Is TV your greatest enemy to productivity? Maybe.
I brought up briefly in my last post how TV may stunt creativity/productivity, and today, I wanted to devote a post to that idea - and how it’s maybe true (and, as usual, its exceptions).
Photo by @petergeokent from Unsplash.
“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”
In the process of writing this blog post, I will probably take several breaks to watch my latest J-Drama obsession (Japanese television drama, for you uncultured folks). Why? Why do I keep a tab open on my browser with the next episode ready to go? Why don’t I just close it and write, write, write, until my fingers can’t type any longer?
I dunno. Honestly.
Lowkey, probably because I don’t have any semblance of self-control. Also because I’ve found it to be a great distraction from stressors in my life, and I’ve been using it as such. Also to supplement my Japanese lessons haha.
And, admittedly, I try to pick TV shows that motivate me to write. I just finished a short show about a novelist and an editor, and they were so productive and all about work, it made me feel bad about my lack of productivity. So after watching an episode, I immediately finished writing a short story and planned to write a new one. But quickly, I got sucked into another drama. The cycle continues.
TV is a great time suck, and one of the most enjoyable things after a long day. And, as my boyfriend says, we’re currently living in the golden age of television, with an excess of excellent shows to consume. And, personally, I tend to get a lot of great ideas from TV - though, I think that’s because I’m looking for it. If we’re just mindlessly watching, what does that do for us as creatives, or as productive adults?
Photo by @fran_ from Unsplash.
I feel like I’m delving into dangerous territory a bit, so let me backtrack. We don’t have to be productive 24/7. We all deserve a TV break, and binge watching Netflix, or my latest obsession of Viki (a free streaming site for Asian shows and movies), is totally okay. Saying that you have to be productive and completely cut TV from your life is a totally capitalistic, bullshit way of corporations making more money off you/gaslighting you.
BUT. I do think watching too much TV can stunt creativity (and by default, sometimes our productivity). Yes, I watch TV for enjoyment. But, when I make the headspace, I try to watch mindfully as well. I analyze, absorb, and dissect scenes, imagery, and character development, like I would when reading a good book (which you can also just enjoy without analysis, don’t get me wrong there either).
So, while we have every right (and definitely should) zone out and watch mindless television, I think we should take advantage of the high quality shows we maybe can’t zone out to, absorb what has been done to make it so engaging, and incorporate appropriate aspects of that into our writing (or whatever creative outlet we may be pursuing). I dunno, there’s inspiration everywhere - I think we just have to put ourselves in the right mindset to look for it.
Here’s a poem. Let me know what you think. :)
JESUS CHRIST IS A NAME I SAY IN MY SLEEP NOW
center cannon g minor blasphemy, blasphemy,
don’t say his name in vain, soap-stained teeth,
enamel stripped to nerve ending sent to garage
floors we lie on when it all gets too much.
hi. do you know me yet. do you recognize the
bird song windowed tiki torches, curtains drawn
to stop that man from looking. he looked. he
always looked. he watched me dress and undress,
he watched me pick at the skin of my stomach
until my cuticles were ripped to knuckles, he
watched, and he said nothing.
i don’t have a name for this feeling, this green
sick nostalgia bent in a way that is familiar and
terrifying. this thing that eats away at me until
i am a husk in a shell of an apartment, living
and reliving all the horrible things i’ve willfully
forgotten, copper stained kitchen knives splatter
make way in front of my eyes, and my parents
watched that happen, too.
nonsense nonsense nonsense, until i feel okay
again, or against the will of it, against the chair
i refuse to stand on, or sit on, or be with or be on
or ice chips that taste of gasoline, and i wanted to
choke but was too afraid to try.
