seeking antidote for information overload

"a river runs through it"  mixed media on canvas  36"x12"

do you ever feel overwhelmed

by the barrage of information

or sheer amount of words,

images upon images,

(even the relevant/beautiful/powerful ones)?

overload.

do you struggle

with the weight and worth

of your additions

to the massive pile to sift through

as i do?

self promotion seems to be

a necessity of our craft these days...

yet, even when done humbly and respectfully

it feels a little bit like

pulling a bandaid.

and throwing it in the pile.

doesn't it?

"a river runs through it"  mixed media on canvas  12"x36"

my attempt at a respite:

step 1: unplugging.

a walk through the fields.  playing in the dirt.

picking fresh vegetables.  making a child laugh.

jumping in a bouncy house. sipping my tea slowly.

sitting around the fire with loved ones.

leaving the camera at home.

step 2: simplifying

my own input.

editing the heck out of my thoughts.

ruthlessly cutting out unnecessary words.

really digging

to get to the heart of things.

visually,

if i must paint

(and i must),

this is not a joke:

i paint everything white.

i use mostly materials

others would consider trash.

i wash them in white

(paradoxically, covering them in paint

actually reveals their essence to me)

and hesitantly proceed

to add my contribution.

then i feel that even

this entire last paragraph

was perhaps not

entirely necessary.

forgive me.

then i add a few more images,

not even ironically.

and finally i say good night,

without further editing.

"a river runs through it"  detail

would love to hear your strategies for dealing with information overload!  please do share!