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Aug. 9th, 2020 01:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
potofsoupWhat I love about fandom is that it's consumption, creation, and socialization, all rolled into one. I get to read interesting stories, make my own, and feel connected to other people!
But all of that also takes *time*, and brainspace. I've been slowly but inexorably pulled into Witcher fandom and yes it's exciting, I love all the fics and discussion and new fandom energy. (someone help me I had a ridiculous comic idea) But also -- I'm staying up far too late to read fic and screwing over my ability to be functional the next day. I'm shoving childcare duty onto Hoosband in order to read more fic. I scrolled through tumblr and chatted with fandom friends online instead of hanging out with Hoosband, who is socialization-starved. I've been neglecting my other creative projects.
So, I need to cut.
In the past 3 years, I quit reading tumblr so that I could have time to work. Then I quit modding. I've 90% quit Discord/Slack. I've basically been able to keep "doing fandom" only in that I read a few fics based on subscriptions or recs, and I motivate myself to draw sometimes. It's... barely half a fandom experience -- I draw because I can't *not* draw, but since I've basically cut the socialization down to nothing and the consumption to very little, I don't feel like I'm part of any fandom conversation, which then makes me not want to draw to add to the conversation.
This kinda sucks, and isn't exactly "doing fandom." It's this shitty half-life where I'm neglecting both my family and my fandom friends.
So, now that I've lost 1 week+ to Witcher, what are my options?
Option 1 is to keep doing what I'm doing. Don't fall into a new fandom, keep reading some Cap fics and maybe draw 2-3 fanarts a year. The Zoom Streams have been nice, since I've been able to actually get fandom socialization. (and continue living the half-life)
Option 2 is to stop fandom stuff until I can actually scrounge up the hours in the day that I'd need to for a full fandom experience. Focus on family and friends in real life, focus on original work and other projects, instead of fan stuff. (but I'd miss it, and who's to say something inane would just rise to fill its place?)
Option 3 is to re-shuffle my fandom priorities -- instead of cutting my socialization down to nothing, cut down my creative endeavors? Figure out a way to put strict limits on fic reading? Find socialization channels that work for me? (aka something either totally asynchronous or totally synchronous, not that weird uncanny valley that is Discord)
Basically, over the last few weeks, fandom has expanded to be 2-4 hours per day, and I need to stuff it back down to 2-4 hours per *week*.
Anyway, none of this is new to anyone but me, so ... any suggestions?
But all of that also takes *time*, and brainspace. I've been slowly but inexorably pulled into Witcher fandom and yes it's exciting, I love all the fics and discussion and new fandom energy. (
So, I need to cut.
In the past 3 years, I quit reading tumblr so that I could have time to work. Then I quit modding. I've 90% quit Discord/Slack. I've basically been able to keep "doing fandom" only in that I read a few fics based on subscriptions or recs, and I motivate myself to draw sometimes. It's... barely half a fandom experience -- I draw because I can't *not* draw, but since I've basically cut the socialization down to nothing and the consumption to very little, I don't feel like I'm part of any fandom conversation, which then makes me not want to draw to add to the conversation.
This kinda sucks, and isn't exactly "doing fandom." It's this shitty half-life where I'm neglecting both my family and my fandom friends.
So, now that I've lost 1 week+ to Witcher, what are my options?
Option 1 is to keep doing what I'm doing. Don't fall into a new fandom, keep reading some Cap fics and maybe draw 2-3 fanarts a year. The Zoom Streams have been nice, since I've been able to actually get fandom socialization. (and continue living the half-life)
Option 2 is to stop fandom stuff until I can actually scrounge up the hours in the day that I'd need to for a full fandom experience. Focus on family and friends in real life, focus on original work and other projects, instead of fan stuff. (but I'd miss it, and who's to say something inane would just rise to fill its place?)
Option 3 is to re-shuffle my fandom priorities -- instead of cutting my socialization down to nothing, cut down my creative endeavors? Figure out a way to put strict limits on fic reading? Find socialization channels that work for me? (aka something either totally asynchronous or totally synchronous, not that weird uncanny valley that is Discord)
Basically, over the last few weeks, fandom has expanded to be 2-4 hours per day, and I need to stuff it back down to 2-4 hours per *week*.
Anyway, none of this is new to anyone but me, so ... any suggestions?
no subject
Date: 2020-08-09 08:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-11 03:08 am (UTC)::nodnod:: thank you!
no subject
Date: 2020-08-09 10:43 pm (UTC)From what it sounds based on here, you miss both the creative and social aspects of fandom but while you have other creative projects you don't have anything that fills the same social aspect as fandom does.
On a purely personal note, I rately consume fannish material anymore, create less fannish output (both because of general lowering of input due to Life Reasons TM and because I want to focus on original projects) and am still pretty much all in in how I fandom socialise because my friends are here -- but obviously you're not me, just hope it makes sense as an example
no subject
Date: 2020-08-11 03:09 am (UTC)Yeah, that's super helpful! I think that I only know how to socialize based on making something and showing it to someone, or having opinions about media. Maybe I should learn to be better at socializing in general...