This last week I gave myself a vacation, well more like a ‘staycation’. It was a stay at home and catch up sort of break. Being designer/editor to both American Miniaturist and Dollhouse Miniatures is a very intense job and I love it! It’s fast paced and things change quickly. Being a regular contributor is also intense. It’s not part of my contract with Ashdown, but it’s very enjoyable to share and inspire.
Weeks leading up to my staycation, any feelings of joy while creating had vanished. You know that wonderful feeling when your imagination feels as if it’s floating around and carrying you along? Sort of like a Red Bull commercial. :) That feeling had been gone for months. Suddenly it was clear that a little break was needed.
After having my Instagram account suddenly shut down a few weeks ago I decided to create this blog because it’s less likely to disappear at the snap of an algorithm’s finger. Then the IG account came back. I didn’t fully trust that there was not a hacker behind the scenes and already started a new IG account. (BTW the support from our community in spreading the word about my new IG account was overwhelming. I felt the love and our community has LOTS of love!) I immediately announced this blog there incase the new IG account also turned to dust.
Then this week my original account was suddenly taken away again. This time it did hit me a little harder and this is why – I gave something that was unstable to much of myself. What is it they say, you get what you pay for? Well IG is free so you can’t complain when you’re bombarded with ads and stalked by hackers and spam or deleted. But seeing all the projects and messaging other makers and sharing stories is so enjoyable.
Social media can sweep you up and easily carry you away. It's full of endless stimulation, often more than one should have in a day to be healthy. We become programed to pick up our phones and swipe, it becomes habitual. All the while Instagram’s only intention is to sell advertising. No human support, only a cumbersome help website. Basically we are working for Instagram so they can sell advertising, but we get no assistance when we have issues. Interesting. But they have made it so much fun, when it is working, we just get on the ride with no forethought. I have been reading that many people are leaving IG because they are realizing this and because of the rise in deleted accounts and hacking.
Upon waking up this morning, in a place of peace. I wrote down things that make me happiest about creating; Inspiring others to create, sharing my knowledge, encouraging others to push their creativity and self esteem, sharing my creations/collection with those that appreciate miniatures and selling my art to those that will cherish each piece. These are all things that can easily be done without IG. There are endless amounts of stable platforms to do all of these things.
Social media can’t take away your creativity if it disappears. Yes, you do make friends on social media and the art is inspirational. Just be sure to have a healthy relationship with it. Go there for a purpose, not just because your bored or because it’s a habit. Keep a list of your favorite accounts on paper or in your computer. If IG or FB decide to shut you down without warning you can start a new and still visit your favorite makers and message friends.
Yes, you will loose your follower numbers, but true connections are more valuable than numbers…right? The algorithms keep a large percentage of your followers from seeing your posts anyway and many only follow to be followed back. Human connections are real and valuable. This should be our priority as a society.
Feel free to comment and share any thoughts on this, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. Now I’m off to let my imagination sweep me away. Big hugs to all of you! ~Auralea
