There's a thought provoking post over at Fresh Creation about what happens when we turn down the media noise around us.
As part of an experiment where he took up meditation for six months, Dutch designer and copywriter Martijn van Osch also cut down his media consumption to the bare minimum - a scan of one news website a day, two magazine subscriptions, taped documentaries or films and the unavoidable exposure to billboard and ambient advertising.
That's not completely cutting yourself off from the world, but it's a drastic reduction nonetheless. Especially for someone who works in a sector where the received wisdom is that taking in as much media as possible helps you in your job.
Martijn's conclusions suggest that the opposite could be possible as well. Having to rely on your own senses, the company of yourself and that of other people, can actually foster creativity.
Among the five lessons he learned, two involved having a more positive outlook thanks to no longer hearing a constant drum-beat of bad news. He experienced more in his day to day life, and had to find useful ways to fill the extra hours that were suddenly at his disposal (at his reckoning 2 and a half).
Martijn is not suggesting that the media is a bad thing, rather he wants to raise awareness, "so more people will start to regain control of (a part of) their life and start creating / doing whatever they think will really add value to their and others’ lives."
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2 comments:
Wow. I was just telling an editor at BusinessWeek that he should try Twitter, since it is a much easier way to communicate than keeping up with so many blogs ...
And now I find your post, spot on. Maybe the reason that early bloggers are moving away to Tweets and other tools is that as one medium expands, eventually we can't possibly keep up. There is so much noise.
Part of communicating is listening to yourself, and for that, you need to protect a little space inside.
Are you on Twitter? LMK. http://twitter.com/benkunz
Thanks Ben, what Martyn writes sounds counter-intuitive for someone in our industry and I know we're constantly encouraging our colleagues to read and devour more news. But there is also some sense in what he says.
Re Twitter, indeed I am (twitter.com/dirkthecow), though at the moment, more reading what other people are up to....I must start posting.
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