This is a best-kept secret, because not many people know about it. But the ones that do have the power to change the direction of everything they do.
Let's admit it. We're all new to the Information Age. Each of us, whether we adapted to it in High School (hello!) or had an iPad in our hands the day we were born, are all new to this. The long-term effects of world-connectivity are not understood yet, but I can see a troubling trend that's hurting creatives everywhere.
What are you consuming?
No one is paying attention. I don't mean crossing-the-road-with-your-face-in-your-phone kind of attention. I mean no one is paying attention to all the stuff we're consuming. It's easy to think about the Netflix or Hulu we consume, but what about the music? What about the literal "feeds" we consume from daily in Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, etc?
I wish more people were talking about this. I wish people would admit that these things we surround ourselves with can change everything. They can change our moods, our opinions, the way we looks at things. They shape our lives, and so many of us are under the impression that it's inevitable. That it just happens to us.
But it doesn't.
"I wish more people were talking about this. I wish people would admit that these things we surround ourselves with can change everything."
We choose to keep devouring these feeds, good or bad. These apps are tuned into what we want to see and hear and give us just that. We feel, with every swipe, like we're getting closer to something great. To that perfect inspo, that hilarious meme, that touching video. When really, we're not even consuming the media. The media is consuming us.
Be aware of the content
These things you let into your life are little moons in your orbit, pulling your great oceans this way and that. Changing little things, but in the end changing it all. It's dangerous. If you consume a lot of dramas, you might find your temper is shorter, your relationships more volatile. If you surround yourself with images of perfect models in faraway places you can never afford, you might find it hard to look in the mirror.
These worlds are not real. The media pushed at you every second can help or it can hurt. But most of all - and this is the part that NO ONE talks about - it quiets your own voice.
If you surround yourself with noise, how can you hear yourself?
Find time for silence
"But most of all - and this is the part that NO ONE talks about - it quiets your own voice."
When you fill your life with noise, silence can be hard to bear. All those voices in your head suddenly have free reign. But I'm challenging you to let them talk. Let them release the backlog of thoughts, worries, and concerns that were muffled by the media. When they run out of things to say, you'll be able to hear the real voice inside of you.
This is the place where your creativity comes from.
Let your mind breathe
Have you tried letting more silence into your life? Let me know how it's going in the comments below! Want to know more about the importance of silence? Check out this article from the Washington Post.