Here at Mushpit HQ we know the pitfalls of living your life through Insta stories. Both of us have at some point had to turn to the other and, with deep kindness and subtlety, recommend a short breather from the selfies. When your pics are becoming increasingly thirsty sometimes you must bid adieu to your online identity and start existing IRL again. Just for a bit. This is because social media is a trap that preys on your low moods and catches you in its dark and swampy claws. It lurks behind the black screen of your iPhone, ready to suck up all your free time and absorb you in a permanent frenzy of insecurity and anxiety.
We care a lot about each other and a lot about the happiness of our friends and even you, some people we don’t know at all. So we decided to curate an exhibition all about this. Interiority Complex is a collaborative installation by Mushpit and Melissa, which launches for one night only on Thursday 10 August (tonight) at the Galeria Melissa in Covent Garden. Featuring work from Mushpit, Hannah Perry, Natalia Stuyk and Elliss Solomon, it explores the female body in a digital space using… shock horror, nothing digital whatsoever. Join us by RSVPing here and read on for our five tips to overcoming insta-xiety.
1. Forget your phone charger….
Conveniently forget to pack a phone charger in your bag, this will mean you become hyper-conscious of over using your phone and are forced to either put it away OR interact with a member of the public in the search for a charging cable/plug/socket. Even better would be to forget your phone in a taxi as this is very chic and also incredibly good for your mental health. If you’ve ever done this, congratulate yourself.
2. Unfollow everyone…
Celebrities do it, why shouldn’t you? (<— great life motto regardless of what you’re referring to tbh). The amount of conversations we’ve had with friends who feel socially obliged to keep following people that actually make them deeply insecure and upset multiple times throughout the day is sort of ridiculous. No, unfollowing your exes does not mean you’ll definitely never have sex with them again, it just means you don’t have to watch them fall head over-fucking-heels in love with their new partner from your cold, unwashed bed.
3. Cold turkey isn’t always the solution…
For some people (like me) going completely off the grid is the only way to escape the relentless waves of social media pounding through the inside of my poor, exhausted skull and making me hate everyone around me. Lol. But lots of other people are much happier just deleting the app for a day or even just a couple of hours in a more symbolic yet transient “Nicole Kidman walking out of the divorce lawyers” kind of way. Do it your way and don’t feel guilty two drinks in watching your fingers gravitate towards the app store when you’re not even on wifi.
4. Draw a picture of yourself…
Seems weird, not weird. The photographs you take of yourself are one version of the many versions that there are of wonderful you. Don’t let the front cam define who you are or what you look like. Steal some felt-tips from a child and draw your face on a piece of paper. Then take a photo of it and share it on Instagram. Joking. Half joking. Either way, you get the point.
5. Do something distracting…
Like going to an exhibition 😉 😉 that has really good art in it. I’ll even smash your phone for free when you arrive if you like.
Lots of love xox
