Does blogging or sharing or putting things up on Facebook or Flickr or Yahoogroups or Instagram or Pinterest (the latter two of which I DON'T) become an obligation rather than a pleasure? Do we become addicted to our "likes" and comments?
I journal for me, because I need to. Response, exploration, celebration, learning, coping...
But scanning, tweaking, editing, uploading, and so forth, becomes, let's face it, a chore. Several of my blogging artist friends and I have talked about that--and some have wisely cut way back or virtually disappeared altogether, at least in that format.
If I am not mis-remembering, even Duane Keiser, the father of the Painting a Day concept, eventually found he needed to simplify, to step back, to take his time. To do larger works, and not be under quite so much outside pressure.
Living, creating, sharing online can indeed be a trap--a silken one, but a trap. Creativity crack. (And yes of COURSE I look to see if someone has commented, and what they said, and...I have an addictive personality, I'll admit it!)
People apologize for not posting--as if this were a promise we had broken, a job we'd fallen down on, an obligation unmet. It's not.
What is important is that we create. It is that which we have in common with the Creator. It's what we owe ourselves. We are given a great gift--whether we create a painting, a book, a good dinner, a garden, a piece of music, a decent life, order out of chaos. We create.
And while sharing it can encourage others, and yes, it can be fun and gratifying and even edifying, it is not our job. Imagining it an obligation and apologizing for our "failure" turns it into work and sucks the joy out of it.
Don't do that.
I'm trying not to.
