boredom → creativity - KEEP GOING.
Creativity is at an all-time low. We have constant distraction & a lack of originality. How come?
Brook Slagle • 2023-12-17
Creativity is at an all-time low.
We have constant distraction & a lack of originality.
Our modern world seems bleaker, more algorithmic, and less inspired.
How come?
I think it is because our modern world has done an incredible job at removing boredom.
People have ZERO tolerance for being bored.
Let me tell you some examples:
Stuck in the checkout line at the grocery? Gotta check TikTok, or scroll on X.
Bathroom trip? Time to check Amazon Prime lightning deals.
Extra time on the weekends? Catch up on a YouTube or Netflix series.
No matter what, we have this need to fill in our extra time and prevent our selves from getting bored.
In the world of machines and people being just another cog in the system… it is fine. The machine runs as intended.
But as creators, business owners, and designers… our modern world fails us.
It prohibits us (by design) from the rare pleasure that is boredom.
Boredom is the time when our brains are naturally creative.
Ever since our childhood, we have had the need to bide our time.
And as long as you weren’t an iPad kid (I don’t think you are young enough to be one 🤣) you had to figure out what to do with your time.
You had to get creative. You may have dug in the dirt. Picked up some crayons and drew a castle. Jumped around outside on rocks or the curbs.
When at that moment, you had to create something for you to do.
You didn’t have something to distract you from the natural cognition that creates something for you.
That is the creative process.
During this process we stumble upon the greatest ideas, solutions, and innovations.
And we have eliminated all the need for this process to exist, though.
It is no wonder that we have a zero beauty in our cities, no inspiration among our people.
We have prohibited it. By design.
This system of distraction is something that is being pushed on to us.
Being aware is the first step.
Next, is making conscious choices back to being bored.
Now, I don’t want this whole letter to be sad and depressing. So here is a list of things that you can do to get back your boredom and let your mind function as it should:
Shower without music. Silence is the key.
Go for a walk without a podcast playing - listen to the sounds around you.
Read and afterward do something super boring, like the dishes or laundry. Your brain won’t be able to stop thinking about what you just read.
Meditate.
Don’t bring your phone into the bathroom.
Indulge in the self-care that is unsexy - example: spend extra time flossing your teeth. Not much left to do but think.
Do a gym session once a week without music or a podcast.
Go to a coffee shop without your phone. Only a notebook and a pen. Write down everything that comes to mind.
Sit at a mall and watch everyone.
When reading those, did you get a little uncomfortable?
That is how far we have pushed away boredom. To the extent that just the thought of it is nearly uncomfortable.
Being bored isn’t bad.
Boredom leads to creativity. It allows our brains to function as it is designed.
To create. To solve. To innovate.
Boredom → creativity.
KEEP GOING
B.S.