Why a digital detox is important for introverted artists

A few years ago I started to notice just how sensitive I am to the energies of the internet and how much it affects my mental well-being. If I start listening too much to extroverted messages it can easily put me in a negative headspace. It can make me question how I’m running my business, and even shake my belief of what’s possible for me to achieve as a sensitive and introverted artist.

The more that I listened to gurus and even other artists who preach a one-size fits all approach to business, the more that I felt like I was missing out on a crucial component in my business, or like there was something wrong with me because I didn’t operate in the same way.

It was an alienating sensation. Similar to finding yourself at an event and realizing that you don’t fit in. Everyone around you is having a great time, but you just can’t seem to connect with any of them. And it’s not that they’re bad people, but you and them don’t hold the same kind of energy. 

Maybe you have felt this way before, as you’ve looked for creative and entrepreneurial communities, mentors, or advice. The energy of an environment is important, whether we’re fully conscious of it or not.

This made me realize how important it is to curate our online environment in the same way that we do with our external environments.  It's crucial for sensitives and introverts, like us, to be in environments where we feel comfortable and safe, and share similar values. Where we feel heard, however quiet our voices may be, and seen without feeling exposed. I find that that's not always possible with mainstream influences and communities.

An ill-fitting environment can fill our heads with fears and doubts, or unearth our deepest insecurities. 

On the other hand, the right environment can play a significant role in helping us develop a positive mindset about our creative path as sensitive introverts, and that can contribute to our overall success.

One of my big core beliefs is that there is magic in this world and that it's all around us, and while we can't exactly conjure magic with wands like Harry Potter, we can do it with our thoughts, our words, actions, and feelings. 

I wholeheartedly believe that when we surround ourselves in environments that feel in alignment with who we are, the universe starts to work its magic by bringing more of the right kind opportunities. The more that I believe that good things can happen, the more good things actually start to happen around me. 

I know that there is this unexplainable, but very real magic that happens when you surround yourself with good thoughts, which are cultivated by being in the right environment. Even though this is a core belief,  I still need to hear that daily and have it in the forefront of my mind on a consistent basis. 

I can tell when I'm in the wrong environment for too long because I start to feel pessimistic, frustrated, or like something is wrong with me because I'm sensitive and introverted. Another tell-tale sign is if my body unconsciously contracts in response to an idea. That’s my intuition telling me that that idea isn’t right for me.

It's vital for me to see less of hustle culture, girl boss, and anything that feels like I have to be extroverted to find success. And instead surround myself with the things that make me feel good and encourage me to embrace my sensitive nature. 

For example, I have decided to fill my digital environment with things that are about slow living, being an introvert or HSP, about finding and tuning into the flows and rhythms of our energies and the seasons in our lives. About adjusting and allowing things to flow in naturally. To listen to things that connect me deeper to my spirituality and trust in the magic of the universe, or things that help me learn more about myself, like human design, which I find is so incredibly helpful. And really anything that encourages me to reconnect with myself constantly, and remind me that I am here to make beautiful things.

Those are the things that I want to hear on a consistent basis.

I also started looking for people who are doing things differently, regardless of industry, like Danielle Gardner and Belinda Marie, and taking in their wisdom about being sensitive and how it’s possible to run a business that feels gentle and nourishing. I want to surround myself with those words of encouragement. Words that make me feel like I'm enough. Words that make me feel like I could do it in a way that's different from the way that everyone else is telling me to do it.

The more that we can curate our digital and external environment with supportive messages and content, the easier it is to tap into an abundant mindset. I have found that it allows our intuition to flourish because we're not alone constantly trying to silence it and force ourselves to operate in a way that we're not meant to.

So if you're like me and sometimes find fears and doubts, start to creep into your thoughts and feel like you're not good enough because you're sensitive or introverted or are doing things differently, then curating your digital environment might help you shift into a more positive mindset.

You can start to look for evidence of people who are doing it the way that you want to do it. Surround yourself with the words and images, and the content, and the people who will encourage you to follow who you are. 

When you can cultivate a digital environment that you feel comfortable in and feel a sense of peace and safety, that's when you thrive as an online artist.