Two weeks ago, on Ash Wednesday, I uninstalled Instagram and Facebook from my phone and decided to spend the next 40 days away from social media and entertainment, including news, podcasts, films, and music.
My thought was the internet was draining my attention and I needed a break to refocus. Two weeks into lent, I know I made a good choice. Outside my window is a bright blue sky, and I'm so much more grateful for its beauty than an endless feed of videos.
As an artist, the change has been good. I'm working hard on creating six short animation projects and then turning those into my first reel, and so far it's been nice not feeling obligated to make something shorter just to appear active. The only tricky part is that I actually love making some of those posts. I like having a blog of some kind, even if nobody reads it or gives it a little heart button, because it's great way to stay honest as a creative person. Are you making something every day? Or are you still planning?
With this in mind, I thought taking my Instagram game here might help me get the best of both worlds. I can continue writing about my work without following the false promises of social media.
We'll see how it goes. Already I like using a keyboard and not having to type on a phone the size of an index card.
For now, here's a preview of my first project.