Consuming and Creating Media

Earlier this year, my brother got me hooked on a video game called Astro Bot. Shortly after, I spent an entire Saturday switching between reading a New Yorker cover to cover and beating levels in the game. That night, I watched a movie that my other brother had recommended.

As I crawled into bed, I found myself reflecting on what a lovely day I’d had—forgoing anything “productive” from my to-do list and focusing on hobbies and the like. The day was not task-oriented, but rather relax-oriented and, charming as it was, I crawled into bed eager to work on Sunday.

In my case, “work” maybe meant handling some Smile Project tasks or booking a flight for an upcoming wedding or doing laundry—nothing overly taxing or dramatic, but things that need to get done none the less. 

But as I moved through my Sunday with relative ease, I found myself fascinated by this idea of consumption versus creation. My Saturday had been all about consuming media (in three different forms). I thought about how reading makes me a better writer and a better thinker. I thought about how playing the video game made me think about problem-solving, goals, and aspirations. And the movie was a deep dive into storytelling and creativity. 

I thought about how all of these things influence how I move through the world and when I woke up on Sunday to work on my own projects, I felt better equipped to dive in. When I consume the right stuff—be it stories or activities or conversations or meals—I find myself more ready to create. 

In this upcoming weekend, I hope you find time to consume and to create in a way that makes sense for you. And I hope you find a way to mingle the work with the play. And I hope, most of all, that at the end of the day, your work can start to feel like play.