The confluence of attention and boredom is vital to creativity.
Attention works like a gate, opening and closing at the will of perception.
We snatch what we aim for. The photographer’s eye spots patterns the same way a poet finds beauty in the mundane.
Yet, boredom offers a gateway to mind wandering. The empty mind is a trigger for connecting the disconnected, kickstarting the imagination, and firing up the ability to notice novelty in the driest of places.
The mind zig-zags between concerted effort and pause in the attempt to pick up more knowledge. Emphasizing attention over boredom over the other negates their impact. Sometimes, one has to let go to grow.
Just as we try to float, we sink. Active control requires the opposite: a calm and disengaged discipline.