Friday Musings—11/08/23

If you haven't read it already, this week's post is about tapping into your five-year-old self and nurturing your creative brain. As always, I invite you to share your thoughts and insights in the comments. I'd love to get your feedback and continue the conversation.

Now onto my weekly musings 😎

Be bored

One of you left a comment on the importance of boredom in fostering creativity, and I couldn't agree more. As a child, I had very few toys and was often alone. As a result, I would spend my afternoons drawing and building things. I would create imaginary friends and embark on wild adventures. I would also simply stay still, allowing my mind to wander and imagining all sorts of possibilities for myself, the people around me, and the world.

Unfortunately, true authentic boredom has become a rare commodity in today's world. We live in a hyperconnected, overstimulating environment where we're rarely left alone with our own thoughts and feelings for an extended period. Consequently, we have come to view boredom as an unfamiliar, negative, or unproductive state of mind, leading us to avoid it as much as possible.

Disconnect

My previous point leads me to the importance of taking intentional breaks from digital devices and online activities. These stats about smartphone usage in the US are truly terrifying! For instance, 89% of Americans say they check their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up. I've been guilty of that myself, so I've decided to avoid looking at it until at least after breakfast. Another alarming statistic: Americans spend 4 hours and 25 minutes a day on their phones, and I'm sure users in other countries, myself included, aren't far behind. I've disabled most notifications and started experimenting with putting my phone on airplane mode for at least an hour or two each day. I've noticed that my focus changes quite dramatically when I'm not checking my device for an extended stretch of time. I also feel calmer and more rested.

That's not to say tech is inherently bad, and I'm certainly no Luddite. You wouldn't be reading my newsletter if that were the case! However, I believe we can all agree that we have become addicted and need to be more mindful of our relationship with our devices.

It's the little things

Boredom also means you pay attention to and appreciate the little things so much more. For instance, I've become used to always listening to music when I take a walk. But now I have a rule to spend at least part of the walk completely disconnected—just listening to the birds chirping, observing the people around me, hugging trees, and so on.

During high school and my first couple of years at university, I could walk for an hour or more with no digital distraction whatsoever. I would simply immerse myself in the experience. Now, achieving the same requires a huge effort on my part. However, when I do manage to disconnect, I am rewarded with noticing so many little things I would otherwise overlook.

For instance, I was rewarded with the cuddles of this wonderful little fella :)

Quote of the week ✍️

"You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you". (Andy Warhol)

That's all from me today, enjoy your weekend and TTYS

ML