Social media is an integral part of our lives, just as much if not more than television and radio. The tools available let us share words and images to convey to the world what is on our minds. For many, it’s a way to stay connected with family members and friends without having to be tied to a phone. For businesses, it is another avenue to reach clients and use marketing tools to offer incentives. For creative folks, it’s the simplest and quickest way put their work out there for all to see without having to invest a lot of time and money, or waiting for an art jury to determine if their work is worthy.
Sounds like the perfect set of tools for creatives, right? But wait a minute, there are some out there who believe social media “kills the creative spirit.” JT Ellison, a New York Times bestselling author, alleges in her blog that it “might be hurting you” because “every minute you spend on [social media] is another minute you aren’t writing, or reading. Nurturing your creative spirit.” In short, she agrees it is a necessary evil, but can quickly become a time thief and prevent one from focusing on priorities. She offers a few questions to ask yourself to determine if you are spending too much time on social media. She goes on further to mention a few things she has done to manage her time with it and what her limits are in using it. She is open an honest about how it has affected her and how she chooses to nip creativity killers in the bud.
On the other side of the coin, many creatives view social media as a source for ideas and inspiration – it does provide a fast-moving stream of ideas. We can create our own idea archives in digital form versus thumbing through books and magazines, which may result in an idea pile taking up desk or floor space (guilty!). Social media also allows us to follow our favorite artists, writers, photographers, and who or whatever else inspires us. Sometimes seeing the works others produce might help us get past a creative block.
So, does social media kill creativity or is it fuel for inspiration? I think it depends on how we value our time and how well we use what is given to us. If the number items or files in our idea archives far outnumber the works we have produced, perhaps therein lies the answer.
I plea the fifth!
