Creating not CURATING
Written By : Grace Wedienhamer
I’m coming to you live from a coffee shop where I’m watching two girls going back and forth snapping photos of each other, changing poses, pretending to sip on their drinks. Don’t get me wrong, the photos were gorgeous, but it made me think: are we actually living our lives, or simply curating them?
Now, I will preface this by saying these girls were sitting there having what seemed to be a meaningful conversation for about an hour. And honestly, I was more impressed with the length of the conversation than the grid-worthy photos they took.
How often do we engage in social activities, visit a new place, schedule our days, or go on vacation simply to “get the content?” I’m guilty of dressing up to go to the farmers' market just in case I decide to snap a few photos. I’ve gone out to dinner with friends just to spend hours taking and re-taking pictures. When I visit a new place, the first thing I do is pull out my camera, instead of taking it all in.
I look back on some photos and can’t even remember the event deeper than the photos I took of it. Sure, I got a really artsy shot that night, but for what? For a couple hundred to see it and then forget it even existed after they swipe away?
We see care-free influencers sharing their lives and think that we will experience true freedom if we can only curate that exact lifestyle. Wrong. True freedom comes from releasing the chains - the need to curate and capture - and embracing what brings us pure happiness, whatever that looks like to you.
I’m a creative person, so I do truly love creating content and making art. But sometimes I get caught up in making content for others instead of for the person that matters - me. Instead of curating a life that other people envy online, we should be curating a life that WE love, regardless of Insta likes.
If you still enjoy capturing memories (like me) but want to live a little less curated, here are some things you can incorporate into your life:
● Instead of only capturing/posting the perfect photo, try incorporating the behind-the-scenes moments. Take a photo of your spilled coffee or your post-meal mess. A true artist can make not-so-aesthetic parts of life into something eye-opening and meaningful.
● Instead of capturing moments to remember via camera, try bringing along a journal and writing about your experience. Nail down the nitty-gritty details with your words. Practice capturing the essence of the moment through descriptive language and learn how to express “vibes” on a page, not a screen.
● Create digital boundaries. Maybe you leave your devices at home on date nights because some things are worth keeping for just the two of you. Maybe Sundays are reserved for analog activities. Brunch can be enjoyed without photo evidence, books can
be read without curating the perfectly effortless coffee shop setup, and slow mornings can be enjoyed without posting a TikTok about it.
The more we can shift from external validation from our phones to a deep internal fulfillment, the more we can enjoy our lives. Let’s stop curating and start creating a life we love.