Completely Out of Touch (Part two)

In the last post, I shared that I was not longer intentionally consuming news or social media. And while this is a challenge for me in many ways, it is a trade off that I made for my own sanity.

But the benefits have largely outweighed the costs. Let’s review them again, shall we?

1.      A ton of time

2.      Increased mental bandwidth

3.      The ability to form my own opinions on a topic, even if they differ from people with similar political leanings as myself.

4.      Normal blood pressure.

5.      An “outsider” point of view. Meaning, I can view my culture through my own lens and not through the narrative of the culture.

6.      I am out of touch.

So you’ve noticed that I put “out of touch” as a benefit. No, that’s not a mistake.

 You see, I like being a little out of touch. For one, I tend not to worry too much about what’s in style. Also, and related, by not consuming much media in general, I avoid most advertising. That means I’m not compelled to talk to my doctor about a certain drug, or buy the latest phone, or drive the newest car.

Actually, I like to reframe being out of touch as an artistic constraint. Artistic constraints or limitations are intentional boundaries put in place to fuel creativity. Consider this article for artists on the topic.

By limiting my inputs, I can choose topics and explore ideas that no one else is. I can turn a concept around a few times prior to deciding which way to take it. By limiting my inputs, I force myself to be creative. Innovation can follow. 

Artists are actually more creative when they don’t have everything at their disposal. When they must overcome challenge of working within a certain set of boundaries.

Perhaps they use a completely different set of tools or try out a material they’ve never used. In this case, all convention goes out the window. They must carve a new path.

For example, one of my favorite fabric artists, Bisa Butler, describes artistic constraints that her professors placed on her work, and how that influences her art practice now. Another artist, Benjamin Shine, began to make stunning portraits constraining his material to only gauzy fabric. Check out his incredible process here.

In trying something totally new, in working under certain constraints, serendipity has an easier time getting in. Limitation is really an elegant boundary which guides imagination. 

If I am out of touch, I no longer have to play with conventional ideas in conventional ways. I can live and work and create in a boundary of my own choosing. When I do interact with conventional ideas, I can turn them around and examine them the way I choose, not in the way I should choose.  

I know, it’s just so radical. Counter-cultural. Dare I say cool? 

The point is, for me, letting go of too much social media and news brings me a sense of freedom. Maybe this comes from an increase in my time or mental bandwidth. But it might also come from regaining agency over my own thought process.

If you haven’t ever turned off social media for a month, you might give it a try. You need a solid 30 days, though. I’m not going to paint a rosy picture for you…it’s not the easiest thing I ever did. But once I made it through those first 30 days, I knew there was no going back.

So go ahead…give it a good college try. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find you too benefit from being out of touch.