Meaningful Connection
An Artist’s Journal: 11 October 2020
Over the past few days, I left a lot of Facebook groups. And I 'took a break for 30 days' from friends that are currently putting out content that is too abrasive. As I mentioned in my journal a couple of days ago, I am tired and overwhelmed. My creativity feels fractured.
I even left a lot of art groups and business groups. I was spending a lot of time looking at other people's art and feeling pressured to curate a compelling social media feed. But I don't engage in most of the groups the way I used to... to learn. I am in a different phase.
Watercolor in my sketchbook. Reference image by @tjaphoto
Before I didn't know where to start. Now I need to experiment. The pressure to produce a curated social feed is not in line with experimentation. I know what inspires me, I have materials and I know how to use them. I know how to evaluate my own work, and I have trusted mentors that help me when I get stuck. I'm no longer as worried about putting my work out for people to see. And, I prefer a well written honest feedback to a bunch of 'likes'. It hasn't always been that way, and that is why I call it a phase.
This isn't the first time I've reevaluated how and why I am connected to people online. And I know others have reconsidered connecting to me as well. I am not leaving Facebook, because do have some meaningful connections there. This is a measured step back and a hope to invest in meaningful connections outside of Facebook.
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