Let's talk resolutions, because why not? I don't usually go in for the whole New Year thing very much, as it's just as arbitrary as anything else, but change it always good in my book. Why not use the calendar to mark an occasion for change… maybe it can do some good.
This might not be very art-related I suppose, but as always I maintain that everything we think about ends up manifesting within the creative process anyway. Over the last week I've been doing a whole lot of paintings, so I feel nourished creatively either way, which might explain this train of thought.
Something I've known for the longest time is just how much I hate the internet. Actually, I should refine that to how much I hate social media, as it's such an oxymoron. Not only that, it seems that when we get an opportunity to blather about anything we like, we often tend to focus on the negative. That or we try and be so 'clever' that others will notice and maybe lots of other accounts will agree with us. I'm just as guilty as anyone else, but for a long time I've been meaning to make a change.
Ultimately it's a simply move to limiting any social media presence to one of positivity alone. Thankfully this isn't so much of a shift, partly because I don't really use social media much, but partly because I don't think I'm THAT negative anyway. Sure I bitch and complain as much as the next guy, but I do already try and hold back a little.
Although, it's not as simple as positivity, as I mentioned that 'cleverness' that everyone seems so hell bent on achieving. It's the 'hot takes' and jokes that really get me down when I look at social media. Everyone thinks they're a comedian and it often comes off in a mean spirited way because the easiest joke to make is one at someone else's expense.
I don't support teasing and bullying in real life, so I'd like to think that I wouldn't put up with it on the internet either. I guess it's easier to ignore online than it is in person, but that needs to change. Suffice to say that I think I'll actively remove myself from feeds and follows that spend too much time trying to be 'clever' with their hot takes on everything, and stick with stuff that brings the happy.
After all, that's the resolution I've been thinking about: happiness. I'm a pretty happy person in from day to day and I enjoy my life for what it is. However, there's always room for improvement and I would suggest that anyone else out there could always do with a bit more happiness in their life as well. It's not a hard thing to do, and we all have the ability to create as much happiness as we want, so let's do it.
This means all the generic things we all know, like being kind to others and not being mean. Instead of making fun of someone, share a laugh about a funny situation or something else that doesn't put anyone down. Give out compliments instead of criticism. We all have insecurities about the things we don't like, but we rarely get reminded of the things that others think are cool. You don't have to be weird about it, but take the opportunity to congratulate another person, or compliment them on their work. There's always something good in everyone, so let's try and focus on that instead of the meaningless little things we dislike.
As I said already, I'm as much at fault as anyone when it comes to focusing on negativity, but that's the point of this post. My biggest resolution that I'd like to see change in the short term is a shift to focusing on positivity and happiness. It has to be an uplifting change, no matter which way you look at it.
Most things don't matter anyway, so let's focus on the things that do. Genuine laughs, positive relationships, good food, good times, and Rage Against The Machine.