The culture most of us in developed countries are operating under tells us that we are only valid members of our society, if we continue to produce something new & exciting every day. It had better be innovative and, if it can be monetized, so much the better! if you, like me, grew up in a family that adhered to the same tenets, it can be a very difficult thing to oppose.
The same culture tells us we mustn’t expose our soft underbelly and that to do so is to risk our credibility and, worse, our marketability. This attitude is toxic and ultimately soul destroying.
I’m not sure when the shift occurred for me, exactly, but I’ve been rebelling against this paradigm, in small ways, for a little while now. I’m still posting content to my social media accounts, but I’m no longer trying to outguess algorithms or follow the lead of the modern day Joneses who, let’s be honest, are probably just hiding their own struggles behind shiny filters. I’m not going to follow the unwritten rules, anymore, and I’m stepping off the path that has led me to burnout in the past. I won’t be adhering to a schedule of creation that dictates when I have to release a new product in order to be relevant, like the hyped up Christmas season, for example. If things naturally align, that’s great.
As a result of my own very private & personal rebellion, I feel so much less stress & pressure to perform and that has been incredibly freeing. I’ve found that my desire to play and explore my creativity in new ways has begun to return again and that feels incredibly inspiring. The crazy thing is, now I want to create those fresh, new things and I’m sharing more. Go figure.