Consumer to Creator

On a very sad and depressing day, when I am not able to redirect my thoughts on my own, I would sneak out and visit the nearby Corner House Store and treat myself to a cup of rich butterscotch. At times, I would stealthily open the refrigerator and pick a slice of Amul Cheese. I consume to make myself happy.

Feeling bored, having time on hand, I would reach out to my friends and plan to go over to a good eat out (within my self imposed restrictions of venues offering only veg options), or plan to see a movie. I consume to make myself happy.

The tea advertisement tells us that drinking piping hot tea in an earthen cup in the early morning hours is a refreshing experience that feels like heaven.

Every builder promises of a relaxed and happy life on buying their great properties is unique locations.

The sports shoe folks make u imagine being an athlete on buying their wear.

Everybody out there is promising happiness on mere consumption. Isn’t it so? No sooner we have consumed something, we want another dose of it again soon. So soon at times that I sometimes wonder what happened to the happy feeling I had last time. Has it disappeared already ?

Lets step back in time. Reflecting on our own past and of those young ones around us. We no doubt fancied ice creams, chocolates and stuff as kid. But what thrilled me more was doing stuff, playing, trying new things, learning new things, etc.

I infer, there is different kind of joy when you are generating happiness through creator mode than consumption mode.

Dancing as against watching dance. Playing as against watching sports. Painting as against buying art. Gardening as against eating. Writing as against reading. Cleaning as against enjoying clean places. Performing worship as against watching rituals. And so on. These are a few examples of being in the Creator mode.

I find happiness through ‘creator’ mode gives fulfilment, creates self worth, helps self discovery and gives rise to a different flavour of happiness that’s more your own, the source under your own control and inturn available for others to consume as an incidental outcome.

One must be cautious here. To feed on the response to what we create is akin to consumer mode. Like, perform a play and be happy based on the feedback of the audience. We are here consuming to be happy. On the contrary the self-satisfaction of having done, having excelled, having found advancement through the act itself is being happy through being a creator.

Take a look at yourself. Do you create anything at all now? Are you consuming all the time? If yes, start in a small way and experience what it does to you. Don’t bother of what the outcome is to others. Its doesn’t matter, since someone can always do better and someone always cant as you would. Do it for your self. For the sake of the act, in its own cause.

Think about it. Ask yourself. And increase the creator mode behaviours and reduce the consumer mode behaviours. Would love to hear what you experience by this.