"For my generation (22 y/o), people are more willing to be who they are and not make up a fake identity. We are trying to show a real person doing cool things as a real person, not trying to create a persona that isn’t actually you.”  -Reese Blutstein

The jig is up, the curtain is drawn. Curation is out, creation is in.

We're starting to become turned off by overly curated social media profiles.

It was cool at first. We had never seen anything like it. But we see it for what it is now and we're over it.

How many times have you watched people embarrassingly try to get the perfect Instagram photo?

We've all been there, posturing to look as though we're enjoying ourselves when we're not.

The irony is we likely would be enjoying ourselves if we weren't trying to act like we were enjoying ourselves.

Spending so much time curating, we've forgotten to create.

We've awakened to the fact overly curated profiles mask what's underneath – covering the very thing we wish they'd reveal.

We want authenticity and truth. Not digital white lies trying to attract our attention with a glossy finish.

Unfortunately, the algorithms believe we enjoy curated profiles because we thought they were neat for a while, and so millions have strived to outdo the rest.

One curated avocado toast at a time.

We've focused on curation, not creation. And sacrificed a lot in the process.

Instead of investing more time in creating things we love, we're manufacturing what we hope virtual strangers will 'like.'

Many friends, influencers, and bloggers tell me they have creative ideas they want to share but don't because they feel like they don't have the time to make it 'social media marketable.'

I'm guilty of it too. I'll have a spark of something I want to share or create, but instead of simply bringing it into existence and sharing it, I dwell over how 'best' to do it. Not finding a concrete answer, I let it fall to the side.

We've been under this spell for a while now and it's time we lift it.

Create More, Curate Less.

"Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world."  -Brene Brown

Have you ever noticed many of your favorite social media accounts tend to be some of the least curated?

You may also notice that highly successful authors, musicians, athletes, and celebrities don't have highly curated Instagram pages.

Why?

Because they're spending time creating, not curating. Most of them know (and openly talk about) how spending too much time on social media isn't conducive to a healthy or creative life.

Bill Gates may be the richest man in the world because of technology but he is adamant about disconnecting from it.

And a big reason we feel drawn to the less curated pages is because they're more authentic and it's easier to connect with them.

People are waking up to this. There are now apps that will edit your photo to make it look less curated.

Huji Cam turns regular photos into "a quaint knockoff of a $10 drugstore disposable camera." It's been downloaded more than 16 million times.

Which story would you rather hear from a friend: the curated story, polished up with custom descriptions they think you'll approve of, or the real story?

Of course, we want the guts. We crave the raw truth – so let's stop pretending we care about the facade of curation so people can focus on creating.

A Creative Life

If we could take half the energy we put into curating and reinvest it back into creating, how much more do you think we could create?

And much will resonate with what is said because it's real and authentic instead of manufactured and artificial.

The truth is, we're tired trying to hold the poses of a curated life. It's exhausting.

Besides, it's not as good as the real thing.

When we create, we're present.
When we curate, we're thinking about the future.

When we create, we do so from the heart.
When we curate, we do so based on what we think other people will like.

When we create, we seek to express what we feel.
When we curate, we manufacture something hoping it evokes feelings in others.

It's important to work on craft and we should strive to become better at expressing our creativity, but we only get better by doing it, not obsessing over how we think it should look.

Your favorite musician became so because they weren't afraid to fail. They had something to say and they said it. And then worked to make it better. If they always waited to release something until it was impeccably created, you would have never heard of them.

We want to connect to people who are vulnerable, honest, human.

Glossy half truths wrapped in bows were neat for a while but we're ready to move on.

Are you?