This morning I was scrubbing through my inbox to deal with the emails that had arrived while I slept. One of them was a newsletter from Shawn Blanc, and I gave it a skim. One of the headlines caught my eye enough to pique my curiosity.
Is your phone ruining your creativity?
It hit home. Hard. And not in a good way. I tapped the link and spent the next 6 minutes absorbing this video.
I recognized myself in this video. I used to write more. Compose photos, rather than just take a snapshot. And I used to enjoy it all. Now I…don’t.
I don’t think it is because I have lost my joy for these things, but that the muscle called Creativity has been atrophied for a couple years now. It’s easy to blame everything on the pandemic, and while not every problem has been caused by the pandemic, many have been revealed by it.
For me, life did not get easier at all during the pandemic. It has steadily gotten busier. And that has left my creativity tapped out. Whenever I have tried to sit down and really write I just can’t get the words to flow from my brain to my fingertips. And I end up doing what a lot of other folks do.
I pick up my phone and try to find some relief in other people’s creativity. It would be embarrassing if I told you how much time I have spent in the evenings just scrolling Reels on Instagram, seeking out a few chuckles. Eventually I come up for air, realize how much time I have wasted, and feel worse for accomplishing nothing.
I’ve been using my phone as a weapon to slowly choke out my creativity, instead of creating words or pictures to bolster it.
Realizing this has also made me realize I’m not okay. I’m not fully happy. I’m limping along with my chin up. I miss…me.
I’ve allowed myself to be endlessly bombarded by entertainment to the point where I can’t hear the still small voice anymore. I’ve forgotten what it is like to be bored, to step out of my own way and let the good things inside float up to the surface.
It’s time to set boundaries and find myself again.