Things, and then more things
On consumption and the weird ways in which it impacts creation
Recently, a conversation between two people to which I was only a humble observer made me think deeply about something that I hadn’t given much thought until then, but ever since I started, I’m finding it impossible to stop.
The things that we consume directly shape what we create. Or do they? Do they help us understand what needs not to be created, or not affect creation at all? What does it truly influence: creativity, the process of creation, or the pieces that we create?
And if content consumed influences content created, what content is worth consuming? Why?
The debate of good art vs. bad art has never found an answer, and it certainly never will. Although sometimes, when you know that there is a propaganda of hatred laced into the piece, it is very well a sorry piece of crap wrapped in the disguise of art. And yet, in the objective sense, that, too, is art.
So, if one wants to create good art, do they only consume good art? Or do they also spend time with the bad, the worse, the horrendous creations of artists, so that they know what not to make themselves?
Or do artists, as per the theory of the divine muse, only ever create what they are allowed by the universe to create? Is this why, after one incredible work that shatters every known level of brilliance in a field, the craftsperson behind the said work either begins to produce what sounds foolish to the worst degrees possible, or retire altogether?
Even in the above statements, when I say bad, or foolish, what do those words mean, really? How and why does the right to judge and label work suddenly become my right?
But, to remove ourselves from the larger, life-assuming questions, let’s focus on what we consume and how it impacts creativity. To understand this dynamic better, I made an attempt to trace back to the very beginnings of my consumption journey. This attempt took me straight to when I was a pre-teen, watching videos of Bethany Mota, LaurDIY, Niki and Gabi, and the like. I had a few of their videos downloaded—what’s in my backpack, get unready with me, fall breakfast ideas, and other similar content which was, honestly, nothing relatable to my life during those times.
Were they productive. In the modern sense of the word, no. Did it contribute to anything? Well, I didn’t start making YouTube videos. I still don’t have a channel. But, it was from there that I eventually progressed into fantasy authortube and then into literary fiction authortube, which led me to Tumblr, where I found a real community who made me want to keep writing; with whom I finished my debut novel.
And, the larger importance lies in the fact that while I didn’t create for the world, I did create for myself. I filmed videos on my phone. Wrote and self-published my first book with the tips I found online. Learned to speak and understand different accents of the English language, and eventually learned that language is simply a tool and not a status symbol.
So, for me, unrelated content helped in more ways than one. But I wasn’t overwhelmed. I wasn’t in active brainrot. I wasn’t exactly mindless, I just had a lot of time. And after all this, I moved on to other things, and even more things alongside them. I kept consuming, but also, kept creating.
And in all this creation, I found the courage to express myself fully and without fear, and the way to discovering what I wanted to express.
It is to this that it all comes down to. Before creating from the heart, often comes imitation disguised as inspiration, fear, impostor syndrome, confusion, and the worst of all, judgement. And yet, it is important to create through these. It is important to shift focus from creation to making to trying. It is even more impossible to fail, both brilliantly and foolishly.
After all this, comes something incredible. You wouldn’t know when you’ve begun to make it, but I believe that when you’re done, you’d know. You’d feel it in your entire body and soul that you’ve done something right (or terribly wrong) and that you have now been more honest than you’ve ever been; that this is be the only truth you’d ever be capable of confessing.
So, be sinful, commit the wrongs. Indulge in every experience of pleasure. Be arrogant and prideful. And yet, through it all, when the time feels right, don’t be afraid to take notes and practice for the most important confession of your life.
This is Ann, from Between WIP Drafts. See you next week!