Paige Shryock
  • About
  • Wedding
  • Portrait
  • Design
  • FAQ's
  • For Business Owners
  • Contact

I Gave Up *Personal Post Alert*

3/21/2018

0 Comments

 
"The past is a place of reference,
​not a place of residence"
-anonymous
Picture
For years and years, Lent has been tradition the week prior to Easter. I’ve tried to give up a lot of things for lent: Potato chips, cursing, wine, etc. Probably any bad habit, not-so-good for you can think of, I’ve tried to give it up. This year it was a no brainer I wanted to give up social media, and not going to lie I was super intimidated. I decided on Instagram and Facebook and while I knew the challenges I’d face considering my worlds revolved around these two platforms. Truthfully, I didn’t think I could do it knowing that a decent part of my business is marketed online, which prompted me to create rules and boundaries. Most of which I broke numerous times. (lol) I’ll be honest there were weeks where I stuck to my rules and I’d be almost like detoxing. I look at my situation and know now it wasn’t necessarily facebook and Instagram I was running from but the constant state of competition and engagement we’re interacting in whether we like it or not. During this time I felt rested… Paige girl, what. I know I’m crazy but hear me out. These social media rules or for the non business owners, the social norm, that surround these two are exhausting. You have to post at prim hours, the algorithm is causing people not to see your post, come up with a witty caption, the edit/filter/layout of that isn’t good or isn’t your aesthetic (my least favorite word). Like how could this toxicity compare to those others years of giving up junk food and cursing. I realized during these forty days these platforms themselves weren’t design to be evil and addictive but the culture that surrounds them can be. And maybe this is me. Maybe I shouldn’t take things to heart or care whether I’m doing this “thing” right but I can’t help that’s who I am, and this is my opinion. When I look to see how many followers and likes I’m gaining is defining myself worth that’s the moment I need step away.
 
These last forty days I’ve written things for me and began reading books that aren’t creative focus. I’ve made the effort (and it’s a lot for me) to exercised and studied (it must’ve not been too stressful since I passed my first praxis!). I’ve become obsessed with essential oils and my new diffuser and my favorite thing is to turn it on at the end of a long day and watch different conspiracy theories on YouTube. I’ve explored places and museum with people I love and spent more engaging with people in person versus on a computer screen. want say giving social media help me to gain these things, but I can say it got me out a funk I’ve been struggling for at least two years now.
 
I gave up trying to be so perfect. The day to day struggle of comparison, worrying if I’m doing this thing called life right. I had always been the type to beat to my own drum and finding that again for me feels so good. In this rat race to what it means to be successful I had forgotten that; I had forgotten who I was especially with the new career path pressure I was under. Giving up the social media comparison game and fear of what I wasn’t doing gave me time to think of things I want to do and accomplish! Does this mean I’m going to detox from social media for fourty days again, probably not. Do I think I need unplug spend time doing things and being with people that make me want to be me, unapologetically me? Abso freaking lutely, because that's the person my student, clients, and family loves and needs.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture


    Journal 

    Creating + Art Education. Probably covered in paint or photoshopping something. Believer in Unicorns, Ice Coffee, and the in between of
    creating & finish product.

    Categories

    All
    Annapolis
    Art Education
    Artists
    Artist-statements
    Art Work
    Baltimore
    Catonsville
    Chesapeake Beach
    Creative Writing
    Edgewater
    Engagement
    Event
    Everlasting Dualities
    Exhibitions
    Family
    Graduation
    In Home
    Maryland
    Maryland Hall
    Maternity
    Mississippi
    Museum Studies
    Paint
    Personal
    Personal Update
    Post Graduate
    Product
    PS I Love You
    Rising Tide Society
    RTS
    St. Leonard
    Thesis
    University Museum
    Visual Journaling
    Wanderlust
    Washington D.C.
    Wedding

    Archives

    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • About
  • Wedding
  • Portrait
  • Design
  • FAQ's
  • For Business Owners
  • Contact