Consumption vs Creation

Finding your balance.

This is a continuation of the discussion last week about the importance of spending time alone with your thoughts, without the constant input of external voices. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to start there before diving into this one.

How much time do you spend consuming versus creating?

Photo by RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist on Unsplash

Think about your typical day. How many hours do you spend:

• Scrolling through social media

• Reading articles and blogs

• Watching videos or shows

• Listening to podcasts

• Eating meals or snacks

Now compare that to how much time you spend:

• Writing or journaling

• Making art or music

• Cooking from scratch

• Building or fixing things

• Creating content or experiences for others

• Expressing yourself in any form

For most of us, the consumption side of the equation vastly outweighs the creation side. We've become professional consumers - of content, of food, of products - while our creative muscles have atrophied.

The Consumption-Creation Connection

You might be wondering what creativity has to do with your relationship with food. As it turns out, quite a lot.

When I was deep in my struggle with binge eating, I noticed that my worst episodes often came after days of heavy consumption and minimal creation. I'd consume social media, podcasts, news, and then, inevitably, food. It was all part of the same pattern - filling myself up from the outside rather than expressing what was within.

On days when I created - when I wrote, came up with new ideas, or even rearranged furniture - I felt a sense of fulfillment that no amount of consumption could provide. My need to fill the emptiness with food diminished because I was no longer empty.

The Creative Spark Within

I never used to consider myself a “creative person.” But here's what I've come to believe: We are all inherently creative beings. Creation isn't reserved for "artists" or "creative types" - it's a fundamental human need and capacity.

When we deny this part of ourselves, when we spend our days only taking in and never putting out, something within us becomes restless, unsatisfied. And often, we try to satisfy that creative hunger with food.

What Does Creation Look Like?

Creation doesn't have to be artistic in the traditional sense. Creation is any act that brings something new into being. It could be:

• Writing a thoughtful email to a friend

• Rearranging your living room

• Planning a gathering

• Gardening

• Cooking a meal from scratch

• Solving a problem at work in a new way

• Having a meaningful conversation

• Organizing a closet with intention

• Making a photo album

• Crafting a personal ritual

The form doesn't matter as much as the intention behind it. Are you expressing something from within rather than just consuming from without?

The Consumption-Creation Challenge

Here's a radical idea: What if you only allowed yourself to consume as much as you create?

I'm not suggesting you literally measure hours (though you could). But what if you approached each day with the intention of balancing your consumption with creation?

Before reaching for your phone to scroll, you might ask, "Have I created anything today? Have I expressed what's within me?" If the answer is no, perhaps that's a sign to create first, consume second.

Creating Space for Creation

One of the biggest barriers to creation is the belief that we don't have time. But often, the time is there - it's just being filled with consumption.

Try this experiment: For one week, notice how much time you spend consuming content on your phone or computer. Then ask yourself: What could I create if I reclaimed even half of that time?

The other major barrier is perfectionism. We've been conditioned to believe that creation is only worthwhile if the result is perfect, professional, publishable. But creation at its core isn't about the product - it's about the process.

Your journal entry doesn't need to be profound. Your drawing doesn't need to be gallery-worthy. Your home-cooked meal doesn't need to be Instagram-perfect. The value is in the act of creation itself, in the expression of your unique perspective.

From Consumer to Creator

When you shift from primarily consuming to actively creating, something remarkable happens. You move from being a passive recipient of others' ideas, products, and content to an active participant in shaping your own experience.

This shift ripples through all aspects of your life, including your relationship with food. As you become more intentional about what you create, you naturally become more intentional about what you consume.

The Question That Changed Everything

Years ago, a mentor asked me a question that shifted my perspective: "Are you consuming life or creating it?"

That question helped me see how much of my life was spent in passive consumption rather than active creation. It helped me understand why, despite all the content I consumed about healing my relationship with food, I still felt stuck. I was trying to consume my way out of a problem that required creation - the creation of a new relationship with myself, with food, with my body.

Your Turn to Create

So I'll leave you with this invitation: What will you create today?

It doesn't have to be big. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to come from within you rather than outside of you.

And as you begin to balance your consumption with creation, notice what changes. Notice how it feels to express rather than just absorb. Notice if your relationship with food shifts as other hungers are satisfied.

You are not just a consumer. You are a creator. And the world needs what only you can create.

Share in the comments: What small creative act brought you joy recently? It could be as simple as rearranging your bookshelf or writing a thoughtful message to a friend.

Consumption isn’t a “bad” thing. The invitation is to be intentional about what you consume. The Binge Breakthrough Mini Series could be some of the most powerful content you consume this week. Understand your struggles with food on a whole new level.