, another record label >> https://www.dragcity.com

Secretly Canadian >> https://secretlycanadian.com

Asthmatic Kitty >> https://asthmatickitty.com

Merge Records >> https://www.mergerecords.com

Health and self-care practices

Isha Yoga, my meditation and yoga practice, technologies for well-being >> https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en

Pecha Kucha, death to PowerPoint and boring bullet points >> https://www.pechakucha.com

Headspace, bringing health and happiness to the world >> https://www.headspace.com

School of Life, learning to embrace our flawed self >> https://www.theschooloflife.com

Most of us think we know what love is; we may just be looking for the right person to lavish our love on. But it's no insult, and indeed it might even be hel...

Your brand is authentic

Let me sit down and take this moment to express gratitude for my dad, who always takes the opportunity to teach us something. He has a way of talking that makes you stop and laugh. If you come from a different frame of mind, soul, and heart or perspective, he can be easily misunderstood. I love when and how he takes out his post-it notes and pencil to share knowledge and wisdom. I can see the joy in his eyes when he writes things down. You can tell he gets all lit up with numbers. Left-handed and writing numbers upside down. Then after a few minutes of writing as he explains ideas and thoughts to me, he realizes and acknowledges, he is better off flipping the post-it around to face him — the right side up. Imagine that for a second. See if you can visualize it. We are sitting at the kitchen table just after having dinner, and this is happening. That energy takes some intelligence and ultra awareness. I always say how he would be a great teacher. Do you sense that?

…Let me take you to another scene, a library full of people from all over the world learning about brand presence from a remarkable woman, Miss Denise O’Brien (aka Queen of Joy), oozing with you guessed it: joy. She starts by taking us on a journey where she takes the wrong exit and explains how she sees an elderly man, who tells the story of a little girl. Can you guess who that little girl he is referring to?

Moments come and go. People come and go. Ideas come and go. Stop and take notice. Who do you talk to every day? Who did you go see today? What have you learned? How does it make you feel learning something new? What are you grateful for? You are the creator. Make. Express. If there is a hesitation, it’s okay. Explore. Write. See where it stems, observe and don’t follow. Feel it. You are the maker. It is a great doorway of opportunity. Much love in your discovery. Feel free to share your story. Thanks for being here.

Spotify playlist that puts you in the zone at this moment: Brain Food

Music is love my friends. I get fired up with music and get in the writing process when I put on my headphones and lose myself to writing. Do you get that way too? #musicislove #ramengirldonthesitate #Aikolove

Emotions, messages, building a brand beyond product

When was the last time you watched an advertisement, visit a website where you are compelled to tears?

Products are not just products. They have a life; a spirit and a place where they came from. It came from an inherent vision to get to point A to B. That point B is a better place. There are messages that are powerful; telling a hidden desire, a dream, a profound story. So there is the challenge. Unlocking the doors to discover the message. It is freedom. Let this be an inspiration to you. There are people out there, agencies, systems that can help unlock those doors. Why not? So, let us start here, there is a story behind your creation. Many products are great but they can be boundless when we face what is driving it, the reality, the emotion behind why the product was envisioned or created. Music is powerful agent. Images are powerful agents. Let the tears come. It is there.

One of the agencies that inspire me brings dreams and story to life — Get teary and fired up here, drop your impressions and surrender to the dream and energy to move mountains: Basic (https://basicagency.com/about).

This is not a paid endorsement. I LOVE TO discover great dreams and energies. Thanks for listening and dreaming with me.