You're either reading this on the last day of 2024 (on the day I write this), or sometime in the foggy future. This is not a retrospective of accomplishments, quite the contrary. with tomorrow being day 1 of official AI bot-land on "social" media, I just wanted to purge some of my extremely loud, endless, 100% real, human thoughts.
I feel compelled to remind you of two extremely important things that no one can ever take away. If you harness them, you just might find some fulfillment. Savvy readers may have already guessed, but it is your ability to be intentional, and your ability to budget your attention. Simply put, being intentional about what you give your attention to.
Some background - I'm a digital native, but I'm also that weird (cool) cusp age that is both millennial and gen-z. I got to play outside unsupervised and remember the dial-up sound, but also experienced the entire rise of touchscreens, smartphones, social media, and brain rot. I feel like an alien, but that's just a normal human reaction to all this.
It's not all bad, I know tumblr especially was a huge catalyst for fostering my passions like photography, and tons of free tools were available such as GIMP - I vividly remember loving the potential I saw in this technology, but always felt increasingly like we've been veering off that utopian path we could've taken.
Tools and technology have always been invented to help accomplish a task, and we are not the only animals who use tools. At what point do we recognize when a tool is being used against us to accomplish a task? I can't wrap my head around why anyone would actually want "art" made by AI, completely void of soul, presence, purpose, and consciousness, but if I consider that the corporation making it is just trying to capture my attention, it starts to make sense. Maybe you're starting to see how these dots connect.
When we consume without intention, we are giving our attention away freely. I realize the irony of saying that as I eagerly hope you read this, but the nuance here comes from intention. I am not trying to sell you anything. I make things to foster community, but ultimately this isn't a capitalist venture, it's an innate need. If you align with these values, this is a good type of thing to give your attention to.
The point I'm making here is pretty much the same idea as "vote with your dollar" or "shop local." We can't help but to consume, it's the world we are in, but we can consume with purpose - being intentional about where we pay attention. Do we need to fill every moment with the sound of influence, or can we sometimes replace it with tuning into our own minds and stillness? Do we need to keep paying absurd processing fees for massive events, or can we consider spending a fraction of that to go support a new artist? Do we need every streaming service, or can we treasure hunt for some physical media?
Little intentional acts turn into big life changes. Almost a decade ago I started going to the farmers market out of necessity. I was a broke college student, and I could walk there to turn $20 into my weeks' food. Now it's an entire lifestyle - you are what you eat. The ability to savor life deepens when you complete the feedback loop on some long-term rewards.
Every drop of intention that goes into eating this way is returned in feeling deeply fulfilled by the process. Going to various markets and becoming a regular makes you part of a community. Eating healthy and cleanly makes you feel amazing. Knowing the people that grow your food makes you prevent waste. Cooking becomes creative, and your fridge starts to look like an art supply cabinet. You start to form the habit of seeing ordinary things as extraordinary.
You have to create space to let the beauty hiding in each moment reveal itself. You can't do that if you are always consuming - sometimes you need to daydream, sometimes you need to create, sometimes you just need to pick up the pen and write your flow of thoughts until your hand hurts. Find more ways to give yourself time to do the things you love and take money out of the equation as often as possible. The grass is greenest where you water it. Identify your intentions and give those your full attention. I personally found my thoughts to be so loud today that I had to write this!
Living at the behest of the algorithms is like if your entire diet is only random fast food. If this is all you know, it probably seems normal, and it may not be so bad. But introducing intention into your consumption habits is like cooking yourself gourmet, homegrown meals as a lifestyle. You will never be fulfilled with the fast food, the point is simply to keep you hooked on convenience. The magic is hidden in gathering, preparing, and savoring the meal. Choosing a record is like deciding what to cook, shuffling an algorithm is like picking up a random bag of fast food.
I find my way back to myself through art, and at this moment I feel an overwhelming need to remind you that you can do the same through whatever you're passionate about. Let the need for instant gratification dissolve, because that is the precise thing that's taking away deep fulfillment. Do the hard things, be the good change, and let your soul do what it's meant to do. Reclaim your ability to be intentional with your attention. When we lack intention and give our attention freely, we are easier to control. I promise your ability to use your own brain will come in handy, and promise I will keep finding ways to remind you of this - I think that's my personal purpose.
When the norm is to be out of alignment with our true purposes, it's honestly no surprise that we're watching everything fall apart. Can you imagine if we used technology to give ourselves the world that lets everyone thrive? I know we're capable of it at this point, but there are forces at work that keep us fighting each other so we don't realize it. We have all the know-how to create a world that works for everyone instead of just a select few hoarders. We're at a crossroads, but at least you can move forward in a way that no longer lets them steal your attention.
We have a song coming out about this called "Slice," it feels like the anthem of DIY spirit and I made a ransom-note style lyric video out of the Watergate evidence edition of Newsweek from 1974 (see screenshots above) to really pay it tribute. I'm sharing it as soon as I finish the master. More on that process soon, join the mailing list so you don't miss it!
A related song of ours, "Free" which is so inspiring, it was removed from meta libraries <333333
LISTEN TO SAND BOX NOW ANYWHERE YOU STREAM, AND DON'T MISS ANYTHING BY SIGNING UP FOR OUR MAILING LISTÂ NOW!
Written by Kylie Hazzard
Comments