<\/p>\n
Forgive me Arts desk, for I have sinned \u2014 at heart, I am a rewatcher, a relistener and a rereader. I am the bane of timely reviews and fresh notebooks: a relentless media repeater.<\/p>\n
Before \u201cThe Office\u201d was removed from Netflix, I watched it about 15 times. After it was removed, I bought the DVD box set. I\u2019ve been listening to the same songs since middle school and only ever venture into new albums a few songs at a time, even from artists I claim to love (I\u2019m sorry, Billie Eilish, I still only know four tracks on Happier Than Ever<\/em>). I\u2019ve seen the pre-COVID seasons of\u00a0\u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d more than a dozen times, and when I scan my shelves for a book to read, nine times out of 10 whatever I pick will be something I\u2019ve read before, likely more than once.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t seek out the new and exciting all that often. It\u2019s just not the way I\u2019m wired. I like what I know, and I like it for more than just the fact that it\u2019s familiar and comfortable; it speaks to me. And in many ways, it speaks for me.<\/p>\n There\u2019s something to be said about who you are based on what you enjoy, especially what you enjoy so much that it becomes intertwined with your day-to-day life. The media we relentlessly return to attests to something more meaningful than a simple interest in entertainment or pleasure; to love something, to develop such a strong and deep connection to a piece of work that isn\u2019t your own is a testament to why art matters so much in the first place. It is a testament to our ability to develop connection, to the value of expression and to who we are.<\/p>\n