#MicroblogMondays: Information overload vs creativity

Back in February, I pondered the ongoing tensions between feeding my lifelong habit as a voracious reader and consumer of media (including, for the past 15+ years, blogs), my pride in staying well informed on current events and a number of other interesting topics -- and the difficulty of trying to keep up with the constant barrage of content that arrives in my inbox every day in this multi-platform, digital age.  

I recently read something that gave me a huge shock of recognition -- an "a-ha" moment, if you will. In her wonderful Substack "Changing the Channel," Kirsten Powers wrote about attempting to follow Julia Cameron's book "The Artist's Way," which provides a 12-week guide to greater creativity.  Powers abandoned the book the first time she tried to go through it, but picked it up again after seeing how a friend was transformed by it. 

This time around, she realized she was what Cameron refers to as a "blocked artist." (The piece is titled "Blocked Artists and the Lies We Believe.") She also realized that "Reading too much can be a block."(Wait, what??!)  

This section in particular really hit home for me (especially paragraph 2):  

When I journaled about it I realized almost immediately how I used my constant reading of nonfiction as a way to numb out. I also realized that instead of filling my well at the end of the day by spending time drawing, knitting, playing with my dog, or talking to another human, for example, I usually went straight to reading a nonfiction book where I could learn something.

My poor brain was never getting a break. I was addicted to information—I always needed to know more and be more informed, which I came to see as the block of perfectionism. I also was spending too much time reading other people's ideas and not making enough room for my own ideas to germinate. 

(OUCH.) 

Not long afterward, something else landed in my inbox to complement and reinforce Powers' message. I get a regular newsletter (not a Substack) from Ruby Warrington, who wrote the excellent book "Women Without Kids" (reviewed here). Her most recent missive contains much food for thought. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a link I can direct you to -- and it was SO hard to pick just a few excerpts to share -- but her message really made me think. The header reads "Choosing creativity over visibility." (Boldfaced emphasis is Warrington's.)  

Warrington wrote about how she recently declined an invitation to appear on an Instagram Live, explaining that she just didn't have the capacity to be "on" in that way right now.  

It is SO MUCH. To the point that I am questioning if my desires for my creative life are in fact incompatible with what I have started to think of as a culture of “peak content.”

...It all began a few of months back, when I put myself on something of a “content diet.” When I was working as a journalist, I had always made it my business to know what was happening in the culture. This meant religiously scanning my go-to list of publications; staying up to date with the edgiest podcasts; subscribing to the requisite newsletters; and sensing into the social trends that swirled between the lines. A practice that that followed me as I transitioned to writing books.

But over the past year or so, this practice had begun to feel nauseating. As if I was becoming content intolerant... some days, I literally felt like I was gagging on the sheer volume of headlines, hot-takes, and opinions that my consciousness was attempting to digest. Like I was stuffed so full of “content,” there was no more space inside me for my own, original thoughts to form...

And yet, the current wisdom being that in order to have a career as an author, I must also  be producing a constant stream of content, in order to build an audience, grow my name recognition, and “test out my ideas."

...Not only do I just not have the words, the focus to spare. But also because I am increasingly questioning whether a culture of “peak content” is in fact in direct conflict with the business of selling books. 

...I find myself increasingly compelled to resist a culture where the precious substance of human creative expression is reduced to content—literal FILLER—for Meta et al to sandwich between the ads that form the basis of their trillion-dollar business models... Filler that usually has its own sneaky sales hook embedded in it somewhere, because we all need to pay the bills.

And yes. There is money to be made from subscriber-only newsletters and podcasts, and from exploiting the algorithms what another friend describes as the “IG mall.” But “success” in this realm (if success = earning enough from your efforts for it to be worth it) requires creating a constant churn of … content. 

And the thing is … with so much free content in the world, who even has the time to read books?!

...I cannot help but ask myself if all the content I've created to promote my books might actually have had the inverse effect. If my potential readers can check off the key takeaways by listening to me on a podcast, and get the juiciest tidbits from an IG Live, then why fork out upwards of $10 to buy a copy?

...Against all wisdom to the contrary about what it takes to make it as an author, I am choosing to go with my gut on this. For now, and for as long as it feels like the healthiest option for me, I will be choosing my creativity over my visibility. I'll just have to trust that at least a few of you will still be here the next time I have something to say. 

Do I get the feeling the universe is sending me a message?  

Granted, unlike Powers or Warrington, I am not a public figure or "content creator."  I made a decision years ago that I wasn't going to try to promote this blog on social media, or myself as a spokesperson for the childless not by choice community.  I admire others who have the time, energy and promotional savvy to do so (not to mention the courage to speak out on such sensitive issues). It's just not me.  And I'm (still) happy with that decision. 

Also, unlike Powers or Warrington, I'm not particularly thinking of my "creativity" (although I suppose that's part of it) -- but there are certainly parts of my life that I sometimes feel like I'm neglecting, because it's so hard to tear myself away from the damn laptop/phone...!  :p 

Nevertheless. I feel like some paring down of the content I consume and a reordering of priorities may be in order. 

(Easier said than done, of course...!)     

Does any of this strike a chord with you too?

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.