24 Comments
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Rebecca's avatar

I was thinking of implementing quiet walks. An hour no nothing. That would be tough as i love podcasts

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

I love that Rebecca. Walks are one of my favorite activities but quiet walks are easier said than done. I love podcasts too and typically give in to the urge. But i do want to start going on quiet walks more often. thanks for the reminder :)

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Rebecca's avatar

Game on

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Rebecca's avatar

Let's try to do it for one week and write a dual post of sorts!

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

im in! id love to make it a regular habit of going for a one hour quiet walk a week. lets do it :)

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J just J's avatar

Great post, but would you still be creating content here if no one was consuming or being entertained by it? I would but some people wouldn’t. Always value in the creative process even if no one is entertained by it.

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

That's a good question. I like to think I would but who knows? As long as what I write entertains me, then I still think it's worth it. Seems like you agree.

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Jack Dixon's avatar

This was great, Arman. Very timely for me as I've been thinking a lot lately about my ability to just be with myself. My brain screams for stimulation at every moment of the day. Creating helps and feels much better than consuming. But I also want to add more empty time just sitting, thinking, and wandering without a podcast or book or YouTube or any other stimulation.

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

Thank you Jack. Sounds like you and i are in a similar boat. its so hard to resist all the temptations to be stimulated every second. counterintuitive as it seems, i think empty time is still being creative because thats often when our best creative ideas come to us!

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kevan baker's avatar

Great post - I’ve never thought of how important creating is to my well being! Pencil for me ! Not any good but it’s creative !!!!

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

Thank you Kevan. Totally agreed. I feel a nagging sense of discomfort if theres ever a day that goes by now that I dont try to create something. Hey sometimes we just gotta get that creative gunk out of our systems and then we come up with something that surprises us.

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Un-becoming Truths's avatar

Brilliant. I find it far more fulfilling to entertain myself through creation even though it can far more challenging

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

Thank you Ava. I won't lie and say its easy, but its always worth it no matter what.

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Skyla's avatar

Not going to lie, if I’m binge watching something, even if I find it to be a good story and worthwhile, I do get anxious about “wasting my time” not creating my own stuff. I love to draw and write, and it’s like therapy to me, but I always have to remind myself it’s okay to rest and be entertained once and awhile too. Great post!

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

thank you Skyla. i feel the exact same. a good remedy ive found is to create before consuming. that helps me enjoy my entertainment a bit more easily.

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Ingrid Haring-Mendes's avatar

I think about this a lot! The different ways we entertain ourselves versus how our grandparents entertained themselves and time allotted to entertainment overall. I wonder if with us it's more a case of distraction than entertainment?

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

Good point. Many of us are probably distracting ourselves to death but if it feels entertaining then we dont mind.

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Ayesha Falak's avatar

The passage makes a great point. While constant entertainment is readily available, it can leave us feeling empty. Creating something, on the other hand, can be truly fulfilling.

I agree, there's a balance to be struck. Maybe it's about being mindful consumers and choosing to create alongside enjoying some well-deserved entertainment.

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

Thank you Ayesha I'm glad you enjoyed it.

The balance is hard to find but one way I've found that helps a ton is creating before you consume - https://armankho.substack.com/p/create-then-consume

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Mags's avatar

Great great post! I am guilty of mindless entertainment. You've inspired me to pick up something creative to do!

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

Thank you I appreciate it Mags! I dont think theres anything wrong with scheduled mindless entertainment. as long as we make some time for creativity as well. and hey even you writing this comment was something creative so youre already on the right track :)

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Mags's avatar

Haha, agreed!!

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CansaFis Foote's avatar

...there is a shift coming here...one of every two kids wants to be a "content creator" when they grow up...no other job has ever captured the imagination of the working populace like that before...and that percentage won't shrink...we all think we are TVs now...maybe that will be how we stop the A.I. and robots from taking our jobs...we can convince them to watch us instead of working for us...

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Arman Khodadoost's avatar

yep its a double edged sword with this whole content creator thing. now that would be hauntingly beautiful if we entertained the robots to death by our own creative outputs!

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