Reflections from my experience as a former Social Media Manager (part 2 of 2)
Before you begin reading this post, be sure to read part one of this series.
Throughout the journey of being a social media manager, I learned a lot of things, most of which I shared in my last post. One thing that I am aware of is if I experienced it, then I am going to think and reflect on my experience and express my reflections through writing.
That said, this post is dedicated to what I learned about myself throughout that process. In every experience we have in life, there is something to learn and the opportunity to grow from what was learned. My goal is to always be teachable, honest and reflective of my human experiences here on this earth.
I had so much fun making the graphics for my last post, I decided to do it again LOL!
What I also learned- My creativity comes from God and was given to me to bring glory to him so I must bring my gift back to him so he can refresh, refill and reignite my creative nature.
I wrote the above poem, “Creative because of My Creator” for on World Poetry Day 2021 (March 21, 2021) #simplyarirenee #simplythrowback
More Lessons Learned- Social media was a creative outlet for my personal account but ultimately, I was unable to give both (the church and my personal social media) the effort and time needed. So I put my personal content creation on the back burner to focus on the church’s social media.
This resulted in me becoming overwhelmed and bitter about my role
I was no longer representing myself and expressing myself as an individual creative because I became the face of/a representative of the church
This was of course an honor but it was equally a heavy weight and responsibility to carry
The high demand for content / meet deadlines impedes and potentially cuts the creative process short or the creative process becomes nonexistent
Resulted in me producing content to survive not necessarily thrive as a creative
I became more concerned about what needed to be posted than expressing myself creatively and authentically
Resulted in mental health decline
Grind Culture is not my vibe and it does not motivate me to produce
Work / Life balance is vital to my mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and relational growth, stability and health of myself and with others
Not everyone understands the creative process (and that it takes time)
Not everyone understands the mind of creatives
While living it, I didn’t realize that my time in this role was during a major life transition. A transition in which, I did not expect to lead me to no longer serve in this role or be a member of this church. Neither did I want that to be the case. But that turned out to be the case, so here I am.
In an Instagram post from earlier this year I said, “We are all at different stages in our growth process, which requires us to do different things. Wherever our journeys take us, if our paths cross for a moment or a lifetime, it has been an honor and a privilege to connect with you.” #simplyarirenee And these are my true sentiments, it was an honor and a privilege to connect and serve for the time that God allotted for my life. But there comes a time for us to move on and that isn’t easy.
In that same post I also said, “Throughout the growth process, it is natural to grieve the loss of what was, who you were, and who you were connected to. It’s okay to grieve what was while simultaneously being excited for what is to come.” #simplyarirenee I see that at times we forget that #growth requires us to grow up and grow away from who and what we once knew as familiar. Sometimes this process requires us to ‘grow up and grow away’ sooner than we expected.
My sister Keidra ‘Spokenfroflo’ says in her song, The Game of Life, 🎶“life is constantly changing, rearranging” 🎶 - that line sums up my entire life but specifically my life since 2020 until this very moment. These life changes have not been easy, but they have all been worth it. Ultimately, the goal is live, love, learn and grow through life and I am grateful for each opportunity and experience along the way.
To grow with me or grow away from me, I bid you
Godspeed,
SimplyAriRenee
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