Reflections on The Internet & Creativity
March 10, 2018
{ all pics via pinterest}
In the past almost two weeks, my family lost wifi due to some network issues. (just regained it yesterday night)
And boy when you don't have internet anymore it hits you.
Like whabam, truck to a little car hits you.
No more of my normal music, no more checking social media, no more pinterest :) *gasps*, no more movies, no more youtube videos, no more homework help, no more texting friends, no more beta reading, no more blogging, no more checking stocks for my co-op's stock market game, no more collaboration and working on certain projects .
We are so dependent on the internet it's almost insane.
Seriously!
And during these two weeks without internet I have been deeply reflecting on the internet and how it affects our creativity and generally my realization has been that above anything...
the internet makes us so lazy,
At least for myself...when I'm sick and tired of my math homework, I pull up youtube or get lost on social media.
Currently I am feeling the consequences of that, I'm still at A's but getting to the point where I'm really worried about that test on Monday.
too much internet and your creative juices are just gone
I've only written a few thousand words these weeks but I've not written that much for almost half a year.
But on a deeper note many of the problems we have from the internet are self inflicted.
It is my own laziness and lack of will that leads me to escape to youtube when I'm tired of dealing with my siblings or homework.
It is my own lack of determination that puts aside writing to dawdle on pinterest.
My own human weakness that will put entertainment above what is good for me.
Now don't get me wrong, the internet has also helped me in many ways.
From all of the awesome people and interactions I've been a part of
to the incredible inspo I have received from reading blogs and browsing pinterest
There is a very fine balance between dangerous and helpful
Too much internet time will make you severly depressed
will make you lose sense of time and purpose
will dehydrate your creativity
and bring on a fake sense of having to build up this world that honestly doesn't even exist
But just enough and you are helping yourself with
incredible resources
interacting with a community similar to yourself
receiving inspiration
learning new things
Starting today as in picking up from last week, I am continuing my goal to be more purposeful about what I do here on the world wide web.
I would suggest you pull up the sticky note application on your computer before you even pull up google chrome (or whatever other browser you use :P) and write down everything you are hoping to accomplish in this session. Look at the time and be purposeful about when you are going to get off.
Even better, start the day by writing up a little schedule instead of searching your brain and thinking "Oh what do I have to do again??? Was it really that important??" You'll head off to your next task knowing what you have to do and your brain will feel SO refreshed from the switch of activity.
Honestly I really recommend the post Abiee published today: 5 Things You Should Be Doing EVERY DAY To Stay Creative + Focused! She put all the gold in one post and I couldn't agree more with all of her statements. In fact I almost feel like she was the muse for my post today so please do check her post out!
A few more nuggets of advice?
- Follow your inner clock. For example my creative flow always comes at night/evening for some weird reason. The evening/nighttime has always been the best writing time for me, so I generally try to make time for it then.
- Use modern tech to your advantage, download audiobooks for free on overdrive and listen to them on the road or while you are doing chores.
- Carry around your journal or a notebook so you can jot down thoughts when they come to you. So many of my poems would not exist today if it wasn't for recording an amazing line that just popped into my head.
- Don't procrastinate, answer emails as soon as you can. Complete your homework the soonest possible etc. You will make much better use of your time that way!
How does the internet help you? How does the internet bother you? Share your thoughts!
And how are you all doing? How's life :)?
I have a little cold that's mixing with allergies *sigh* Also I finished Cress and azbxdhzk THE SHIPS, it's so good!!! I can't wait to start Winter. *squeals*
“‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them.’”
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them.’”
(Jeremiah 8:13)
22 comments
This post is what I needed today!
ReplyDeleteSame about the allergies. I've been suffering all week. :/ I'm finally starting to feel better, though. I'm so ready to get back to my usual routine.
The internet often zaps my creativity and takes me away from things I should be doing, like cleaning the mess that is my room. XD
Thank you for this post!
<3
~Ivie|Ivie Writes
Aw man allergies are so annoying! I hope you escape their cruelty soon, they really can get in the way of usual life. :)
DeleteRelatable right now xD.
Thank you so much for your thoughts and I'm so glad this came at a good time for you! <3 <3 <3
AHHHHHHHH.
ReplyDeleteTHIS WHOLE POST, ANNA. I NEEDED IT SO BAD.
I'm turning into an internet junkie, and yes, it does suck my motivation right out the window. I probably should have taken an internet break during Lent but....
All those tips are super helpful though!!
Catherine
catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com
*throws hands up in the air* GOD HAS HIS TIMING :") And I get you a 100% because I'm trying to do the same, I feel like my Lent hasn't had enough reflection this year.
DeleteThank you Catherine! I'm so glad this could help xxx
I love this so much. Because its so true. If I spend to much time on the internet, I get drained. Must stop. Thank you for reminding me. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? It's crazy what the internet does to us and yet in moderation I get this encouraging comment from you :) Thank you for your thoughts Snapper. <3
DeleteThis whole post is such a good reminder and I agree 100%! The internet (like a lot of other things in life) should be controlled by us, not the other way around like it so often turns out to be.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lovely blog, Anna...your writing is beautiful. xx
Boy yes! I couldn't have said it better. Nowadays we all want to be in control of our own lives but we have no idea how much we are controlled.
DeleteThank you so much Emily, I'm so glad to see a new face and I really hope you enjoy your time here <3 <3 <3
I feel this post so much. My mom forgot to pay for our bills at the month’s end, so using the television, phones, or the Internet would not work at all and while I was fine with it my dad was freaking out. It’s fun to be away from the Internet and social media in general— I’m back to using social media again but I know my limits, and the amount of time we gain from just not being online is just insane, but of the good kind.
ReplyDeletexoxo Abigail Lennah | ups & downs
That has happened more than once for us, it really is. At first there's this general sense of dread but then you're like "Wow this is actually kind of fun!" :))) That's great that you took a break that was so beneficial to you, I wish everyone breaks like that. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment Abigail <3 hope you have a lovely week.
DeleteI feel anyone that has internet is going to relate to this post ;p It is certainly a balance, a tool! But any tool not used correctly can be useless, even wasteful :D Just setting out to use this tool purposefully, strategically... that's what I strive to do :D
ReplyDeleteketurahskorner.blogspot.com
Honestly same ;) You're so right Keturah, that was on point :)
DeleteThis is so true and relatable! Great job, Anna!! <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteThanks Gray! Glad you could relate :)
DeleteThe internet can be really helpful or help you express your creativity sometimes (like with blogging, etc.) , but you also need to be careful when using it too (like you don't want to go on a dangerous site, etc.)
ReplyDeleteThis was a really help and awesome post, Anna!:)
-Quinley
sorry I mean't *helpful
DeleteYeah exactly Quinley! Anything in too much gets bad. I'm so glad you liked it! *hugs* thank you so much for your comment. <333
DeleteThanks for this post, Anna! Last year, our family lost internet for three days, and through that I realized how dependent we are on our computers. Entertainment, school, productivity, and even our Christian ministries are often tied to these online worlds. But what about our families? What about Jesus? What's most important to us?
ReplyDeleteKeep up the encouraging writing! I'm glad I stumbled across your blog today. =)
What you say is so true, even the stuff that are supposed to be good are linked to other things and we become really inter dependent. Wow thank you so much for these thoughts Hosanna, you're causing me to reflect :)
DeleteThank you so much! I'm so glad you did, I hope you enjoy it around here and thank you for taking the time to leave this comment here. It always warms my heart to get responses to my rambling thoughts. :")
Though it was a long time ago, I remember when my broadband(?) wasn't working so I couldn't use the internet. It was pretty good because I could focus a lot more on READING. But as for writing, I don't really remember that much?
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, it can be hard to find a balance these days between the internet and no internet...
Not having distractions really clears the brain sometimes!
DeleteBoy I couldn't agree more. It's a struggle...
Oh yes, so true. I tend to get into way into the internet. In Feb. we had a blow out that killed our modem so we had a few days without internet, and it was an interesting time. I realized how much of my day is just spent on the internet. I only allow myself to watch two videos on YouTube a day. If I do more than that, I get nothing done.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the tips! I will be trying those. :)
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