I’m not one to get bored easily. I keep myself busy with a variety of hobbies and activities. However, one reason I tend to constantly seek change in my creative work is quite likely a result of a kind of boredom.
I’ve started and deleted at least half a dozen blogs. I have four more scheduled to be phased out soon. In the past, I switched songwriting genres several times, and now I’m primarily composing experimental electronic music.
Am I inconsistent? Discontented? Not really.
Truth is, doing the same things over and over leads to artistic boredom.
They say you should learn the rules of any creative task before you break them. I’m not sure I completely agree with that statement, but I do make a point to learn the rules of my craft. Then I look for ways to change things up a little bit, make my work more interesting, different.
After one writes 500 verses, bridges, and choruses, even with a variety of unique variations, things start to get a little dull. 500 blog posts? It all leads to getting burned out on the whole shebang and I want something new, fresh.
This is why I like the experimental music genre. It allows one to break out of the boredom of formula. It’s also why I sometimes use profanity in my writing. Nothing like a few curse words to spice things up, right?
Artistic boredom is real. When we work within the confines of specific cultural expectations, we can feel obliged to do things according to the norms of an industry, of society. But I want to explore the fringes, go beyond the expected.
Isn’t that what great artists do? Create the new? The profound?
As I get older, anything other than striving for artistic individuality and greatness leads to boredom. Is it just me? – dse
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