Boredom is just “What’s the use?” in disguise. And “What’s the use?” is fear, andfear means you are secretly in despair. So put your fears on the page.
Saved by Natalie Audelo and
Chekhov advised, “If you want to work on your art, work on your life.” That’s another way of saying that in order to have self-expression, we must first have a self to express.
Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; think mystery, not mastery.
because the thinking mind so dominates, there can be a bit of stiffness as it opens. This stiffness registers in the mind as boredom. With nothing for the grasping mind to do, it feels bored or even anxious.
She thought about that for a moment. “But it’s so boring,” she said. “Yes, that’s true,” I said. “Boredom is not just boring. It can also be terrifying. It forces us to come face-to-face with bigger questions of meaning and purpose. But boredom is also an opportunity for discovery and invention. It creates the space necessary for a new thought to f
... See moreBoring places can impact our mental health, stifling our ‘biological need for intrigue’.48 But boredom also has a purpose. As Sherry Turkle puts it, ‘Boredom can be recognized as your imagination calling you.’49 For her, such moments are ‘signs to attend more closely to things, not to turn away’.
Remember that it is far harder and more painful to be a blocked artist than it is to do the work.
Boredom is just “What’s the use?” in disguise. And “What’s the use?” is fear, and fear means you are secretly in despair.
You know rationally that writing or painting shouldn’t be put off because of your silly fear, but because it is a silly fear, you don’t air it and the block stays intact.