🌮 The Secret to Unlocking Creativity

One of the easiest traps to fall into is consuming content. So much so that our brains are wired for that dopamine hit of “new, new, new, new….” and it never stops. Companies have spent billions to optimize this experience where a flick of the thumb replaces real connections. Netflix asks you “Are you still watching?” but Instagram, Reddit, Facebook etc. never say “You should take a break now.”

What’s funny though is on the other side your screen is a person creating, filming, scripting, editing, writing what you’re reading…even right now. When you sit down to create, you’re free of mindless scrolling, you’ve taken a break from the addiction. You (and I mean I) feel…good. Calmer, free to write, film, create…DO whatever your mind can dream.

When you do that creating and sit down to really dive into a piece of writing or a video project, or even playing LEGO with your kid, just take a second to note how free you are of the toxic world around you.

A lot of the advice out there today is to meditate, or take a quiet few minutes for yourself to ease the burden of this always-on society. That has its place for sure, but for me, doing something creative gives me 100x more of a zen feeling than sitting with my eyes closed ever did. It may be the same for you too, try it out!

But there’s also a secondary, deeper trap out there that I need to warn you about, and this one is more insidious than simply scrolling. Once the “algorithm” finds out you’re a creator? Hoo-boy you’ve got a brand new target on your back for next-level consumption. Courses you don’t need, “pre-work” you think you have to do to get ready, the gear you need to buy to make the “best” thing. It’s all made to keep you from actually doing, and I can’t say I’ve never fallen for this trap before.

But, there’s light at the end of that tunnel. None of that stuff matters. Just turn it off and go create. They can’t control us when we turn it off. Not yet anyway. All hail hypnotoad.

A final thought - all of this is affects us equally, so don’t think I’m coming at you from a high mountaintop somewhere. Like I said at the top, billions of dollars. It works on me, it works on you, it works on our kids and family. It works to such a degree that it wins elections, heightens depression and anxiety, and tears families apart. The content you consume can literally rot your brain if you let it.

My advice then isn’t “don’t consume” but curate your consumption carefully. Watch TV you enjoy, read good books, laugh at some Instagram bullshit. Follow me on BlueSky: Mike Heath on BlueSky.

But more times than not, turn it off and find something you can create. I think you’ll be surprised at what you can do.