an internet fast for lent
I’ve started a lot of projects lately, only to work my way to halfway done and hate what I’m making.
It’s not like that never happens. I’ve had plenty of projects that weren’t meant to be finished for one reason or another, and while those are frustrating, they’re part of the creative process. But this is different. Multiple projects in a row, all starting out as “brilliant”, whirlwind ideas that quickly crash and burn as soon as I’ve begun to make progress.
After becoming increasingly more frustrated with each project failure, I came to a realization. Lately, none of my ideas are my own.
Sometimes knowingly, but often not, I’ve been starting a project with direct inspiration from another blog or, of course, Pinterest. It’s not like I try to directly make what I’ve seen elsewhere, but the blended “Pinterest-aesthetic” is suddenly tied into my brain and it’s all I can see.
the standard pinterest kitchen (sorry, no source)
At this point, I’ve spent so much time looking at the Pinterest-popular all-white kitchens with open shelving (i hate open shelving!), well-organized laundry rooms, and crisp, white-walled rooms with Danish teak furniture, that I’m convinced that’s my aesthetic. Is it? I can’t even remember.
Pinterest is a poison for many reasons. Its possibilities for infinite wishlists for every sphere of your life terrify me – boards of perfect hair, perfect weddings, perfect bodies, perfect houses, perfect quotes. Not to mention the fact that so many pins contain total lies, false information, and basically amateurs teaching other amateurs how to do things the wrong way. But all those are irrelevant at this stage, because this is my last straw: Pinterest can’t take my imagination away from me.
real-life inspiration: pike place market, seattle
It’s tough, but I know the definite cure to this problem. It’s time for me to turn off the ever-flowing stream of other people’s ideas: Pinterest, Facebook, and your beautiful blogs. I’m using Lent as an opportunity for an information fast, an internet fast. Six weeks of going back to my own brain for new ideas, and I’m hoping there’s still some good stuff lurking inside.
Lent is all about fasting, about sacrifice, and about re-alignment. It’s the perfect season to step away from all that noise and focus on the real world.
Can you relate to my internet overload? Would you care to join me?
