Editor’s Note: It seems like duos are becoming a trend in various genres of music today. Groups like Royal Blood, Local H, and The White Stripes have helped pave the way for some of today’s duos. In the underground scene, fans are starting to see emerging duos come out such as The Values and this group out Little Prairie, British Columbia, Canada called Violet Night. Violet Night has recently released their eclectic album entitled “Colours of You” and released the music video for “Where We Began”. Fans can check out the video after Connor’s blog. In the meantime, fans can find Violet Night at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/violetnightmusic
www.instagram.com/violetnightmusic
www.twitter.com/violetnightmusic
Weathering the Storm and Finding Your Silver Lining
By Connor Pohl (Vocals/Guitar)
Once upon a time I hadn’t slept in three weeks. I would go on jogs at 3 a.m., hoping that physical exhaustion would force me to sleep. Unfortunately, not even that worked. All the friends I told were convinced I was on drugs or overly stressed; why else would I be unable to sleep? But I don’t do drugs and the biggest stress in my life was the fact that I couldn’t sleep, so that couldn’t very well be the root cause.
It was altogether a very frustrating experience, but during one of those late night runs I thought up the phrase “Choir of Your Mind.” As exhausting a time as that was, if I hadn’t been struggling to sleep, I wouldn’t have been awake to come up with that phrase that would become a song on Colours of You.
That’s the silver lining to my insomniac episode (which, by the way, was brought on by anxiety and allergies, believe it or not). Sometimes the lining may not be as tangible — say instead it’s the strengthening of you as a person after surviving a difficult situation — but I truly believe it’s always there.
My rain cloud is mental illness, including the aforementioned anxiety and depression, and the silver lining is creativity. Any suppression of my mental health struggles has seemed to come at the price of some of my character and, consequently, my creativity.
I’m not saying don’t find things that make you feel good, as I am definitely an advocate for that. For me, it involves eating healthy and exercising to help balance me. However, I do believe that recognizing the lows and either embracing them insofar as they help you or dealing with them in helpful ways are important.
Obviously everyone’s mental illness is different. I feel like people who don’t struggle with mental health are becoming a minority, which is tragic because in an ideal world no one would have to battle their own mind. However, there’s even a silver lining to that; the more people who can relate, the more open and honest the conversation about it can be.
As I write this I’m worried about being judged, but I feel I need to be transparent about a major driving force behind our art, hope it’ll encourage our fans to do the same and, hopefully, help everyone find their silver lining.
There is always a rainbow after the storm. It’s not coincidental; it’s balance. Everything in life has balance: yin and yang, push and pull, black and white.
Life is all about balance. Sometimes maintaining that balance can be hard, especially while engulfed in the waters of a monsoon, but if you hold on and weather that storm you’ll find the rainbow.
I believe in you there’s nothing more beautiful than you believing in yourself. Despite all my struggles, I’m happier now than I’ve been in years and most of the time I’m in a really good place mentally. When I dip down into a darker place, I just keep the balance and silver lining in the back of my mind, waiting for them to show themselves. And they will, I promise you that.
Keep up with Violet Night for all of the latest news and information. Fans can pick up a copy of “Colours of You” by Violet Night here!
