This is personal so please DO share it. But somethow don't get addicted to sharing!
There are so many internet addiction traps that I keep falling into and somehow manage to get out alive, yes alive!
The latest was my addiction to looking at other artist's work. Each day I grew hungrier and hungrier, devouring art, collecting, sampling, drooling, vibing, coveting, desirous, in love, but NOT HAPPY.
I put it all down to market research and art crushes.
One of the cards from my upcoming Lefty Oracle Deck
Each day I'd troll the Instagram feed to find new artists and illustrators to follow, new websites to pour over, new trends to study, more art to love, but it was killing me. I wanted to die! I could never catch up; be good enough, market-savvy enough, hip enough, and my website especially just couldn't compete with the branding and storytelling of the Millenial Generation (born 1980-2000) who had it down pat. (I'm Generation X born between 1965 and 1980).
So, how did things finally change? Well, I'd already made two Social Media Addiction breaking bargains with the Divine (links below) in which I stopped trolling the feed and sharing every little thing on Facebook and Instagram (except for my blog posts and the occasional personal photo - maybe once a week) because posting led to compulsively checking 'likes' or my follower count; all positive reinforcement releasing 'happy' juice or serotonin in the brain which is highly addictive.
Bargain #2 with the Divine involved me not checking the Instagram Feed (I'd stopped checking the Facebook Feed about 3 years ago).
Now, for a biggie. I HAD to stop looking at other artist's work online. For some reason looking at artist books and magazines did NOT have a negative effect.
So there you have it. Now, here's what you can do if you have the same problem.
- Identify the problem
- Decide to stop.
- Get help and yes, I'm available.
- Stick to it. It gets easier after 24 hours and especially after one week.
- Feel the difference - get YOU back, get back your life, your time, your friends, your family.
About Kathy
Kathy currently lives and works in Temecula, California with her two dogs and architect husband in an adobe style home they built themselves. When she's not journaling, painting or reading souls, she can be found dancing to techno or Zeppelin, making nettle infusion, or reading two to three books at the same time.
