Boring Phone = More Art

How I made my phone the most boring thing on Earth. For creative purposes, of course.

I’ve been reflecting on the impact my phone has on my creativity.

It’s no secret that our phones are associated with decreased mental and physical health (study).

I’ve had stretches of time in the past where I didn’t share my creations due to the sheer overwhelm of watching everyone else create. I’ve also had stretches where I felt that my creations weren’t worth it because it was “too late.”

I’ve been posting music since I was 14 (click here to experience the horror) and writing songs long before I learned my first guitar chords. Back then, I was not only in school, attending after-school activities, maintaining a social life, and living under my parents’ roof, but I was also creating like a mad scientist. For a lot of it, I didn’t even have a phone (I had relatively strict parents).

Then, Instagram came out.

Back then, Instagram was a cool platform where we could post random photos. It never occurred to me that I could share my music anywhere else but SoundCloud—until someone a few grades above me found my song “Smile.” The song was personal. It was about me having a serious crush that might be unrequited.

This person then POSTED the song on freaking Facebook.

I remember the moment I found the post. I was visiting my cousins in Long Island, Bahamas, lying in bed in the AC, avoiding the heat and mosquitoes outside (I was born and raised in the Bahamas. Born, bred, ga dead!).

At first I thought, “Oh God. This was supposed to be my secret place where I share songs about my crush. Are they going to make fun of me? IS MY CRUSH GOING TO FIND OUT?”

To my surprise, I was met with support and comments from people I barely spoke to. I started to feel confident. I was performing like crazy and felt so empowered.

The crazy part was that my voice was nowhere near as developed as it is now. My production skills were poor. But I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and doing the thing.

I think that was the biggest difference compared to now. I did the thing. I took imperfect steps toward an undefined goal. And I was fine with it. I created to create. I couldn’t imagine my life without music.

I genuinely think my devotion to art decreased when I got deeper into social media. Insecurities cropped up in forms I could never have imagined.

Beauty standards were loud and clear, and I didn’t fit any of them. I had cystic acne at the time, and in this society, sometimes image is just as important—may be even more important—than musical talent.

This unspoken rule that I had to share my music while showing my face and being perfect reared its ugly, stupid head.

I didn’t care about any of that before. Why was this pressure on me suddenly?

My mom’s voice echoed in my head: “It’s those damn phones!”

Do I want to be successful? Do I think I’m good enough for success? Do I think my music is good enough? Do I think my skin is too scarred to be successful, even though that should have nothing to do with how I actually sound?

I blame a lot of this on social media. Of course, this is anecdotal, and correlation doesn’t equal causation. But social media has impacted me. It’s undeniable.

I hate finding myself picking up my phone and going down a scrolling rabbit hole without even remembering opening the app. I don’t think I want to open it or be on it, but then suddenly I’m two hours into a doomscroll.

I am so sick and tired of this cycle.

So I took some drastic measures and made my phone boring as hell.

I had to have boundaries with my phone. It’s been like hiring a net nanny for myself. I had to get real about not trusting myself. I probably would open the apps if I were tired, hungry, sleepy, or sad enough. I needed to make it harder because the apps are structured like slot machines. And our brains love an infinite scroll.

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Here are 7 steps to create more than you consume:

This is what has helped me. I am still exploring how to manage social media addiction and share my art at the same time. It’s a work in progress.

1. Tinted apps.
   Yep, extra disgusting. Who would want to open an app so ugly? You can enable this on iPhone (if you dare) by holding down your home screen and pressing “customize.” This is encouraged by Blank Spaces Launcher. More on that app in the next step.

2. Make your apps minimalist af with Blank Spaces Launcher.
   Turn your smartphone into a dumb phone. Save your dopamine for something more important, like making art!

   

4. Make opening social media a pain.
   I have used Refocus to block Instagram, TikTok, and more. I have been testing Opal, and I think I like it more because of the user interface, challenges, and reward systems. There’s nothing like being gifted a gem after 24 hours with no social media. You can also add your friends. I am also considering getting Brick to make it EVEN harder.

5. Post from your desktop when you can.
   I find myself thinking I can’t post unless I have the app. Then I just open the app and scroll instead of creating. I also like to make challenges with myself where I can’t open an app unless I am posting or have a very specific goal, like following a super cool artist I found on Substack (if you are one of those artists, please comment so I can enjoy some new music!).

6. Schedule posts ahead of time.
   There’s no reason to be on the apps if you don’t have to. Schedule from your desktop and make it an intentional practice. Inspired by this post by Bri Wheeler!

7. Schedule scrolling time.
   Maybe you need to study trends, answer DMs, or respond to comments. Maybe social media is required for work. Scheduling it makes scrolling time structured. I have been using Opal to set hard limits on my scrolling time.

I am not sponsored by any of these apps. I am just desperate to create more intentional use of my phone to get my creative spark back.

Let me know if you have tried any of the apps and if you have any hacks for reclaiming your time!

<3 Until next time.

[

Please enjoy this random jingle I came up with after writing this.

let’s create more than we consume

cause we got to change the rules

let’s create, let’s create

let’s create, let’s create!

]

What I’m Feeling ~~

Hopeful

What I’m Listening To~~

The perfect podcast for creative souls. I’m on the “Rabbit Holes” episode. Qveen talks about channeling to create music ✨.

Things that STUCK from this episode:

“Be the flower not the bee”

“Most people are operating from strategy and I want to operate from integrity.”

Being an artist is constantly discovering the authentic self.

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Thank you SO much for reading “Unearthing Through Song!” Subscribe to support an independent artist and read my thoughts on songwriting and vulnerability 🌙

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Listen to my music if you’re feeling generous 🥹