Why Boredom is Great for Creativity

and how we can learn to be bored again

Do you remember the last time you were bored? Do you remember the last time you were bored and didn’t reach for your phone, computer etc to distract you? For those of us who are linked into our phones and computers daily, it’s hard to remember what we did before these devices were there to entertain us: waiting for a bus, standing in a queue, taking a long car journey, doing the dishes, these have all become times to take out our phone and distract ourselves.

When I did the Artist’s Way, the infamous reading deprivation week was probably one of the most profound weeks of the whole twelve. Julia Cameron tells us that we cannot read anything for seven days, not for work, not for pleasure. The idea is to stop using reading as a crutch, to stop us outsourcing our creativity through the words of others.

Photo by Ludmila Pashkevych on Unsplash

To bring it up to date, I didn’t just cut out reading, as suggested by Julia Cameron, I also cut out podcasts, radio, social media, email, YouTube, Netflix etc. There was usually some voice or other coming from my phone or computer while I was cooking, cleaning or washing up, so taking that away left a huge empty space. At first, I was deeply uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to do with myself. It felt like I was sitting in the middle of an empty room twiddling my thumbs.

Bearing in mind, I was also doing the Artist’s Way during Lockdown so there was very little distraction. Day two I pulled out some colouring pencils, put on some music and began drawing. I drew birds on branches, made little greetings cards. Day three, I started a jigsaw and let my mind wander as I found the pieces, let different ideas for writing projects float in. By about halfway through the week, I settled into the quiet. I felt calmer, I could hear myself, I could think. By the end of the week, I was writing poems, making cakes, sitting with delicious cups of tea, savouring the flavours and drawing whatever came to me. That week was the start of so much for me creatively. That week, the idea for a novel appeared to me (after I truly believed I may never write again). That week reminded me just how glorious it is to be bored, because it is in boredom that creativity really gets to work. AND it gets to work in its own unique way, in OUR own unique way.

In another part of The Artist’s Way, we are asked to write down people we admire. I realised that all bar one of the people I wrote down were not on social media. The reason I admire them is because everything they produce feels fresh, different, not tainted/informed by the Zeitgeist. As Rick Rubin says in his book The Creative Act, ‘the world isn’t looking for more of the same.’ Such a simple statement but so deeply true.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Those of you who have been here for a while, won’t be surprised by me mentioning Zadie Smith (yep, she was on the aforementioned list of people I admire. Among the others were Michaela Coel and Phoebe Waller-Bridge). Zadie Smith famously doesn’t own a smartphone. I heard her say in an interview recently that she sometimes sits on the Tube with an A-Z in hand looking up the map of where she has to go. She understands the inconveniences that not having a smart phones affords her, but she was pretty clear that those inconveniences are certainly outweighed by the benefits of having her mind to herself. And I could listen to Zadie Smith speak about anything because what she has to say is always fresh.

I recently took a long bus journey and I only allowed myself to listen to music, no films on the fancy bus with my own screen, no reading, no podcasts. It was glorious. I just watched the world go by and reflected on my time away, pondered my novel, thought about new story ideas. My mind wandered into all sorts of nooks and crannies and I felt peaceful and connected to myself and the world passing by the window.

So, I wonder how I can increase boredom into my life? How in actually allowing boredom in, I find myself deeply nourished and inspired. How in boredom creativity (that is unique to me) can really get to work. How I can find my way back to creaitvity just for creativity’s sake.

Some ideas:

1) When waiting (in line, for a bus, for a friend) leave your phone in your bag and just observe what’s going on around you.

2) Go for a walk/drive without your phone. No music, no podcasts, no replying to voice notes.

3) Take a phone-free day (I did this recently and the day felt so free and expansive- It was like it grew just because I wasn’t tethered to anything)

4) Do the washing up in silence- see where your mind goes. Pay attention to the experience.

5) Make a cup of tea, sit at the table, drink the cup of tea, with no other distractions.

6) At 7pm, turn off your phone, light a candle and draw whatever comes to mind

*I understand that for some people who have dependents, turning off your phone is impossible. Perhaps an app that turns off your social media would work to at least get some peace.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and any ways that you let your mind switch off to switch on…

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