Productive/Creative – Analog Man in a Digital World
Every day that I spend scrolling through never-ending feeds of inane drivel is one more day that I’m not enjoying life.
Hi. My name is Jeff, and I hate the internet.
More specifically: I hate social media, and the effects it has on my brain, to the point where I’m considering whether I should even be using the internet at all.
Yes, really. Here’s why: Continue reading “Creativity Vs. Distractions”
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you probably know that I am very enamored with Minimalism, especially Tech Minimalism.
I have several reasons for this, but mainly it comes down to Privacy, and Mental Clutter.
If I preach against Big Tech, but I’m still using their platforms, does that make me a hypocrite? Yeah, kind of.
Problem is, how do you get out of it once you’re in? And I’m here to tell you, it isn’t easy- by design. Continue reading “Practice What You Preach”
I have spent my entire life not fitting in. When you realize as a child that you’re not like everyone else, it changes the way you think. It leads you down very dark roads, constantly searching for something that will make you feel “normal,” and never finding it.
I’ve been fighting against ADHD my entire life. For decades I saw it as something I had to “work around” or “learn to live with.” I was also smarter than everyone else in my classes (that’s not a brag- I just was). All the school system was geared towards the average learning child, which means it wasn’t suited to me at all. I was constantly bored, ostracized, and miserable. The only time I was happy was in music class. For some reason, my brain absorbed music like a sponge, and I had no problem focusing on it. And then I grew up.
As I’ve recently expounded on, my brain is most creative when I’m away from a computer, and the internet as a whole. As it turns out, external influences mostly distract me from creativity, not inspire. Can I get inspiration from a video or song? Sure. But when I’m in the heat of creation, those things pull my attention away from what I’m actually making.
There has been a resurgence over the last few years to make “DAWless” music- i.e. recorded and edited without a DAW, or computer. I’ve seen quite a few Youtube channels using old Fostex and Tascam cassette tape recorders to make albums. If you go on eBay or Reverb, you will see prices for these long-in-the-tooth machines skyrocketing.
Why? Is it the “sound” of analog recording? There might be some validity to that, but what I think is more likely is this: people are learning how to create without computers again. Continue reading “Computerless Music Production”
For years now, I’ve been writing about how the rapid advances in technology have backfired on us as our brains have been unable to adapt to keep up.
Creativity is simple- unless you obfuscate it with layer upon layer of unnecessary complexity. This is what the modern “web” has become- a nearly unusable mess of advertisements, cookies, javascript, and plugins. What’s worse is that the internet, as a whole, is rapidly becoming connected to every single aspect of our lives, whether we want it to or not.
When your entire existence is “online” then what part of it is real?
As I’ve said before, I’m not completely opposed to technology- just the way it’s being developed and used. Is there possibility of life apart from the internet now? What would that even look like?
I’ve been pondering that question for years. And I’m slowly (very slowly) having to admit that I am not compatible with the “Information Age” (not technology itself). I like technology when I need to fix something, or create something. They are good tools, in a lot of ways.
But as a lifestyle, “always connected” is not how I function. It’s not how anyone functions. We’ve become so addicted to it, we live in a constant state of limbo- trying to force our analog brains to assimilate more digital information than we’re capable of processing. Continue reading “Death Of The Information Age”
One of the things I’ve developed over the years to cope with ADHD is the ability to leverage technology to remember things. This has proven extremely useful, and every day it seems like I learn some new trick to do things more efficiently.
But what happens when you don’t trust technology? Is it hopeless? Continue reading “ADHD, Convenience, and Technology”
For more than ten years, this blog has been a place of introspection and thought. (Probably some randomness too.) But when I posted recently about wanting to get officially diagnosed with ADHD, it made me realize: if I’ve been feeling alone all these years, and have been struggling my whole life, would it be possible that some of my readers could be too? I mean, I originally chose the name “Living Outside The Box” because that’s just how my brain works. I knew it even back then.
I wouldn’t be called an “expert” on ADHD, unless you consider the fact that I’ve lived with it and developed coping mechanisms for it for the last 40+ years. I see ADHD “coaches” on Youtube, which is awesome, and I think about how much I’ve already learned on my own. Most of these coaches aren’t doctors and don’t have degrees in psychology- they’re just really experienced in dealing with it. I’ve learned to live with ADHD without even realizing it. Maybe some of those skills and observations could help someone else!
The first problem that comes to my mind is: How do I reach people with this? Obviously, just blogging here isn’t doing much for exposure (I get almost no traffic). But what else can I do?Maybe Youtube? LBRY.tv? Vimeo? GabTV? Bitchute? Continue reading “To Do, Or Not To Do?”
Recently, I stumbled upon the YouTube channel of Jessica McCabe called “How to ADHD.” And like a true ADHD Brain, I binge watched for hours. And then had to go back and re-watch most of them, because I got distracted.
*sigh*
In one video in particular, Jessica addresses the stigma of having to take ADHD medications. It’s a very sensitive subject, and the object of much scrutiny. I’ll be honest- I’ve avoided being diagnosed with ADHD because of the cost, and the (assumed) danger of taking medications for it. The last thing I want is to make things worse. And hey, I’ve made it this far without help, right?
But not too long ago, I had a major meltdown. My meltdowns don’t look like a child’s- I’m not throwing fits or sobbing. When I am overwhelmed, it spirals into depression, self-criticism, anger, and shame. And then I just shut down. I quit thinking, I quit talking, I quit caring. I just turn everything off and exist until I can function again. Sometimes it takes days, or even weeks, for me to be able to perform executive functions again, like making important decisions.
This obviously isn’t a good thing. Especially since, when The Overwhelm happens, it’s usually because I am being forced to make an important decision.
The biggest question I have, now that I understand this about myself, is: “How does this affect my spiritual life?”
Hooo boy. How do you even answer a question like that? And regardless of your thoughts on ADHD or spirituality, it’s something that *I* have to be able to bring into agreement. And I’m not 100% sure of some of it. Continue reading “Spirituality and Mental Disorders”
Yeah, it’s that time again. Holiday time? No, Hurricane Season! You know, the time of year where the local weather media goes nuts talking about every rainstorm as if it could be the next “Big One.” You know, there’s only so many times I can hear that on TV and get concerned. I mean, we lived in N.O. before and after Katrina (we were smart enough to get out during the storm). We saw what happened, we know the consequences. There are some things in life that you just have to accept a certain level of risk for. In fact, when you know God is in control of everything, you pretty much don’t have a say in the matter, anyway.
Still, in my life, it’s time to minimize. No, not getting rid of old clothes, I’m talking about my life. “But you’re not that busy,” you say. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’m too busy to do the things I really want to do, long-term. I’m not too busy to play a game every now and then, and I’m not too busy to have fun with the family.
So I’m going to cut down on the amount of time I spend doing nothing. What am I going to fill it with? I need to find activities that will help me become a better person… not just a better video game player, or bulletin board poster. Something with eternal value.
This will be an interesting adventure, and by no means do I know how it will turn out… but anything worth having is worth sacrificing for.