24 Hours Later: A Day Without Social Networks

As you know, yesterday I stepped away from the world of social media for 24 hours. For the entire day of Thursday, I resisted all temptations to check my Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, G+, and Instagram feeds.

And, you know what? It felt great.

Actually, the word I’d like to use is refreshing. Without the constant waterhose of status updates from Facebook and Twitter, I felt much more in control of my day. I could focus on my work. I had solitude. I had clarity in my thoughts.

Letting go of such staples like Facebook and Twitter wasn’t easy, though.

There were several times throughout the morning where I wanted to share a tweet or a process update, but I resisted the urge. Not posting constant updates of my art process on Instagram allowed me to slow down and really focus my attention and time on the work itself. I felt, for the first time in a LONG time, that I was creating a piece of art for myself, not for someone else’s vapid consumption.

To sum up, yesterday allowed me to see the benefit of being away from social networks. There was more ‘signal’ (focus) and less ‘noise’ (distractions). As a result, I felt more relaxed. I felt less pressure. I felt more in control of how I spent my day. And I accomplished more in the process.

Does this mean I’ll abandon all social networks for good? No. Part of being a cartoonist requires that I spend time on social networks to engage with others and to promote my work. I’ll still continue to do that. But my presence on networks like Facebook and Twitter will be limited from here on out. If that means more carefully thought out art and well-crafted blog posts, then it’s a win-win in my books.

-Krishna