Consumption is the Opposite of Creativity

This season is a lot. Creativity is the antidote.

I’m writing this on Christmas Eve, what some people consider the climax of the holiday season. We’ve been ramping up to this for months, making plans, gift lists, menus, deadlines, etc. We’re at the top of the holiday rollercoaster, soaking up the holiday light-induced serotonin for a few more hours.

I usually love the holidays. I look forward to nostalgia, the traditions and the usual softening and slowing we allow ourselves as we wind down the year. Except this year, I’m not really feeling the last two things. December was a full-court press to get as much done as humanly possible before corporate-mandated holidays kicked in. There’s been minimal downtime to truly rest between dropping my work-related tasks and picking up my holiday-related tasks. I happily shut off my work computer yesterday, only to find myself stress-shopping for presents because, even though my family agreed we weren’t doing presents this year, I missed the memo that they actually meant “we’re not doing a lot of presents this year”. Cool. If you were one of the people who saw me shopping the scattered remains of the Target Gifting Section in a fugue state, I apologize. I’m doing my best.

Call me a millennial, but the older I get, the more the holidays feel like an activity rather than a moment. Whatever happened to the good old days when you could just disassociate in front of a crackling fire for like, 4-8 hours? When did we get so far away from napping as an activity?

Whether you’re a fan of the holidays or not, you have to admit this season comes with a lot - a lot of pressure to buy the perfect gifts, a lot of so-called deals, a lot of end of end-of-year gatherings, a lot of holiday to-dos, a lot of traditions (some of which you may or may not not enjoy), lots of wrap-up calls, lots of getting expenses in, lots of years in review, lots of recipes, lots of…a lot.

And on top of everything we’re expected to get, buy, cook and produce, we’re also supposed to make room to receive. Receive gifts, warm wishes, out-of-town guests, second helpings, and, of course, presents. While it’s all done with positive intent (hello! I would be lying if I said gifts weren’t a love language of mine), it also needs to be said that it’s completely normal to feel a bit stuff-hungover after the holidays (as well as actually hungover). Leave it to capitalism to make a holiday feel like work.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to combat this holiday fatigue. It’s tiredness that I’m fully away is so much deeper than something a lazy long weekend can fix, and yet the window to address it (before the New Year and we return to work) gets smaller moment by moment. The answer is simple and maybe counterintuitive: creativity.

When you think about it, creativity is the direct opposite of consumption. They can’t exist at the same time. Consumption is a bottomless pit we can never fill, creativity is an endless well we can’t drain. Consumption is present, reflexive, in the moment. Creativity takes reflection, interpretation and curiosity. This season tricks us into thinking we don’t have enough, creativity shows us what we already have inside of us.

And while my schedule still feels jam-packed with family activities the next few days. I’m carving out time for my creative pursuits. I’m using my film camera while I walk my dogs out in the desert. I’m editing my pilot before rolling out of bed. I’m writing this. And I’m trying to remove as many shoulds as possible. And that feels like more than enough.

What are you doing to nurture your creativity right now? Let me know in the comments.

PS. After writing this, I think maybe the Grinch wasn’t a villain, but instead a really tired creative. Thoughts? I’m kidding. Unless…