Sometimes you can’t be arsed. Is that so bad?
Sun, sea and screen time
Well hello you lovely soul, hope you’re well.
I wrote this post on the plane coming home (shivering at the idea of it being 23°C colder than where I’d been). The solid plan of filming content, drawing and writing all went out the window as soon as we touched down in Greece… and I don’t regret a second of that.
For a lot of creative folk (especially freelance) we’ll often feel a pressure to keep on top of things, whether that be; content for socials, sketching, sussing out opportunities, answering emails… you name it, we’re probably at some point doing some form of work. I love what I do so I never feel inclined to completely shut off, but this week was different.
My screen time wasn’t even 20mins per day… whaaattt???
My brain is always trying to gather information and turn it into something. I don’t mind that part of being a creative, in fact, it helps me absorb my surroundings and be more present. However, viewing everything as something that could be “content” in order to keep up with social media is something I’ve always found mentally taxing. I could feed the algorithm yet starve my mind from clarity for the sake of metrics or take a week off and risk my numbers dropping slightly. I chose the latter. I suppose it helps that I’m practicing what I preach… less scrolling more strolling… perfect point to segue…
annnnd if you add the note LovelySubstacker i’ll pop a free A5 print in with your order :)
Inspiration isn’t lost if it isn’t captured right there and then
I’ll often see artists fill pages worth of sketchbooks when they travel, producing not only stunning artwork but content around it too. I packed my sketchbook. I scribbled one page. I called it a day. In all honesty I just wanted to swim in the sea, run in the hills, snap some shots on my film camera and chat stupid silly things with the person I love… is that so bad? The inspiration isn’t lost if it’s not utilised right there and then. I can work from pictures and videos, memories and stories. Sometimes we just need to be to absorb.
I guess the whole point of this post is to help ease the pressure that we apply on ourselves to constantly be doing. As much as being a creative involves documenting and sharing our practice it’s also essential we know when to stop. I find that sometimes in order to make sense of the many ideas that pop into my head, I have to just be. I have to listen and only then can I find a little bit of clarity and direction in those ideas.
Like I always say, honour your pace and trust your intuition.
Until next time lovely souls
