I had a weird feeling after I posted my first Youtube video with my face in it.
I wasn’t sure how to describe this feeling when I walked into work Monday morning with a smile.
The only thought that came to mind was, “I’ve created something!”
The thing is, I’VE BEEN CREATING SHIT FOR YEARS!
But this time, I’d actually put myself out there. Not in words, not in a picture I drew, but my actual self; my face and voice.
When I showed my sister, she said she actually laughed. Not at me, but because the video was funny to her.
With that, I knew I’d done at least something right.
It gave me a very subtle feeling of…happiness? No–it was…satisfaction! Yeah, that’s what it felt like.
It was a different kind of satisfaction than you’d get from watching a funny video or eating a good meal.
But that was my sticking point. I couldn’t quite articulate the difference between the two. Between consumption and creation.
What I eventually concluded was that the consumption of something leaves you feeling satisfied in the moment, whereas the creation of something has a longer lasting effect.
To elaborate, once you create something and it’s out there, you can actually go back and look at it as a record of your past self. You think “Hey, I remember when I made that! I was such an amateur back then. But I’m glad I did it.”
With consumption, you quite don’t get that.
What I feel when I consume a piece of content is one of three things. Either:
- I just wasted a piece of my life. Goddammit.
- I learned something and enriched my life a bit
- I enjoyed this piece of entertainment.
Whatever satisfaction (or lack thereof) I derive from that work largely ends when the content does. It only continues when I watch it again, talk about it with others, apply it to my life, or think, “Hey, I remember watching that… (see #1 – 3 above).”
Creation seems to be a satisfaction that keeps on giving; in that once your work is out there, you can look back on it and know it came from you.
And while consumption isn’t inherently negative, too much can ironically leave you feeling empty after a while, with a hole that can only be filled with more content, more stuff.
To me,
Consumption is best placed as the fuel for creation. In the same way that food is fuel for the body.
Creation can provide a true sense of satisfaction that no amount of consumption can fill.
At least, that’s my conclusion until life shows me otherwise!
Until next time friends,
-Ken