Dark Academia

Just for a moment imagine yourself sitting at an old wooden desk on a summers night. You're hand writing a letter to your friend from boarding school. It's written in Latin and the curves of the cursive lettering is alluring. Classical music is ever so softly playing Vivaldi's Seasons Summer II off a record player. The breeze from your open window smells intoxicating. Your vintage wristwatch reads 11:37 pm, and the cup of tea you just made has left a light brown rim stain atop the page of your journal. Thoughts are racing through your head, and you let them.

Dark Academia is the aesthetic that centres around the classics. The way attending a prestigious English prep school, reading poetry about love an loss, learning a new languages, stargazing, drinking black coffee, listening to classical music, reading old books and deciphering timeless literature can make someone feel. People who reach for a time they have never known simply because we can get wrapped up in our repetitive lives. People who feel most alive learning about experiences, languages, places, history, psychology, philosophy, astronomy, love and death are the leaders of Dark Academia. Those who devour a good book. Those who can drown themselves in an existential crisis one moment and then suddenly feel the promise and power of education in the next. So many people with beautiful minds fit the Dark Academia aesthetic because they value these things. Here are three ways to dive into Dark Academia and feel as if you were born in the wrong decade.

1. Read and Write

The scratch of pen to paper, the contrast of black ink on parchment, cursive writing and words that fill up pages and pages. Classic literature is at the root of Dark Academia. Reading Oscar Wilde and Sappho late at night is one of the quickest ways to belong to the Dark Academia niche. The feeling of finishing a good book is bittersweet. Find poetry that makes your body ache or better yet write your own. Don't hesitate, it doesn't have to rhyme or even make sense. There is something so mysterious about notes written on peoples wrists and arms. Was it so important that it had to etched onto their skin? Or was it just the most convenient place to write a reminder at the time? Dark Academia takes the true form of beauty when we learn a new language. When we bridge the language barrier and teach ourselves another peoples mother tongue. When learning a new language write down phrases and words you've learned. Keep a notebook where you write down everything, notes to yourself, grocery lists, memorable things people said. Write about your day and how you feel and every thought that you could possibly want to jot down. Try writing with black ink, write letters to your friends, keep a journal and press flowers in it. Document the simple precious things.

2. Fashion

By going thrift shopping or buying vintage clothes you create that Dark Academia feel. Wear plaid patterns, deep reds, browns, and navy colours. Everything from Blouses, turtlenecks, blazers and polo shirts, to long socks and timeless jewellery add to the Dark Academia aesthetic. Here you can experiment with different time periods. Look for inspiration from prep school uniforms, professors and librarians. It sounds so odd but they create the feeling of knowledge and learning. Looking well dressed but comfy is part of the get up. Although Dark Academia can fit into the category of expensive suits and dresses there is no need to spend a lot of money. University students pull off some of the best Dark Academia outfits and they're almost always on a budget.

3. Create

Dance, paint, sing, compose, write, draw, sculpt, grow, build anything and everything. There is something so shattering about those who can construct art with their bodies and minds. Hands that paint so elegantly, feet that dance so gracefully, minds that can take the most haunting places and find their beauty. Art is something that can never be fully explained, and beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Never let the fear of failure stop you from trying something new. Though Dark Academia places emphasis on the classics, new classics and works of art are being made everyday. Find what makes you feel alive yet question all of existence. Once you've found what makes your heartbeat, chase it and pursue it passionately. Experiment with new things everyday, when you grow as an artist you're growing as a person. Notice the little things and find comfort in their simplicity. Create stories and memories and never forget the importance of knowledge, education, empowerment, self love and discovery.

Dark Academia is about the classic minds. Those who wont let go of the beauty of past, and rightfully so. There is something so enchanting about the music, art and literature of those who came before us; and something so promising about the new things that will be created in the future. Dark Academia speaks to those who value education. Dark Academia puts a name to a feeling. Possessing a deep love for the classics has a way of making people feel as if they were born in the wrong decade.

If you liked this article, check out "Six Places Where Reality Feels Altered" by J.Y.L. Thanks for reading :)