I haven’t taken a break from instagram since I created my first account in 2013. I remember posting for the first time- it was a photo of my breakfast (what else were we posting back then?) with Vogue staged perfectly off center flipped open to an article about how to incorporate statement, oversized jewelry into your everyday wardrobe. And to answer my own question in hindsight; No Lulu, that article placement did not make your classmates think you were cool.

For the last ten years Instagram has been my go-to for social media (I’m not witty enough for Twitter and was not funny enough for Vine (RIP)). While old accounts have been archived and posts have been deleted to preserve the aesthetic of the grid (sigh.) Instagram has become apart of my creative identity. The ten year mark sounds a bit alarming when I type it out and makes me feel like a one month social media break really isn’t enough, but it was still a good amount of time for someone who is a serial poster and scroller to stop and smell the roses.

If you perused last months newsletter you will recall that the Barbie movie put a surprising amount of weight on my shoulders. And no, it wasn't just because I bought Mattel stock. It was just some good old self reflection which ultimately inspired me to delete the apps that we all find so distracting and focus on things in life that bring me joy.

So without further adieu please review my findings and I hope they may inspire you to take a break and not feel the pressure of the online world.

The Importance of Creative Downtime:
I tried to introduce myself to creative downtime earlier in the year but it turned into me not being creative and just scrolling on instagram for hours. Clearly, there was a flaw in the plan. As someone who spends 80% of life trying to fulfill their creative endeavors and the other 20% stressing about how to fulfill their creative endeavors I can standby the statement I recently read that said “creative individuals are often fueled by a relentless passion for their craft.” However, amidst that hustle and bustle of creative pursuits, I found that with a little social media break I was able to relax and actually take in a true feeling of creative downtime. I started journaling, sketching and mindlessly painting and just trying to unlearn the idea that my time had to be filled with productive actions at all times.

Taking time to not do anything creative may initially seem counterintuitive, but when you are actually experiencing it- it feels essential.

Breaking The Habit:
When I thought about writing this newsletter I imagined adding in photos of the paintings I was attempting or the hikes I went on, but halfway through this little excursion I stopped taking photos. It surprised me (a serial poster) how quickly I discarded my phone. It was honestly a weight off my shoulder to not document every little thing. I have some good photos from my birthday and then of some stunning slabs of marble I saw at a stone yard, otherwise it really just passed me by in the best way possible.

To me, I thought the challenging part of this would be not posting. As someone who uses instagram mainly for building a business I constantly feel a pressure to be active and engaged online. However, the actual challenge quickly highlighted its self when I realized I was checking my phone an ungodly amount of times. I would reach for my phone and look for the instagram app right after I put my phone down after realizing I didn’t have the instagram app. This took a few days to work out, but I ultimately made it to the other side and never looked back (except for I did post a story after I saw the Taylor Swift concert that I got tickets to 10 months prior, sorry - not sorry)

Creating Space:

I mentioned this before, but something that has really stood out to me in the last few months is the idea that our brains do have a capacity for intake.

I had been feeling like I couldn’t really design or get an idea out on paper and it became a bit frustrating until it dawned on me that I really just didn’t have the capacity to intake so much content and also engage with the ideas that had been forming in my mind. So with this brief content pause underway I found that I was able to really drill down and think about design from my own perspective instead of what’s being fed to me by an algorithm. I enjoyed the emptiness that allowed my brain to breath and give way to new ideas instead of feeling overwhelmed with too much content. I finally felt the spark to design and begin prototyping new ideas and can’t wait to share them.

Embracing Self-Discovery (this sounds so cheesy, but stay with me):

Back in July I absolutely panicked because some girl on TikTok asked the viewer to think of something on the spot that they love to do outside work and I couldn’t think of anything (this may just be because I can never think of anything to say on the spot, but it still got to me). So during this time offline my only goal was to drill down and think about things I really love to do outside of designing furniture. I felt like this also went hand and hand with the non-creative time because it allowed me to look beyond my career goals and my creative goals and instead just focus on what I love as an individual.

I’m not here to dive into all the details of my self discovery, I am really just trying to drive the point home that a break from all social media is something I am rapidly recommending to anyone that will listen (or open my newsletters)

With all that being said; until now, I’ve personally never felt the need to take a break from social media. I have always really enjoyed being online and I on a typical day I don’t leave instagram feeling jealous and envious of peoples lives or overwhelmed with the amount of content. Instead I really try to take away the best parts I can find, like interior design inspiration, following designers I look up to and just the overall idea that we can connect with such a massive community with just a message and press of a button. But even with a positive outlook I didn’t realize how much I needed the break until it was over.

Talk soon(ish),
Lulu LaFortune

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