Have you ever noticed that the same ideas get thrown around the Internet, over and over and over?
As creative individuals we need to be aware of the echo chamber. There are millions of books, blogs, vlogs, and podcasts filled with endless amounts of information on the web. But only a small percentage of the millions of authors and entrepreneurs get noticed. Their ideas go viral. Other writers and bloggers start echoing the same ideas. It’s an echo chamber.
I have a confession to make: I rarely read blog posts. There are a only handful of blogs that I follow, but I rarely read their articles. I’ve probably only listened to five podcasts all the way through in my entire life. Here’s why. . .
When we spend our time continually turning to the work of others, we begin to echo their words and their ideas. We lose something. Rather than being creative, we become parrots. Instead of being original, we become copies.
Another danger of the echo chamber is that we can spend so much time consuming other content that we limit our own time to create.
I’m not saying that you should never read other peoples’ work. We learn by example. We gain knowledge by reading the work of great writers. But if we’re not careful, we can begin to imitate and emulate our heroes.
How I avoid the echo chamber:
- Seek out new information rather than the most popular information.
- Read and listen to unique voices on a variety of topics.
- Take regular breaks from the news and the Internet.
- Take some time to be in my own space.
- Listen to my own mind for original ideas.
My goal is to continually work to become more unique as an artist. One way of making sure I have more potential of reaching that goal is to avoid the echo chamber. – dse
- Learn more about creativity
- Get new Anderhill music first
- Get special discounts
- Sign up for the newsletter
