What Is an Information Diet and Why Is It Important for an Artist?

We hear a lot about food diets—low carb, plant-based, intermittent fasting. And as a certified PT, I can assure you that this is one discussion that'll keep the jury out for a few more years to come.

But I'd like to talk about a different kind of intake that shapes us as deeply (if not more) every single day.

Our information diet.

Just like the food you eat fuels your body, the information you consume feeds your mind, mood, and creative spirit. And if you're an artist—someone whose work literally depends on what’s going on inside you—your information diet might be as important as your practice routine, your studio time, or your gigs.

Let’s break it down.

So… What Is an Information Diet?

Your information diet is the stream of content you consume—on purpose or by accident—on a daily basis. That includes:

• Social media scrolling

• News headlines

• Podcasts

• YouTube rabbit holes

• Netflix binges

• Books and articles

• Conversations you’re part of

• Even the playlists you keep on repeat

It’s everything you’re mentally “feeding” yourself. And just like with food, there’s healthy stuff, junk stuff, and a whole lot of filler that might leave you bloated with anxiety or drained of motivation.

The term "information diet" gained traction from Clay A. Johnson’s 2012 book The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption, which argued that the overconsumption of media can be just as harmful to our well-being as overeating junk food. While his work focuses on media literacy and personal responsibility, the core idea applies quite well to creative practice, too.

Why Artists Should Care

As an artist, your inner world is your workspace. It’s where ideas are born, where inspiration gets sparked, and most importantly, where decisions about what not to do are made.

An imperative bi-product of this dynamic that doesn't get talked about enough is this--a cluttered mind makes it harder to access your own voice.

So let's unpack why being intentional about your information diet matters a bit more:

1. Protecting Your Creative Energy

Constant exposure to external stimuli—especially via social media and the likes, can hijack attention and lower intrinsic motivation. Psychologists have found that attention is a finite cognitive resource (Kahneman, 1973), and when it’s fragmented by too much input, it becomes difficult to sustain creative focus. Artists, whose work often depends on deep, uninterrupted engagement, are especially vulnerable to this.

2. Making Room for Original Thought

Here's some food for thought: if your brain is always full of someone else’s opinions, commentary, or content… how does yours ever get a word in?

Research from Martindale (1999) on cognitive disinhibition suggests that creative individuals need space to freely associate ideas and make novel connections. Cognitive disinhibition refers to the brain’s reduced tendency to filter out seemingly irrelevant thoughts or stimuli. While that might sound like a flaw in everyday functioning, in creative contexts, it allows more unconventional associations and insights to emerge.

A constantly stimulated brain rarely enters this fertile state.

3. Reducing Mental Fatigue

Information overload is not just a buzzword—it’s a real cognitive condition, one with measurable effects on memory, attention, and decision-making. When the brain is bombarded with too much input, it struggles to process and prioritize information efficiently, leading to confusion, fatigue, and an impaired ability to focus—none of which are friendly to the creative process. Studies show that consuming too much digital media can impair decision-making and increase stress (Eppler & Mengis, 2004). For artists, this can show up as burnout, lack of motivation, or even creative paralysis.

4. Feeding Yourself the Good Stuff

When you do consume content, make it count. Seek out nourishing voices. Conversations that expand your perspective. Stories that light a fire in you. Music that reminds you why you started.

Consuming the right kind of content can replenish your emotional reserves, spark new ideas, and reconnect you with your sense of purpose. For artists, that kind of resonance can be the catalyst for breakthroughs in both craft and confidence. Content that affirms your values or broadens your worldview can also increase empathy, deepen your storytelling, and help you grow not just as a creator—but as a human being.

This is where curation comes in. You're the DJ of your own mental mix.

How to Curate a Better Information Diet

No need to go full digital detox (unless you want to). But a few intentional tweaks can make a huge difference:

• Audit your feeds. Unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel anxious, envious, or distracted.

• Schedule silence. A few minutes of quiet in the morning or before bed can reset your inner compass.

• Set “input limits.” Give yourself pockets of time where you’re not taking in any new content—just processing, dreaming, creating.

• Choose content that feeds your soul. Replace doomscrolling with a thoughtful podcast. Swap the news binge for an art book.

• Surround yourself with humans who inspire, not drain. Yes, that counts as part of your diet too.

As researchers like Bunjak et al. (2021) point out, creative professionals—especially those in digital or freelance spaces—face a unique tension between being “absorbed” in tech and burned out by it. Intentional limits help can tip the balance toward inspiration, not exhaustion.

Final Thought: You Are What You Consume

As an artist, you don’t just make art. You are art—in process, in progress, in motion.

Your ideas, your emotions, your sense of possibility… all of that is shaped by what you let in.

So maybe it’s time to ask yourself:
What am I feeding my creativity today?

Be selective. Be intentional. Be kind to yourself and the artist in you.

References

• Bunjak, A., Černe, M., & Popovič, A. (2021). Absorbed in technology but digitally overloaded: Interplay effects on gig workers’ burnout and creativity. Information & Management, 58(8), 103533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2021.103533

• Eppler, M. J., & Mengis, J. (2004). The concept of information overload: A review of literature from organization science, accounting, marketing, MIS, and related disciplines. The Information Society, 20(5), 325–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/01972240490507974

• Johnson, C. A. (2012). The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption. O'Reilly Media.

• Kahneman, D. (1973). Attention and Effort. Prentice-Hall.

• Martindale, C. (1999). Biological bases of creativity. In R. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of Creativity (pp. 137–152). Cambridge University Press.