The internet has completely changed the way my creative mind works. It has widened my mind.
Unfortunately a wide mind--though it brings ideas I would have never thought of otherwise--is not a deep mind, but it is still good as long as I balance it out by regularly unplugging and returning to books, paper, pen, paintbrush and acoustic guitar.
Many people choose to go deep all the time, and literally or figuratively close themselves in a closet. But a side-effect of this type of thinking can be the inability to relate to or connect with others, and at it's worst it brings dark thoughts and depression or pride and cockiness (depending on the personality type), and can end up killing your body or your soul. [[Here's a little poem I wrote about this problem.]]
Others choose to shoot for the stars and stay shallow while keeping lots of options open, by adding a bunch of Facebook friends but never going out for a drink with any of them, or researching a bunch of places to visit but never saving up the money to actually visit them. The down-side to this type of thinking can be a lack of any real personal growth or achievement, and a small amount of knowledge about a LOT of stuff and people, without gaining any real experience or expertise.
I love the internet for connecting me to the entire planet, no matter where I'm sleeping tonight, and I hate the internet for scattering my mind in so many directions that I cannot focus on completing a single task. It's the reason I wrote this, in fact. I sat down to record some music, and ended up clicking around for about 45 minutes. I thought I had grown in this area, but apparently I still have work to do (Oh! read "The War Of Art" for more on this battle.) Then, I almost closed my macbook and journaled about this situation to myself, before deciding that perhaps there are others out there who would benefit from this little entry.
Now you may think you're great at staying on task and accomplishing something of real importance while staying connected online. I suck at it. But hey, maybe you're better than me at focusing and resisting the curiosity of what cool pic may be on your instagram feed today. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Perhaps you're not the type who's mind goes so many directions at once, or you have a better ability to focus in the midst pop-ups and friend requests and retweets and likes and shares and… where was I going with this?
I believe a wide mind can bring humility and a deep one can bring wisdom. So I choose to pursue both. I as I wrap up this post, I want to thank the internet for changing the way my creative mind works. But more gratitude goes to the people I have met along the journey, both on and offline. The internet wouldn't exist without people, just as iTunes wouldn't exist without music. In the liner notes of my last album "Don't Look Back, Never Look Back", I thanked a bunch of places before I thanked any people. Hopefully those who were confused by this now realize that places are people... iTunes is pointless without music.
P.S. I mentioned that I keep a personal journal that you will never read, and this blog, which you have read. I recommend you do the same. Living in both realms of depth and breadth is the only way I've found to remain a "wonderer" on a planet that can seem downright awful at times. And wonder is a good thing.
P.S.S. Never watch the "news". (That's a whole other entry though, and perhaps I will address it another day. For now, I have music to make.)
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