This year, I have felt like I’m in some kind of funk. I have been lacking motivation and ideas. I get in front of my sewing machine, sew a couple of lines and then take a break. As the year progressed, I noticed the time spent on social media (especially Instagram) increased and by the beginning of June it was at least 2 hours a day. The constant visual stimuli of Instagram, and watching what others were producing (which felt like over productivity) was feeding the inadequacy I was feeling. I was feeling anxiety about not making progress around my own work.
With my birthday being around the corner, I decided to take a break from social media for the month of June. My hopes were to take time to find me again. My goals for this month were:
- Take some me time
- Take an Instagram break
- Work on my book for 1 hour each day
- Spend a minimum of 1 hour sewing every day
Everyone was so supportive about taking a break. I lost only 2 followers on Instagram after the announcement. Those that might be wondering about how it all turned out, I got some mixed results. The biggest lesson I learnt was I need to expand it to all electronic use, unless I need to use it to accomplish the tasks I sent forth. Why? Well, you might all of a sudden binge watch all episodes of House and Dawsons Creek. 😉
Some of the positives, I was more present and more focused. I found I was more open to some design inspiration and did collect more of my book thoughts. I got some quilt this done but not as much as I would have liked (due to the binge watching).
Being Present
I did manage to add a new cubby to my solid fabric storage and its all stored based on color card order.
I was more present in my life. I visited Saxapahaw, NC for my birthday …
…and my little one graduated elementary school. So proud of him, as he was awarded the technology award for his track and grade.
Quilt Design
I did find that my mind is more open, so designs came fast and hang around in my head until I got them down on paper. I found my expressing some of my feelings in some of these. Captions are provided to explain some of the inspiration.
Crack of Light – inspired by hope of light that shines through when times are dark.
Pressure – pressure on an object causes it to give, become divided or split.
Road markings inspired by temporary lines that were drawn due to road closures.
Inspired by a image of a vintage tractor grate.
Playing with lines, inspired by volume sound bars.
What my minimalist Log Cabin design would look like.
Improvisation lines and frames inspired by ladders steps
Quilts
I did make some progress on a few quilts. I have multiple projects in different stages.
I worked on some binding projects. Two of which are book quilt finishes.
…finished a couple of quilt tops.
Coliseum Quilt – A book project
Correlation Matrix – work on my 100 days of colored angles.
… worked on some straight line quilting for my rotating spokes book project.
…and finished of one quilt that was shipped off to a magazine. It should be published in November, when I will have a big reveal.
So, all in all pretty productive. I will definitely be considering another one this year. I am thinking that it should be something I do at least once every six months.
Have you tried a social media break? What worked and what didn’t work?
Factotum of Arts 
Michelle, thanks for this blog post. I also needed to take a break from social media. And I do not miss it at all – too much distraction for me, too much virtual life. The time spend on social media can be used to do something “real”. I prefer to concentrate on WP posts, but on a regular base. And not to forget about sewing and quilting.
Your quilts and tops are stunning as well the quilt designs. Looking forward too see your quilt in a magazine and your book!
Thank you. I am still working on spending less time on Instagram and reducing my time each day when I am not working. Unfortunately blogging is where I decreased which was just a time constraint issue. Obviously could be fixed by not being on IG as much. Always a work in progress 🙂
Appreciated your post and thoughtfulness. I’m in a bit of a funk too and not sure what to do about it. Love the newly inspired designs and your quilt progress….
Thanks for this thoughtful post. I too have been caught up in joining in on IG and being part of some FB quilting groups. I guess that has run its course in me because currently I’m dismayed by how little the FB groups have helped or been gratifying. I also realize I need to put myself on a schedule and stick to it to reduce the wasted time “breaks” that weren’t really needed. For me it’s the fragmentation of efforts that I need to change to feel productive. And even though I’m retired now, I have realized that feeling productive is still very important to me and I need to prioritize and schedule to make it happen. Your post came at a perfect time to help me see that it’s not just me.
I am definitely moving toward slowly consuming less on social media as life shifts. I am glad you took the time and felt more present. I would definitely like to feel that way more consistently as well and find that social media is a bit of a double edged sword. Overall, how is your book coming? It’s definitely exciting to see that you are making progress on it.
Thank you for sharing. Social media is certainly a magnet for me. It has paralyzed me creativity. I need to take that time and use it productively. I’m sure I would be happier with myself, much more than I am now.
It’s wonderful that you took sometime off from media! We do too much as it is . So overwhelming! The brain needs some rest! We’re your true followers, that admire your talent and creativity. Do what is best for you and your family 👏🌺😘
Although I missed your posts 😉 I did think taking a break from social media was an inspired idea that more of us probably need to embrace. Interesting to now read your reasoning behind it. I have often wondered if/how constantly seeing other people’s creations has had an impact on my own creativity…