The Art of Boredom


Recreational inactivity.... In the past couple of weeks, I found myself feeling a little restless and cooped up. I figured I needed to get out, do something different, get outside the creative zone for a while and find new energy in other activities. Only problem was, I wasn't satisfied with my options... there didn't seem to be anything I really WANTED to do. So I drifted about for a bit, not planning anything in particular, just allowing things to be...Pottered about at home, picked a little at this and that, did a few household tasks...Completely uneventful, uninspiring, unrelieved boredom.

And it was precisely what I needed.

Because I had made the 'objective' to go out and 'do stuff', I felt like I wasn't fulfilling my plan, felt like I was letting myself down by not going out and doing something exciting. However, because I placed myself in a completely unproductive and uneventful zone for that time, I was soooo happy to get back into my work and fire up the imagination and get with the vision.
A friend had sensed my frustration with my lack of 'to-do' and said to me, "The problem is you're ALWAYS doing something. What you needed most was to stop."

When your passions in life are all about creating and being productive, there are going to be times when you'll be looking to the outside world for provocative ideas and thoughts, and inspiring experiences. But when you're facing burnout and emotional drain, the best thing you can do is stop and rest. The hardest thing to learn in art is when to stop working - seems when your life is an artform, this is also true.