Be A Creator Not A Consumer — That’s Crappy Advice
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” The Book of Ecclesiastes
Every once and a while you’ll start hearing a recurring theme work its way around the internet. The latest one I’ve heard a number of times is be a creator, not a consumer. This thought process says that consumers just eat up resources and, in a way, give nothing back. You truly can’t be something unless you’re creating. Consuming in this thought process is said to be a waste of your time. It’s almost as if creativity in this particular meme is thought to be a limited resource. If you’re not putting something out into the world, the creativity pool will dry up, they’ll be no content and we’ll all be screwed.
Obviously, the more time you spend writing or doing anything, the better you’ll be at it. So spending time in a creative process will help you improve. However, consuming other’s material has no negative effect. Reading books, watching television, or listening to music won’t stunt your creative growth. The creative river flowing into the creative lake won’t dry up if you’re consuming anybody else’s material.
