I don’t know about you, but my only fear in life is becoming immortal, but being bored to death.
One.
I’m easily bored. I have no patience for waiting. I always need to be listening to something, or be stimulated by visuals. This is why I like coffee, it makes my sensory stimulus more sensitive.
I’m an extrovert. I get energy from others.
I often mindlessly lie in bed, scrolling through the App store for some “revolutionary” app or game to alleviate my boredom. It never does.
Two. Challenge
To fight boredom, I like to challenge myself.
Deadlifting and powerlifting is fun, because I can push my limits. If I had to lift the same weight every week, I would stop. Because it is boring.
With photography, I avoid boredom by pushing my creative limits. I try not to always make the same photo. Because it bores me.
I like to read challenging books. I’m working through Nietzche, and half his shit makes no sense. But it forces me to concentrate, and to understand. I also like his complex thoughts, rather than the vacuous crap I read online on most photo blogs.
Three. Creation is life
I think I have a good solution to living without boredom:
Create when I’m bored.
The easy way to alleviate boredom for me is to watch a movie, listen to music, listen to a podcast, or do something passive. Usually when I do this, I’m bored.
The opposite: when I’m bored, create.
For example I don’t listen to music while walking anymore. Rather, I will freestyle raps and poems to myself while walking.
Instead of reading blog posts to alleviate boredom, I lie in bed, and now “thumb” blog posts as a public diary.
A lot of folks “live stream” their lives via YouTube videos and Instagram live.
What if I just “live streamed” my words, thoughts, and images? Like a stream of water?
So I stopped thinking of “blogging.” To write a “blog” is too static. I prefer to “stream” my thoughts. And that is good, no perfection or editing necessary.
Four. Practical ideas
If you’re bored like me some ideas for you:
- Make photos when you’re bored: If your partner goes to use the bathroom when you’re eating dinner, don’t check your email or Instagram on your phone. Keep it in airplane mode, walk around the restaurant and make “indoor restaurant street photos” of other strangers (all also looking at their phones).
- Make your own blog (1and1.com and WordPress.org). Use the built in editor to publish random ideas. Fuck perfection, just stream your ideas. And no editing allowed.
- Dance: When you’re at a coffee shop or home listen to some music you like. Dance. Dancing is creating movement and expressing your creative soul.
And lastly, fuck political correctness. That shit holds us back.
My mom reads my blog. I only write things and say things, if I was comfortable with my mom reading it. Thanks umma, I love you.
JOIN ERIC KIM FORUM
CINDY made ERIC KIM FORUM for a creative platform. Make photos, and share your images and ideas. When you’re bored, just CREATE more.
BE STRONG,
ERIC