major con of not already living in a major metropolitan area is that I gotta take a longg trip to be there (but duh for PI.FYI itβs totally worth it)
Me and my partner just went to Minneapolis, met a bartender at a pinball bar who wrote us a list of places to check out for the rest of the weekend. this is the best way to do it. MSPL was actually really cool but i still like NYC better
I live in Vermont and the best part about that is being 1.5 hours away from Montreal. I will just go up there and walk around until my legs are sore. Even during three feet of snow people will be out respectfully having the time of their lives.
There's been a handful of zine-making events in my area and it's helped me 1) explore my art styles & other mediums of creativity, and 2) meet some really cool zine authors!! Highly recommend <3
My steps:
1. Shut my phone down, hide it in my room, and lock the door so it's a pain in the ass to get to.
2. Be bored, and sit in the boredom for like 7-10 minutes (MINIMUM)-- once you're bored see what your brain gravitates to beyond The Screen (is it doodling? is it playing guitar? is it writing?)
3. Find the little thing your brain latches on to, and start doing it! Even if it's something goofy like "Just Dance youtube videos" to dance to LOL this is you, deliberately following your brain's natural curiosity & interest And then rinse and repeat however you like <3 Once you get accustomed to the smaller, more gratifying feel good activities, social media starts to feel too overwhelming to even pick back up again-- you'll be reaching for it less and less
(a final aside: I am of the major belief that creativity & imagination is critical to creating a better reality to live in, because it shows that you're capable of leaning into what "doesn't exist", and are courageous enough to imagine and build a reality that defies the status quo. but that's just me LOL)
