#28 “Anemoia“ by Abigail Pabst

Emotion is the principle vehicle by which I connect to music. As a music therapist and songwriter, eliciting and identifying emotion is integral to my work and how I experience music. Nostalgia is one of the more complex and confusing emotions experienced while listening to music. Anemoia is a term coined by John Koenig, the etymology of which can help us to understand the specific nature of nostalgia: the term derives from Ancient Greek ἄνεμος (ánemos, “wind”) + νόος (nóos, “mind”) and refers to anemosis, the warping of a tree by high wind "until it seems to bend backward." When experiencing Anemoia, I feel longing, happiness, and sadness all mixed together in an iridescent pool. I can’t particularly identify why I experienced Anemoia for these songs when I first heard them, but these songs have resonated with me and helped me to feel most in my body and in my mind.

Image: The image I’ve chosen is one that I painted in black acrylic. This visual is abstracted, yet familiar, similar to feelings of Anemoia. 

Abigail Pabst is a music therapist and musician living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. You can find her laying under a tree looking up at the leaves and the sky.

Abigail Recommends:

Being patient with yourself and others
Giving things time
Drinking a nice bottle of natural wine with someone you love (under a tree).