Creation Over Consumption
My like/hate relationship with social media
I really really like Instagram and TikTok. I enjoy some of the content I see there from specific creators. I love book annotations, the moody home libraries and the quotes scattered across dreamy paintings.
What I don’t like is that I revert to using it at any moments notice.
The amount of times I’ve submitted my accounts to permanent deletion makes me think that I’m the one with the problem even though I know why It’s addictive. It’s common knowledge that these companies are set up the way they are to keep us on the apps for as long as possible. If something is free financially for us to use, then it’s likely taking “payment” from other sources I.e. our time, attention and such forth.
I’m glad I’ve found substack because as much as I love visuals, I LOVE reading more. I also enjoy the fact that I’m able to write longer pieces to go with my photos. I really enjoy photography so it’s truly the best of both worlds.
Will I delete these apps in the future? I truly don’t know but I know I don’t love them and don’t want them to be a big part of my life. I don’t want them to inform the decisions I make with my life and I don’t want to need to post constantly there just to keep my account higher up the algorithm.
I read a beautiful article by Lindsey Peters Berg called wanting to be a writer vs actually writing and it spoke volumes. I realised I had fallen into the trap of loving the ‘aesthetic’ of being a writer, though I barely spent enough time doing so.
It is a ‘career’ shift for me this being a writer. I say career as I was a professional full time artist for nearly 3 years before I decided to really try becoming a writer. I still paint, but writing has always been my passion and I want to get back to that.
I guess I’m working through my bucket list of sorts. Every life goal I’ve ever had as I child I’m kind of ticking off:
I wanted to be a full time artist. Goal reached.
I wanted to have my own fashion magazine. Goal reached.
I wanted to create and release an album. Goal kind of reached. I released an EP and lots of singles if that counts. Maybe a full length is still in the cards.
The last remaining goal of my childhood is to be a published author and hold my book in my hands. That’s what I need to work on… when I’ve stopped curating my writing area.
It’s time I started to live by the quote I was reminding myself of when I was pursuing art which was: create > consume.
NOTE TO SELF: Looking at what other people are creating and posting and what’s trending isn’t finding inspiration in my books. Using a trend as inspiration is the equivalent to boiling a pot of water until it evaporates, whilst expecting it to remain full within the next 5 minutes. If you want something that’s timeless, going for a trend that changes nearly every day isn’t the wisest choice.
Sometimes you have to just ‘show up’, make a mess until you create something that just sticks and that you can mould and get to a high standard.
So my fellow creators, don’t be afraid to not have an aesthetic work area. Don’t be afraid to not create aesthetic looking art or a specific style or sound. Just show up and create. Remember the end result is amazing but it’s the journey that’s the most beautiful. It’s in the journey where a lot of lessons are learned, battles fought and won, and growth is nurtured. Enjoy the journey and curate your own personal creative process. Creation over consumption.