I can’t tell you guys how much I’ve enjoyed getting even more personal on the site. To connect with you all through industry notes or personal thoughts. It’s truly my pleasure to go deeper with you and I can’t thank you enough for giving me this platform to do so. I have to admit, I think of my readers all the time, especially when it comes to content ideas. I often think of things that I can’t wait to share with you, or stumble upon a thought that I want to explore more with the community. And lately, there’s a topic that keeps coming to mind: creating vs. consuming.
As I’ve stumbled into the incredible role of content creator, it’s my job, on a 24/7, 365-day basis to create content. That’s the name of the game. And it’s no secret that I’ve had my ups and downs with the need to create instead of putting my creative well being first. It’s a conversation a lot of people seem to be having right now. More so than ever, I’ve been enthralled with the idea of creating on auto-pilot. We digest things so quickly these days and we (myself included) breeze through content – whether it’s in a magazine, on our social media feeds, or even on sites like mine. And when we’re consuming content, we may be multi-tasking or consuming through different platforms at once – aka the second screen!
But as we’re scrolling and flying through articles and pictures in an effort to find something that will generate our likes or reads, we’re sometimes forgetting the act of creating and all that goes into it. The creative process behind the image of the article and how that balance of fast consumption doesn’t equal out. At least in my opinion.
The amount of time it takes to truly create something beautiful and individual should be respected instead of sped past. Creating something should be done out of true love and passion. Not because you need to get an Instagram post up before the end of the day. Or because X person created a photo that you think you need to recreate to stay relevant or in the good graces of Instagram numbers.
Just as the creator takes time to consciously create, I think it’s time we slow down to consciously consume, too. After all, we’re consuming someone’s art and hard work. And let’s stay true to that. Creating out of passion rather than guilt or FOMO or pressure or whatever negative feeling may be weighing on you.
It’s easier said than done, and I’m no stranger to the pressures of fast creation, but that’s why I’m writing this. To remind myself to slow down. To create when it feels natural, when it feels inspired. And to consume with respect to the person doing the creating. Because I think we could all use a lesson on slowing down while being more authentic. Don’t you? Let me know in the comments!
Photography by Freddie Cipoletti.
