Overwhelming Inspiration
We live in a world of sharing. As someone who has been coined by close friends as an open book, the world of sharing is A-okay with me. I don't mind seeing the highlight reel of the people I love, or even the strangers I share this world with. However, there's always some bad with the good, and the technological-sharing-world is a prime example. The good I see, is that it's become a place where people find commonality. Some articles validate the loneliness some may feel in the trials they face. They give them a sense of community, support, and knowledge that others have been there too. Along with the good, though, there is the bad. The online trolls, the overwhelming amount of articles based on nothing more than speculation, and the deep crevices of the constantly offended human race.
I'm not sure how many times I need to reiterate this, but as someone who has lived more than half my life, thus far, without the technology of today (believe it or not), I will always hold fast to the belief in proper balance. In stepping away and looking up. That life shouldn't be lived through a screen. I feel fiercely protective of screen-free time, and will always advocate for this... even though I am not perfect at practicing what I preach. (Read more of my thoughts on this topic)
But what I'm touching on today, is the overwhelming inspiration we face each day. Not just online, but everywhere we go.
Is it just me, or does everywhere we look seem to call out "Create! Create this or create that! See this picturesque home? Create it for yourself! See this organized closet? This handlettered card? This novel I wrote? This packing hack? This cheap way to travel the world? This 10 minute exercise? This healthy cookie? This way to get the most from your morning? These tips to healthy living? This meal I made? This item you need on your wall? This and this and this and this???"
We all add the the noise through our constant sharing and hope to inspire.
I'll raise my hand first, because I hope to inspire and encourage on this little, online space. But as I spend my time perusing local stores and scrolling through my feeds, I've begun to notice that the overwhelming inspiration is beginning to stomp out my own creative juices. If there is so much to create, why does it seem that it's all already been done?
In my pursuit for inspiration, I find my own creativity dwindling.
"Oh that's a good idea, maybe I should try that!"
But then, is it my own? Are we being inspired, or becoming copies? How do we fight against this spiral of inspiration vs. imitation?
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: limit your screen time.
Don't allow yourself to be so immersed in the creative flow of others, that you forget to have your own unique, creative voice. Love and admire the creativity of others, but do not find yourself so deep in so-called "inspiration," you come out the other side feeling limp with motivation.
Lately, I've been in a terrible writing rut. As if all the thoughts and ideas in my mind start, and suddenly stop in the wake of reading the thoughts and similar ideas of others. Maybe you can relate in terms of other life routines.
Maybe you want to try all the new recipes you see scattered across your feeds, until you realize your go-to is just faster.
Maybe you want to DIY a piece of decor, until you find an 'easy' store-bought version.
Maybe you want to try your hand at an entrepreneurial effort, until you see the saturated market.
Maybe you have something you want to say in writing, but someone else has already said it better.
Maybe you are looking to design something new, until you fall in love with the design of someone else.
Maybe you want to change the way things are done in your office, but your idea gets quieted amongst the other demands.
Maybe you are desperate to get in shape, but you realize you've spent hours looking at ways to do so, instead of just doing it.
Get out of your heads, guys. Put on your blinders to the overwhelming inspiration around you and create from the ground up. Don't live in someone else's "how-to" - go create your own. Connect with the real people around you and collaborate side-by-side. See the potential in what you have instead of the potential of what others have. How does anyone learn to create? Through confidence, practice, and learned skill. We are not all born creative, some of us are self taught. And like anything, if you don't use it, you lose it! I've begun to lose myself to the saturation of inspiration and it's time for me to kick my screen to the curb and exercise my creative muscles. Sometimes we all need that wake up call, and I hope today I can INSPIRE you to wake yourself up. Maybe I can be the small voice amidst the inspiration saturation (catchy terminology, right?) that calls you out of your rut.