Do you remember the days before touchscreens and google? I barely do. I was one of the last generations with a phone-less childhood. My dad had one of those huge cell phones with a big antenna and he wouldn’t let me touch it. His behavior made it that more interesting to me. I wanted one so much I studied to get good grades just to earn credit hoping I would get it as a birthday or a Christmas present. And then one day I got it, my first mobile phone. It was just mine, my personal connection to the world. At that time it was more a connection to my family and friends. Comparing it to what we do with phones today it was nothing. Comparing it to no phones at all then it was everything. As that little gadget became more and more sophisticated I stopped using encyclopedias and libraries for information and started relying on Google only. The tv which was once the star of the house almost died out completely by today. I haven’t watched one in two years and the one we own we use as a big screen to watch an occasional movie. I also haven’t read a newspaper or a magazine nor have I read a flyer and went on to buy whatever it was they were advertising. We have access to the whole world on our phone. When I look back at the little Natasha poking on her first rustic phone I am amazed by how far technology has come.
Everything is at our reach with a tap on a screen, but it comes with a price. It’s a price we don’t have to pay if we choose not to, but if we’re not careful it will be charged automatically.
We're plugged into the outer world which can lead to the unplugging of the inner world. We are bombarded by information even when we don’t seek it. Since it's so available to us we are tempted to consume and the more we consume, the less we create.
The more we consume, the less we create.
The creative process goes hand in hand with procrastination and Resistance. That makes consumption even more appealing leading us to slide into that trap so easily and with great enjoyment like a kid on a waterslide. Giving in to the calling of Resistance and procrastination is a trap because it doesn’t only keep us from doing our work but more than often it provides enjoyment and enjoyment is always temporary. Happiness is what stays and it thrives on us doing the work that fulfills us. For us, the artists, it’s the creation itself, the process and the end result. If you are a true artist you know very well how compelled you are to start a new project as soon as you finish one, and possibly even sooner. We not only enjoy the process, we need it. If we deny ourselves of it we start to wither like a plant lacking water and sun. It’s our food, our soul food.
So what is the first thing we need to do to spark the creative process and keep it thriving?
We need to limit our mental intake. We need to consume less.
Imagine yourself as a tunnel. It’s a two-way tunnel. One lane for one direction and one for the other. Coming from the North is the input and coming from the South is the output. The input is all the movies and videos we watch, all the news and stories we read, all the tutorials we research, even the music we listen to. As the pile of incoming things from the North accumulates it starts blocking the way for the things coming out of the other direction and the more blocked it gets the harder it is to clear it out.
We are all different unique beings and things that inspire me may not inspire you. I’m mostly inspired by sound and music and I can work with it. Many times I need to work with it so that’s the type of input I limit the least. Whatever you identify as a“good” or “bad” input, have in mind that time with ourselves is necessary. Time alone, in silence, without the mind latching on to something through senses.
Congratulations @natashamoskaljov! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCongratulations @natashamoskaljov! You have received a personal award!
Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor.
Congratulations @natashamoskaljov! You received a personal award!
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!