Many of us dream about it, but Vashtie actually took the plunge, disconnecting herself from almost all electronic communications for two-and-a-half weeks. While signed off of all social media apps, she did keep a “trap phone” whose number she gave to a small circle of friends and family though instead of traveling (which she has to do a lot as part of work), she stayed home but at the same time declined all social invites.
She used part of her away time to go back into the crates of classic rock and soul and used what she discovered to create a mixtape with Noumenon titled “Nothing New,” an homage to the music that helped build the foundation of modern day r&b and hip hop.
In a blog entry on her site, Downtown’s Sweetheart detailed how she went about disconnecting and some of the benefits that resulted. According to her post, “This was perfect time to just relax and chill. While I am friendly and generally love people, as a true introvert, I get drained by people (whereas extroverts get energized by people). This period, I was able to decompress and since I didn’t have to be so business-y, I got to be back in my roots of being a dirtbag artist, just daydreaming, being an idiot and researching bizarre things.”
Having taken close to three weeks off from app world, Vashtie recommends the experience highly. “I cannot big up doing a digital detox enough. I was so relaxed, focused, open and receptive,” she wrote. “Taking in the moment and not entertaining myself in quiet moments truly led to inspiration and soothing calm. If you can do it, if even just for one day…I highly suggest it.”
Check out Vashtie and Noumenon’s mixtape below.
