Staying Creative in a World That’s Constantly Scrolling
Has anyone else noticed lately that the world is going mad?
It’s hard to stay motivated to write or create art when every other piece of content coming out on our feeds is political discourse, communities in upheaval, or even talk of the rapture.
It’s no wonder then that “doom scrolling” was officially recognized by dictionaries in 2020. You know, the year we all went mad, and we were trying to find ways to escape our reality. How easy is it to use up hours of our time when staring at our screens? We have become accustomed to receiving our entertainment this way and it’s really starting to backfire.
I have been doom scrolling a lot lately and like many others it’s sent me on a downward spiral. After a while, you start wondering if you should even write or create when the world is burning down around you?
I know it can be difficult to be consistent with your work despite the news coming out on social media and news outlets, but you got to keep going. You must keep creating.
So, what can you do to stay creative in a world that’s constantly scrolling?
Here are some ideas:
Social media detox
Put the phone away. I know, easier said than done.
I always admire the people who can give up their phones for a week or even a month. Phones are so ingrained into our lives that it’s hard to put them away for even just an hour.
However, I’ve been making a conscience decision to put my phone in another room for a few hours, so I’m not tempted to constantly check it. During that time, I focus on the task at hand, pushing back the impending doom looming in the back of my mind. It’s a struggle, but it’s actually helping.
Keep it simple
There is a device that I recently learned about called a Freewrite. The main selling point is that it allows you the freedom of writing uninterrupted by the tempting desire to scroll on the internet. It’s just a device that allows you to write, that’s it! This isn’t a new idea (typewriters), but the concept is intriguing. It does, however, come with a hefty price tag. Their cheapest device is $349. Wowzer.
Is it worth the price? I don’t know, but it would be interesting to see if having a writing device that has no notifications or access to the internet would prevent me from getting distracted.
I’m not saying you should go out and buy this little machine, but what I am saying is go back to the basics. Write in a journal or disconnect your WiFi for a little while. Instead of turning on a YouTube video in the background while you paint, enjoy some silence. Allow your brain to be heard instead of trying to drown it out.
Delete some apps
I live very far away from most of my family so I can’t just delete certain social media accounts, but I can delete those apps off my phone. I can’t doom scroll if there’s no app to doom scroll on.
Consider only accessing certain apps with your computer and taking those apps off your phone. This is especially helpful for me when I’m reading my books in the evening and I’m not getting notifications popping off every five minutes.
Read more
Duh, I know, but it really does work. You’ll struggle at first because you just want to pick up your phone instead. Our attention spans have been conditioned to only take in little snippets of information at a time. Our brain is literally rotting because of the internet. Our grey matter is shrinking and so is our attention span.
Reread your favorite book. I recently reread one of my favorite books from when I was a kid and the creative juices flowed out of me after finishing it. I’ve been writing every day since then and I’m still going!
So read a book for an hour a day to keep the rot away.
Hobbies are good for the soul
Hobbies improve mental health. Creating improves mental health. Spend some time working on a particular project. Do you have a Pinterest board full of things you want to make? Try one of them!
I started working on some sewing projects as I’m handmaking several of my Christmas presents this year. I’m generally in a better mood because of it.
Even if you don’t have any hobbies, try exercising. Go for a walk and get out in nature.
The thing is, the world is always in a cycle of chaos. When there’s so much suffering going on, we are crippled by our helplessness. When we create, we not only rebel against the violence and discourse, but it’s also our way of coming together as a community. It’s times like this when we need to be reminded of what it truly is to be human. Push out the noise; create art.
