Ellipses, Jan 4… Reframing your toxic relationship with technology

Ellipses • Issue #39

Ellipses… a small, special character.
Used by writers to slow down, create a pause, and indicate thinking.

⚫️ 1 tip: Making the most out of what you already have 🪶

No matter your financial situation or what setbacks you face in life, you can get more mileage out of what you already have by looking inward and immediately around you instead of chasing what you don’t have.

It’s easy, especially in this world of global social media, to compare your situation to others:

• They have more followers than me

• Their art supplies are better than mine

• They have equipment I don’t own

• I could succeed if I just had XYZ

For me, thumbing through social media leaves me feeling like it’s me versus the world. Little ol’ me stares up at the big monster, which is a big amorphous blob of a combination of everyone else. This big monster has infinite success, has worked with the biggest brands in the world, has impeccable feed visual coherence, and has talent oozing out its ears.

But in reality? My Instagram feed is a collection of specks of tiny people, just like me, who are sharing their vision, art, and stories with the world. They’re at various stages in their financial and artist journeys, and are making the most out of what they have in front of them.

Let’s flip around the sentiment of, “I could succeed like that person if I just had more (time/money/supplies/energy/talent)” and use this jealousy to our advantage: That envy shows you which direction you want to go.

Admire someone’s illustration style? Pick up a pencil and a piece of paper and draw more. Practice developing your own style.

Love someone’s cohesive feed? Take a photo styling course and get creative by collecting things around your house you already own that fit within your desired aesthetic.

Jealous of posts with tons of likes and comments? Ask yourself how you might be able to get more validation from your work. It might even be sharing your art with those you’re closest with and who feed your creative journey, rather than chasing virality on Instagram.

Show up, use what you have, and make the most out of it.

⚫️ 1 link: Learn about microjournaling 🔗

Speaking of a bad relationship with Instagram: I came across this Struthless video that changed my relationship with social media. He replaced his social media apps with a note-taking app to microjournal instead of checking his feeds—for a year.

I’m 10 days into the swap of journaling for social media compulsion, personally, but I already feel lighter and more grounded.

⚫️ 1 journal prompt: Try microjournaling 📔

Give this a shot. Either add a journaling or notes app, or replace your social media apps with it. (I use Day One. It’s a fantastic journaling app with biometric privacy and a great UI. I don’t have an affiliation with them—I’ve used it since 2012 and just love it.)

Every time you pick up your phone to check social media, open your journaling app and write down a thought instead. It doesn’t have to be a full-fledged journal entry; it can be a quick idea or whatever is on your mind.

Thanks for reading!

Hit reply to chat further on any of the above. I’m an open book and I love to hear from you. See you next week.

Be safe and well,

🖤 Jenny