3 Resources For Better, More Well-Rounded Content

A ladder and a bookshelf containing old books.

I think we’ve all started to feel fatigued with the content we ingest on a regular basis. With most of us now glued to our digital devices for a large part of the day, it kind of feels like we’re on a hamster wheel of the same input from the same places day in and day out. 

But — fear not. You’re not doomed to just have the same familiar content filling up your feeds for the rest of your life. Today, you shall be introduced to a variety of new sources for great content that has more of a chance of enriching your life rather than harming it. 

Here are three fantastic subscriptions and resources for better, more well-rounded content. 

1. Criterion Collection Streaming Service

If you’ve been tempted to go down some Criterion Collection rabbit holes only to be dissuaded from doing so due to the prohibitive price of films, worry not. Though many people are wholly unaware, the Criterion Collection actually has an amazing streaming service. 

To be clear, the streaming service doesn’t give you access to every single Criterion Collection movie ever made, but it gives you access to a whole lot of them — as in literal hundreds of them. It also features scores of director’s commentaries which alone, in my humble opinion, makes this valuable streaming service worth it. 

While there are specific collections you can explore, just finding new movies through weird rabbit holes can be extremely gratifying. Instead of being told what to watch, you gain the autonomy to truly chart a unique course of content intake. 

At the time of writing this, a monthly subscription to this streaming service is $10.99 while an annual subscription is $99. While it is a paid subscription, you get access to some of the most meaningful movies in film history, making it well worth the price. 

2. Libraries and Libby

If you get me drunk, you might hear me go on one of my usual rants about how libraries are one of the most underutilized resources in the country. I think we don’t appreciate libraries because of the fact that they’re free, much like water. 

But, just think for a second. Within a 20-minute drive, you probably have a place that has books on every subject and the greatest works of literature ever written accessible for no cost at all. And, in the modern era, libraries have extended their offerings to digital platforms. 

With the Libby app, you can connect to your library’s digital database and check out audiobooks and digital books for free. This means if you have an e-reader, such as a Kindle or Nook, you can load it up with amazing reads for the beautiful cost of free-99. 

While your library will have collections and curations, these are typically put together by actual librarians who love books. As such, you’ll experience a new feed of insightful recommendations in a range of genres for you to explore in order to spruce up your content feed. 

3. Old Magazines

Now, most of us don’t have enough disposable funds to be like Wes Anderson and purchase a college library’s entire collection of The New Yorker issues spanning decades. However, we can make it a habit to pick up a few old magazines here and there whenever we get the chance. 

Though it might sound kind of weird, old magazines can be absolute gold mines of superb, stylish writing, interesting stories, and general creative inspiration. What’s more, you’re even able to tailor your reading to your own personal interests. 

Personally, I love picking up old LIFE magazines and The New Yorker issues from the past. I’ve also ordered collections of old Giant Robot magazines, which is probably my favorite magazine and is definitely one of my biggest creative inspirations (if you’ve never heard of Giant Robot, watch this PBS doc on YouTube for more context about what it was and how it started). 

What’s fun about this form of content intake is you never quite know exactly what you’ll get. Instead of being spoonfed the same show that everyone else is watching on a streaming platform homepage, you get to charter an idiosyncratic and mysterious content journey that’s wholly your own. 

You can order bundles of old magazines on eBay or go check out local vintage shops. And — trust me — reading an old, largely printed LIFE magazine is truly a pleasure that you won’t regret trying. 

Breaking Out of the Cycle

Truth is, you have endless options for bolstering your content feeds and taking in new forms of art, news, and entertainment. The hardest part of the process is letting go of our typical habits and truly breaking out of the cycle. 

If you find yourself going to the same news site every day, try blocking it for a week. If you go to the same movie streaming service every night, cancel it for a month. Even if you still peruse these websites in the future, it’s healthy to form a new routine with other sources just so you’re not dependent on them. 

Over time, being more intentional with your content intake will ultimately enrich your life. Rather than having algorithms and other people dictate what you perceive, you get to take the driver’s seat and really gain control over your life. And, in the modern age in which force-fed content is the norm, this seemingly small change can truly have a radical effect on how you feel, think, and act.

While we do our best to create engaging content that has the ability to enrich your life and provide you with some amount of inspiration to pursue your ideal life, we know that even our content can be fatiguing if consumed too much. Get out there and explore new streams of information and we have a good feeling that it’ll have a beneficial impact on your life.