“Even if you wake up feeling rubbish, you can go right, lets crack on with something.”
We chatted to Francesca, from TV ME for our ‘We Love Life’ exhibition which continues through mental health awareness week at Constellations in Liverpool.
Hello Francesca what are your plans for today?
I’m going to go the park to sit in the sunshine and then wander home.
Are you studying or working at the moment?
Yeah, I’m studying for a masters. I’m currently writing a thesis on ‘Grime for Corbyn’. Sort of looking at how politicians use music to connect with photo demographics and looking into the authenticity of it all. So that’s due in September, which is good. And I’m working at the British Music Experience.
So what are you listening to at the moment?
I’m listening to a lot of Broadcast. I really like them. Unknown Mortal Orchestra as well I’m listening to at the moment, their new album is really good. Then like some Ethiopian jazz. And Rocking All Over the World by Status Quo. That is my feel good anthem at the minute. I love it. I love it so much.
Are you reading anything at the moment?
Yeah. I’m actually reading ‘How Music Works’ by David Byrne. He sort of looks at how music works culturally and in society and how it’s changed over the years and why it has to change. It’s really good. Really insightful. He sort of talks about it in a really nice way that’s so inviting for people, especially if you were reading it and you weren’t really into music I feel like you would be really able understand what’s going on. He covers everything from opera, African music, even sort of relating change in music to how animals have changed their songs – like change in birdsongs and whale songs to go over noise pollution and sort of compares us to them.
Are you watching anything at the moment?
I just watched RuPaul. Like constantly. Season 10 at the minute. I love it so much. It’s really inspiring. I think for me anyway to see these really creative people. They take a lot of like hardships and make it into something arty and beautiful and its just amazing and its good fun as well. They lip sync and I’m like yeah!
And what would constitute a perfect day for you?
Cup of tea in the morning, always. And then sunshine, go to the park, just lay on the grass sleeping, napping, listening to music and just hanging out with my mates and yeah. A bit of Beatles in there as well.
For what in life do you feel most grateful for?
I would say the people I have around me. My family and my friends. They’re really great people and I think to be happy it’s nice to have other people around you that are happy and can support you through a lot you know. So yeah that’s it.
And what does ace mental health for you mean?
I think it means sort of not letting yourself go into that hole where you can feel stuck. Even if you wake up feeling rubbish, you can go right, come on lets crack on with something, let’s do something today. And just to make yourself happy. Like I can walk along some days and just laugh to myself and I feel like that’s just important sometimes to not constantly be in that hole. It can sometimes really bring you down.
What advice to you offer friends who are feeling low?
I just sort of advise them to look at it from an outsider’s perspective. When you’re in a horrible rut it’s so easy to just look at it from the inside without rational judgements. It’s like when you give advice to people you never do that yourself. And sometimes you have got to be like well what would I say to them if they were in that way and sort of try and make them look at it in a different light. In a positive light as well. And also just get stuck into things sometimes I find it best if I’m feeling the worst to just go and write something today whether it’s a bit of my thesis work or just some poetry or listen to some music. Just get yourself out of it and keep yourself occupied in a positive way. But then also taking time out, and that time to yourself and reflection you know.
And who inspires you would you say and why?
I don’t know. I think at the moment, David Bowie inspires me. I’ve been thinking about his journey as a musician and when it came to Ziggy how he released like five or six albums and he just failed constantly. And then when he just came out and was like I’m going to be this weird genderless space alien/god rock, everyone loved it and it was just an example of if you are just completely authentically yourself, it will go well. Don’t worry about failing because David Bowie did that and then he wrote Life on Mars so you know. At the moment that’s my little insight. Channeling Bowie.