Blog 21 - January 2023
What would Frida do?
“Why did you block me?”
Since deleting or, should I say, deactivating my social media accounts, I've been asked this and similar questions at least a dozen times.
I shouldn't have to explain myself, but I feel like I'm disappointing some of you who had been listening to my stories and following my artistic journey, and I'm also missing some of your inspiring feeds.
Social media platforms can be both potent and deceptive at the same time.
It all depends on who makes the representations and who they are intended for, but most importantly, it all depends on who it actually reaches on the other side of the screen.
It matters!
This aspect is discussed by Arianna Davis in the book's "What Would Frida Do?" chapter. Davis asserts that millions of people overshare on social media in the same way that Frida Kahlo, who transformed her own portraits into an art form for telling stories, did. Oversharing has always existed, but now we can simply snap a quick picture and post it to social media instead of painting with care.
What would Kristina do?
I can take one million selfies and share them on social media, but pain is missing from those daily online streams. I was thinking about how everyone got their lives together, how perfect the Instagram models are, and how wonderful their careers, families, and love lives are. I was looking at those images every day. I was so agitated by it that I had to stop using social media. But when I looked at my own feeds, I saw nothing wrong; I was one of those perfectly polished, "on brand" people...
I am far from the perfect. Even though it has only been 21 days of 2023, I have already experienced heartache, procrastination, self-sabotage, and self-doubt.
The majority of my family and friends would say that I am too hard on myself, and perhaps they are right. Since I was a young girl, all I knew was hard work, and I also knew that hard work pays off.
Sadly, this is not always the case, and one must refocus in life.
I am still here, doing the things I love most; making art, learning from professionals, working alongside inspirational people.
Remember to rest, but never give up, even if you're feeling like life is unfair or too exhausted to continue.
