It's that damn phone

If you are a human being that exists right now, I’m sure you’ve felt the pressures of media overconsumption at least a little. The doomscroll is real, and it sucks. I’m often hesitant to write about things that have already been said so often, but Ezra reminded me today that “authenticity is more important than originality,” which has stuck with me. So, the main thing I’m trying to discuss is the value of creating more than consuming, and becoming more conscious about what we consume, rather than focusing solely on what we create. I’m constantly creating; building software or making animations. Recently, I’ve been consumed by the idea of creating more than consuming. Like so many other people right now, I’ve been struggling with media overconsumption. It has reached a point where it’s becoming concerning, and it’s honestly a vulnerable topic for me to talk about. My time is being robbed from me by media conglomerates, and social media, but mostly by myself. It’s like a drug addiction; I continue to use social media even in moments when I genuinely don’t want to, but frankly, I can’t help myself. This problem becomes more concrete when I look at my outputs versus my inputs. Sure, I’m constantly creating, but it’s almost exclusively work-related projects. The personal pursuits that once brought me joy, like painting, drawing, and making music without a specific goal, have taken a backseat. It’s hard to admit, but I think the time I used to spend creating random things for fun and genuine joy has been replaced by scrolling. This is not a reality I’m willing to accept, so I’m making an effort to carve out time to create in the way I used to whilst reconnecting with my inner child, no matter how corny that may sound. I aim to remove external expectations from my creations. Years of art and design school, along with my career pursuit, have conditioned me to be overly conscious of what I’m creating, always making sure to answer the ‘why?’ I’ve also become increasingly aware of what other people think of my work. That’s why, over the last few months, I’ve decided not to share most of my work on social media; it often ruins the process for me. I genuinely love to create with the pressure of deadlines or financial motivations too, but I’ve let this spill into other aspects of life that should just be about having a positive human experience. If you’re feeling this way too, you ain’t alone gang. I’m not trying to give anyone advice - you should do whatever you want. But personally, I’m going to create more, consume less, and ultimately stress less. Making something you care about even a little is never a waste of time.