Consume or create? | Aesthetics of the Absurd
The first draft of this was in the fall… of 2022. Lots more to say here, but obviously the issues of procrastination, perfectionism, and general time management rear their ugly head. Since then I've consumed too much, so let's start off 2025 in the direction of more creation (including the top photo, from Hawaii in 2022):
Who doesn't love to do a little consuming? From the low-brow trashy TV to the big, dense novel, there's so much more than we can ever hope to experience. And, of course, it is easier than ever to access just about anything you could possibly want.
I won't deny it: I love it. And I love spending almost as much time finding the next best thing to consume. (Yes, I definitely spend more time browsing through titles than actually watching them.) It is a privilege and luxury to have the time and means to "consume" rather than "survive."
But, and you knew there was a "but" coming, it is too easy to consume rather than produce something creative. So easy it leads to consuming winning out over producing, over and over, becoming the default. In other words, it is too easy to watch Netflix or YouTube or browse social media and drain yourself of that vital essence to create something.
