Disconnecting

Being a creative is essentially like having a superpower. We get to create things that didnt exist before, and most of us do this well. Its a tremendous power to have if you really think about it.

I like to consider myself a creative. The reason I say I like to instead of I am is because even though Im a User Interface Developer, with a bachelors degree in Graphic Design, I dont create nearly as often as I should be. Im certainly qualified but I feel a little guilty for putting that title on myself knowing there are real creatives who create on a daily basis. At least they give the illusion that they create on a daily basis.

I want to be clear here. I think creatively everyday. I look at design and code everyday. I think and analyze how some websites were built everyday. I just dont create a finished piece or work or a project everyday. Im not even sure if thats realistic or sustainable.

Regardless, there are a multitude of excuses for not doing what I should be:

• I dont know what to create
• I have a daughter and I dont have the time
• My peers are way better than me and Ill never catch them
• My feet hurt

And many, many more. Notice how I used excuses and not reasons.

All of these boil down to one main problem, your brain doesnt want to take on the stress of struggling through the creative process. So you dont. What could have existed in the universe never gets created because your brain convinced you that its not worth it. Doesnt that sound crazy? This happens a lot.

Everyday were overloaded with depressing news, email reminders that we have bills due soon, dishes that need to be done, laundry that needs to be put away, etc. Theres always something on your mind and you cant help it. I cant either. What we CAN do though is take control of our environment in hopes of forcing our brains to relax, even if its momentarily. Im talking about disconnecting.

What is disconnecting?

I describe disconnecting as taking yourself out of the digital world for a set amount of time. That means no social media of any kind, no checking the news, no group chats, no phone games, nothing. You can even take that a step farther and go somewhere and completely leave your phone at home (although I would highly suggest if you have a family, stay within reach incase of an emergency).

How I disconnected

I recently went on a camping trip by myself for two nights. I like being outdoors anyways and I felt like I needed it. Pretty badly actually. It seemed that I was stuck in a three week rut of not creating anything and wasting a ton of time playing Mortal Kombat 11 and scrolling through Instagram and Twitter. I would do my work for my actual employer during normal business hours and then have aspirations of creating something for myself afterwards and it would never happen. I needed a jump start. Or put another way, I needed a reset.

So, I booked a weekend here in Lake Elmo (Im from Minnesota) on a campground, charged my phone to 100%, downloaded a whole bunch of Bill Withers, packed all of my camping gear with some books and my guitar, set my phone to airplane mode, and hit the road. Immediately after arriving at the campground and setting up my tent, I could already feel the power of being in nature and outside of the influence of the digital world. It was literally immediate upon arriving, no exaggeration.

Not once during those many miles of hiking or during my reading next to the campfire at night, did I think about any of the problems and stress I had back in my digital real life. I didnt care about any bills or my creative block. They never crossed my mind. Not even once.

This isnt meant to be a deep post or even poetic for that matter, but I cant think of many things more peaceful than watching trees sway in the wind and the breeze bouncing off of your face. It does something to your brain that I believe everyone needs to experience this on a regular basis, for a prolonged set of time, especially people in the creative field.

But I cant be without my phone for (insert set time here).

Yes you can. Get over it and give it a try. Youll be fine.

Did it work?

It certainly worked for me in the short-term. Of course you have to go back to your regular life eventually and the stress begins to slowly build again. Hopefully each time the stress comes back, you can think of strategies to deal with it because theres no avoiding it. Try to remember the time you had when you were disconnected. You have to make yourself believe that done is better than perfect.

Once I got back from this trip, I had a clear mind and I was actually looking forward to creating again. All it took was a few days free of electronic signals hitting my brain.

Why should you disconnect?

Everyone needs a break. In the digital age, everything is accessible and its ridiculously easy to overwhelm yourself. You have a non-stop view into your peers successes and failures, you constantly compare yourself to them, and your mind creates a block for you that can be difficult to overcome.

One of the reasons I started to learn how to play guitar is because its so much different than what I do a day to day basis with my regular job. I can forget, or disconnect, for a while from typing code into an editor or trying to find the right design elements for a particular page or component.

Finally

The last thing I want to point out is you dont have to go camping to disconnect yourself. No matter what you do or for how long it is, the most important part of this whole thing is to stay off of your phone and away from digital influence for a set amount of time.

I know that being able to go camping is a privilege not everyone has. I feel extremely lucky that I have the flexibility, money and equipment to make this happen. If camping isnt an option, go to a park, go on a long walk, go feed the birds, go do something that is outside for as long as you can.

Give your eyes and brain a break, drink a ton of water and enjoy what life is outside of a computer screen.

As always, thanks for reading.