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Okay, not to sound like an old person saying things like "kids these days (╯▔皿▔)╯" but there is a scary lack of creativity in the younger people (younger than 18 generally) of today. Why?
It's like an overwhelming desire to consume things other people made rather than make them yourselves. This is something I've noticed a lot in DIY communities, especially those associated with fashion. I don't just mean scenes like punk, which is DIY at its core. I've seen things on pinterest that were clearly handmade and half the comment would be from younger people asking things like "where can I buy this??" and this is... troubling, to say the least.
Obviously this isn't all young people, I know this. But it's enough to the point that it's starting to seem like an actual pattern. In a way I can understand the want to buy things rather than spend the time to make it or learn the skill to make it (in the case of things like sewing or knitting/crocheting), but having these skills is not only useful, but it opens up many more opportunities to create things you can love and wear. Heck, even altering clothes that were thrifted is better than spending money to buy fast fashion and contribute to the waste it creates.
What I'm trying to say here is that not everything needs to be bought, and consumerism is a plague on our minds and our planet and actively diminishes creativity. I promise, creating the things you wear, even if it's just jewelry, is so much more rewarding than buying it outright and you can ensure it's something you will like.
Of course, I am just one person and I can't tell anyone what to do. But if you take the time to actually create you will feel so much better.
Comments
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Alavenderbush
This is so true! Many people have become obsesed with creating a personal brand based on items and aesthetic elements than expressing themselves in a way that truly represents their lifestyle. Identity is not consuming, Identity is creating.
Not only creating objects to surround yourself and that are cute to look at, but also about crafting experiences, ideas and opinions. Only consuming things makes you feel so empty.
The irony of being so fixated on self expression as a way to pretend to be who you wanna be, instead of being who you are (like the fantasy me).
We do less and watch more, it is depressing.
I am even sick of video essayists trying to tell anyone what their stances should be these days
Pleureur
man i have a huge theory on this but im 19 so this might be crackpot.
so on the internet there has been a huge shift from people consuming certain genres of content because they already ARE in that genre and they wanna connect with folks that have the same interests to people consuming content of a certain genre to then "identify" with that group.
the best example i can think of is the fnaf community
its full of kids who have NEVER played the games or done any "research" on the "lore" but they devote time, day in and day out, to consume fnaf content. and this is encouraged because why would online creators NOT want all those eyes making money with every passing view?
now i understand everybody needs to start somewhere so obviously content isn't bad on its own but its the way gen z and alpha consume that is the problem. right now im consuming, so i am a hypocrite xD but you get my point
This is something I've noticed too. I'm only 20, and I can say for sure that I've also consumed content in that manner. I'm no saint about the content I consume by any means, and I don't think it's necessarily hypocritical.
I think we need to step back and question why this is a thing and critique it accordingly (and, on an unrelated note, stop treating criticism like its a bad thing). Being aware is about the best we can do with things like this in my opinion. There is no controlling what other people do or how they consume content, and hey, if it can get someone into something they genuinely enjoy then by all means it should be counted as a good thing.
Thanks for reading!
by ☆Sol☆; ; Report
intentional consumption is what we're looking for i think.
and i would bet good money on what the problem is. call me a crazy conspiracy theorist if you want but i think tech companies are blatantly designing these products to be consumed without thought. the more you think, the less attention you pay to your phone, the less content you watch.
it takes a special and delicate level of ignorance to be able to sit and mindlessly consume and they pay good money to find out how to make it happen consistently.
but im just a fool, so yk dont cite me for your paper
by Pleureur; ; Report
xalli
i absolutely agree w that, yeah. to be fair, i do think it's okay to just not have an interest in that more crafty side of DIY or not be interested in crochet/knitting/sewing and thus wanting to buy from those who Do know (art trades ftw also!!), but i for sure feel the idea of like. generally people thinking of 'buy' before 'make' and not being naturally geared toward creativity. personally, my creativity tends to be flattened by disability making things like crocheting/knitting/jewelry making pretty painful, but when that's not the case, it makes me pretty sad that people are interested in that kind of thing. we should want to make things ourselves ! try things ! fail and succeed and have fun w it !
like i totally see that in punk rock w people wanting the battle jackets without the experience of like.. getting new patches and sewing them on and doing the whole thing ! and it's like damn, you really do not get why this is so cool and fun !
by xalli; ; Report
That's kind of what I was trying to get across, of course not everyone is able to make everything due to a variety of reasons, but being more inclined to buy rather than make is what worries me. This is especially worrying in this day and age where things like fast fashion are actively harming our environment as well as smaller creators.
by ☆Sol☆; ; Report
for sure yes, it’s a weird feeling that people aren’t thinking about creation as much. i really do think we’re very creative on our own tbh (music & visual art & writing etc wise), but i also feel specifically with like Things, this generation is very prone toward buying
by xalli; ; Report
sol
i have seen this phenomenon as well. and when they hear that it's DIY, these kids get really sad, as if it meant they could never have the object for themselves? if anything, it means that it's possible for them to make it for cheap and just the way they want it. people really are forgetting that creation is part of being human.
This ^^^
It's why I'm such a big supporter of the arts in public schools, since they actively give students the skillsets, and oftentimes the means, to create things. Creativity is inherently human, but I think what kids these days need is just a little push. I think it comes from a place of insecurity in ones own ability to do things, a sense of perfectionism bred by our own society and consumerism. It's just... really sad tbh.
by ☆Sol☆; ; Report
𝐻𝒜𝐼𝐿𝐸𝒴 𝒢𝐿𝒪𝒪𝑀𝐼𝐸
I hate our generation ugh
I personally wouldn't go as far as saying I "hate" this generation, but I do very much think our own society is at fault for this. Much like how the education system is failing younger kids, leading them to not have the proper skillsets for their age, I think this too is a fault in education. I know the arts being underfunded or practically nonexistent in public schools has been a problem for a while now, but this is exactly why I'm such a big supporter of the arts (aside from, yk, being an artist myself), as it teaches one of the most important and amazing parts of life, which is creating.
Creativity shouldn't be something taught, but with the way things are going (especially since the pandemic), I think teaching kids that it's okay to express themselves and make things and maybe teaching the skillsets needed to do so would help at least somewhat.
Idk, I'm more saddened than anything. Thanks for reading!
by ☆Sol☆; ; Report
I've been creative my entire life and I agree. I can't imagine how boring my life would be without it.
by xxRebellious_Emmaxx; ; Report
lol I wasn't allowed to go on the internet until I was like 10 and in retrospect, I think my parents made a GREAT decision. I got the chance to develop hobbies outside of social media that always fulfill me
by 𝐻𝒜𝐼𝐿𝐸𝒴 𝒢𝐿𝒪𝒪𝑀𝐼𝐸; ; Report