Are you creating or are you consuming? How boredom connects my ideas.
Some time in 1996 there was a young boy playing with rocks and dirt near a curbside in Austin, Texas. That little boy was using his imagination. Building cities, bridges out of mud and sticks, racing toy cars, and drinking kool-aid to beat the Texas summer heat. Imagination ran wild with reckless abandon. Nothing was something and something was too much. Suffice to say, boredom was the best.
Flash forward 26 years later and that little boy is writing this post out of boredom. I lost sight of boredom between now and then. Or rather, I like to believe that external distractions took away from the same creative mind.
The topic of boredom stems from a recent hiatus I took from social media. *Now, I use that with a grain of salt. What I actually did was erase my apps from my phone and limited the time of day and the duration of scrolling time.
Sadly, the algorithms can take hold of us and when they do, we consume, consume, consume. Next thing you know, you're either frustrated, angry, hyped up, or you need more to feed that addiction.
Now that I'm working from home, own my business, tackling projects with others, and spending time breaking up my day in different ways, I'm finding that there are periods of boredom that have to be built in for me.
So, what does that boredom look like for me? Well, it may be different for everyone but I find that my mind is quiet when I use those cheesy meditative playlists on Apple Music while I'm stretching at the gym. If I'm unable to take an hour stretching, I'll go for a 4-5 mile run with headphones on. The style of music is important for me. I listen to progressive trance, which I find to be very therapeutic, gives me energy, and with its minimalist nature, creates an ambience that gives me an empty headspace.
Challenging as it may be, disconnecting from unnecessary distractions and following your intuition may be the very thing you're missing. I've just started learning more about myself through this process. As strange as that may seem, yes, I'm just now figuring that out. I miss the creative mind of my 6 year old self and I'm ready to get back to it.
So, what's preventing you from creating boredom in your life? I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes.
"Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something". -Winnie the Pooh
Best,
J. MacMorran