You Are What You Consume

What do the stories you consume say about what you value?

Author

Alexa Phillips
February 12, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

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Welcome to Creatives Anonymous, a weekly newsletter that explores what it means to be a modern-day creative. It inspires, encourages, and empowers readers to take back their creative power.

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Whenever I find myself in a rut and need to get re-inspired, I reach for my favorite movies. 

We all have them—the movies we’ve seen a million times and always rewatch at least once a year (if not more). 

Some of mine are: 

  • Moneyball

  • Jobs

  • Legally Blonde 

  • The Internship

  • School of Rock 

  • The Princess Diaries 

  • The Social Network 

  • The Greatest Showman 

  • Mulan

  • Bohemian Rhapsody 

  • Meet the Robinsons 

  • Real Steel 

  • The Lizzie McGuire Movie 

  • Avengers (1-4)

  • Rocketman

  • Crazy Rich Asians

While all these movies are so different, they all have one thing in common: the themes. 

All stories have a general theme. It’s usually a statement made by a character other than the hero that determines the character’s story arc—what they must learn or discover before the end of the story. 

In the case of the movies listed above, they all present themes of: 

  • Beating the odds as an underdog

  • Doing things differently to innovate

  • Creating your own lane 

  • Embracing being a misfit

  • Standing out by being yourself

  • Bravery, courage, and risk-taking

  • Breaking the status quo

  • New perspectives

  • Multiple truths, dichotomies, and juxtapositions

  • Believing in yourself 

  • Perseverance 

  • Reaching your fullest potential 

There’s a reason we gravitate towards stories that present the same themes.

Our favorite stories are our favorites not because of the plot or the characters but because of how well the story's general theme resonates with us.

If you’re an optimist, you’ll likely resonate with themes of optimism. 

You’ll likely resonate with pushing limits and experimentation themes if you're a risk-taker. 

If you’re a black sheep, you’ll likely resonate with themes of standing out from the crowd by being yourself.

The stories we consume speak deeply to us and our values. The themes we resonate with align with our core values and who we are. 

Analyzing our favorite stories is the best tool we have for self-discovery. When we pay close enough attention, the stories we love tell us more about ourselves—what we believe, the injustices we oppose, and how we want the world to perceive us. 

The stories we love have a way of shaping our identity. It’s more than saying you’re a Harry Potter or a Star Wars fan. It’s about how those stories make you feel and the actions they inspire you to take.

The stories that resonate with us the most elicit a visceral reaction and evoke positive or negative emotions. 

Whenever I consume my favorite stories, I feel the same emotions: empowered, inspired, optimistic, and like I can take on the world. 

We are the main characters of our stories, with our story arcs. Our own “themes” guide our journey, the lessons we learn, and the transformations we embark on.

Pay attention the next time you rewatch your favorite movie or reread your favorite book. It might reveal something about yourself that you didn’t know you valued.

Creative Corner

  • 🎞️ What I’m Consuming: I binged the latest season of Sweet Magnolias. It makes me want to live in a small town like Serenity.

  • 💡 What I’m Loving: I took these AMAZING photos of some ice on the pavement outside my apartment last week, and they look like the surface of Jupiter or Saturn

  • 🎨 What I’m Working On: I created a lil’ video diary documenting my brand photoshoot and loved how it turned out

  • 💭 Weekly Musing:

We think our “work” is the job we go to or the place we get a check from. No. Your work is the very special thing that you add to this world. Your vision. Your light. Your love. What you share. What you create. How you make people feel. Etc. That, my friends, is truly our WORK.

Eso, @coolurbanhippie

Thank you 💕

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Alexa Phillips is a writer, brand strategist, and multi-passionate creative. She is the founder of Bright Eyes Creative, a creative studio helping creative brand leaders become tastemakers by turning their POV into content-driven brands.

Where to find me:

  • Learn more about my services 

  • Join the waitlist for Content Kickstart, my 8-week blog intensive to streamline your blog writing process to produce more content in less time—without sacrificing POV or optimization.

  • Listen to my recent podcast episodes.

  • Subscribe to my other newsletter, The Underground, a weekly zine that teaches creative brand leaders to become tastemakers by creating unforgettable content that breaks through the noise and leaves a mark.

  • Join Write Club, free weekly 90-minute co-writing sessions dedicated to helping you knock out all the content you have to write for your business.