The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 14

November 10, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 7 Arts & Entertainment OFFSHORE CALENDAR Perfectionism: The Hidden Epidemic Nov. 11 | 2 p.m. RSVP Live Online Martial Arts Classes via Zoom Nov. 12 | 5:30 – 6:10 p.m. RSVP Sound Bath at Tree Tops Park Nov. 13 | 9 – 10 a.m. RSVP View Gustavo Oviedo’s Symbiosis on display at the Museum of Graffiti Nov. 14 | 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. RSVP Lotions, Potions and Earthy Notions Nov. 15 | 3:15 – 5:30 p.m. RSVP Exhibition: 100 Faces of War at the Coral Springs Museum of Art Nov. 16 | 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. RSVP Online holiday shopping: Where do I start? In recent years, it has become common for many shoppers to purchase most, if not all, of their gifts online. It is a perfect way to avoid the store crowds and do everything curled up and cozy at home. Due to COVID-19, this year online shopping will be a must to many customers. Unlike previous years, where hoards upon hoards of coupon-armed customers trampled each other to be the first in line at their local Best Buy, this year everyone can cozy up at home with their coupon books lying next to them and calmly add their gifts to their virtual cart. When you think of online shopping, your mind might immediately go to Amazon. Shopping on Amazon is seemingly flawless. You can buy anything and everything from one place and shipping is free if you have Amazon Prime. While this shopping site may be your go-to, how about trying something new this holiday season and branch out to new online shops? For gifts Redbubble A popular online marketplace to shop for uncommon, out of the box gifts is Redbubble. Redbubble is a website that sells gifts made by a variety of artists in different forms. You can purchase homemade artwork printed on clothing, like shirts, jackets, dresses and even leggings. Art prints are also available on posters, face coverings, stickers, phone and laptop cases, stationary and more. Their top selling medium for college students are their tapestries. You can have any artist from the site’s work printed on a tapestry, perfect for any dorm room. Etsy If you want to support small businesses this holiday season, then Etsy is another site for you. Etsy allows you to purchase homemade, personalized gifts from independent sellers. They have practically everything you could ask for: face masks, craft kits, outdoor items, clothing, wall decorations, and the list goes on. You can even shop their selections, which are chosen by Etsy editors, such as “fall,” “earth-friendly finds,” and their “2020 holiday shopping guide made simple (and special).” If there is one thing all college students love, it’s a sale. Companies are holding sales and discounts for college students, both for the holiday season and year-round. For discounts Honey Honey is a freeGoogleChrome extension, available to download onto your computer, that finds you free coupons and sales. If the website you’re shopping on has any discounts, they’re immediately added to your cart. It’s a safe and easy way for students to save money in this “season of spending”. Myunidays.com Another helpful site for saving is myunidays.com . It has lists upon lists of stores PHOTO PRINTED PERMISSION BY F. MIRELES Get the RedBubble app for convenient holiday shopping. By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor with college student discounts that can be used any day of the year.American Eagle has a 20% student discount that can be used both in-store and online and Adidas has a discount and free shipping for any college student with an ID. Other brands with discounts on the site include UGG, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Champs, Nautica, Under Armor, Calvin Klein and so many more. Save money this season and use your student discounts. There are so many ways to shop online this year. Even the NSU Bookstore has Shark-themed gifts for your entire family. From homemade gifts to sales galore, the season is going to be bright. “elated!” by Bea Miller On Oct. 23, pop singer Bea Miller released her latest album. The album, titled “elated!,” is a seven song piece of art that explores the trials and tribulations of life as a young adult. The songs focus on impulses, worries, pleasures and self image. While this album is relatively short and several of the songs on it had been released as promotional singles before the album officially dropped, it is a strong piece of work from the singer and has a real soul behind it. The first song on the album, and arguably the best one, is titled “hallelujah” -- a strong start for the album. Miller has never been known to shy away from discussing social issues in her songs and this one is no different. “hallelujah” is a song about feeling pressured by society to live and behave a certain way or being condemned otherwise. It discusses that many feel their own issues are small compared to the historical events happening around them and feeling lost as a young adult in modern America. This song has a satisfying beat and repetitive yet poignant lyrics, echoing worries about mental health during the pandemic, among other things. She sings out in one verse, “It seems ridiculous to live in hell, but I guess that’s what we’re doing now / And maybe I should see a therapist / But the apocalypse is probably gonna take us out,” referencing that, to her, it feels like the end of the world. The second song on the album is a remix of a single Miller had previously released. Titled “FEEL SOMETHING DIFFERENT,” a new take on the original single “feel something” that was released in June, this song features rapper Aminé, intertwining new lyrics into the original song. While this song is gorgeous and has a relaxing and lo-fi tune to it, it is pretty much the same as the original, just with the addition of Aminé’s lines. In my opinion, the lack of originality makes this song the weakest for the album, but that doesn’t, by any means, make it a bad song. The song, while again having rather repetitive lyrics, is strangely tranquil for its subject matter. The original song was released in the midst of nationwide lockdowns when many people felt alone, lost and empty. The lyrics echo that sentiment, ringing out angelically “I just wanna feel something, I just wanna feel / Something really real, so that I can really / Feel like a person again.” While the rest of the songs on the album are all very good, one of the best is the fourth song, “making bad decisions.” The song is almost like a waltz, very on beat and ever moving. It focuses on impulsive decisions based on what you may want versus what you need. The tune is energetic and upbeat, contrasting well with the heavier content matter of the song. “elated!” is a wonderful album from Miller, composed of some of my favorite songs from her yet. It is especially impressive that most of this album was composed, recorded and produced during the initial lockdowns due to the pandemic. “elated!” is full of honesty, heart and worry, and is truly a magnificent feat of emotion and musical talent. PHOTO PRINTED OBTAINED FROM BEA MILLER Bea Miller’s newest album “elated!” By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor