Snail Mail 2024
On quitting social media or at least trying
Hi friend,
Happy New Year and hi hi hi. What are we doing here?
Deep breath. Ok. It’s Lindsey from Little Mazarn. You are getting this message today because you signed up for my email list either through my website or bandcamp. Thanks for doing that. If you’ve been on there for a while you know my emails can be sporadic and strange but thanks for sticking around.
I decided to upgrade my email list to Substack. Why?! I am not sure!!! I think there are a couple things:
Peer pressure. I feel like most of the things I have found enjoyable online recently have been on substack and my friend Carolina has been encouraging me to try it out myself.
The second one is big and it’s this:
I needed to get off social media. I had been thinking about it for a while and in early December, I took it off my phone and changed the password to something weird which I tossed in a drawer and didn’t look at.
After the initial dopamine crash and FOMO nightmares (for real) I felt better…like, A LOT better. Nothing too dramatic to report just a whole lot of boring ol’ inner peace.
I had been feeling so good and strong about it that I logged back in after almost a month away and it immediately manipulated my attention in a way that actually hurt my feelings. The first thing I saw was a photo of my ridiculously adorable niece using a banana as a phone, then a photo of a blood spattered child in Gaza, then a European tour schedule of a friend’s band that admittedly makes me feel jealous and sad and not enough. Repeat. Repeat. Heart melt, horror, not-enoughness. And it made me wonder about my part in it all. Was I the heart melter or the not enough-ness maker in any of my friends feeds (or hopefully not but…the horror?). I just feel so used and I’m tired of playing into that hand, you know?
And yet. I have a lot I want to share. I finished an album this year and started another one. I played on a lot of albums that are coming out and have had a lot of collaborations I cherish. I am going on tour next year, want to have an ART SHOW soon, there is a lot going on the world and I want to HELP, want to be in community with everyone.
What is the solution? Erp. Like I know. I am choosing slow divestment for now. Investing in my own boredom. Investing in face to face. Investing in writing out and planning with intention what or if to share. Investing in being a little mysterious. :)
Divesting from the products of facebook and meta and the capitalist wheels but trying not to disappear entirely.
Can it be done?
Where will this lead me?
Not sure.
No shows this month but I made this little carving, it’s me as a snail with my starry snail trail cruising into 2024 and I hope you’ll cruise with me, on Substack, on social media, IRL. A better world is possible if we make it.
If you want a snail postcard and I haven’t hassled you for your address already (that means you’re getting one) you can order one free/pay what you want in my web store here .
Thanks everyone for reading to the end. Happy New Year.
Lindsey
Snail power forever! Welcome to the slow sparkle trail. <3
Welcome! I’m feeling the same way and spending time on Substack has so far been really fun.