Many times I have tried to keep up with trends. If you look through our blog, you’ll see that Tobi and Toyin both have their favorite seasonal shows. Our podcast also showed that I do NOT keep up with recent anime. Do I still think, read, and watch old school titles? Yes! I did attempt to keep up, but, you know, life did not work that way.

After various cycles of burnout, I took a page from Lisa from The Wonder of Anime‘s book and focused on what I liked. I still felt the pull, the desire to be relevant in a sea of others wanting that same thing, but with an even smaller pond in our corner of the internet. I didn’t want to watch for hot takes or keep up for engagement, but to enjoy it truly. I want to consume purely. Meaning I’m taking in, enjoying, and reflecting when applicable.

“While it may seem logical to always be up to date and on top of everything, may I remind you that media does not expire.” – Lisa De La Cruz, The Wonder of Anime

In our digital age, we have access to endless content. Have you just taken a step back to look and appreciate what’s going on? The hard work, the symbolism of the work? Taking time to get out and smell the flowers, or just simply touch the grass.

Everyone wants to be relevant – trending. But some of us are lost in the plot of trying to keep up. Every take doesn’t have to be a hot take. You don’t have to reach past the plot for the engagement.

Our attention spans are short. Long-form content is a lost art, but more importantly, just enjoying things. There are posts on this blog about Avatar: TLA that have been consistently revisited. There might not be recent posts like that (at the moment), those posts from our humble beginnings show proof that you don’t always have to be up to date. Someone is always looking for those hidden gems that often get overlooked in the grind to be relevant.

You don’t need permission to enjoy things. Just enjoy them and create.