Boredom — The Necessary Catalyst For Creativity?
Memories
My Dad, huddled in a corner of his bedroom, staring at the computer screen, adding pixels one-by-one. The keyboard in the opposite corner, slightly wobbly on its stand, increasingly becoming a familiar friend. Family and neighbours sat round a microphone on the dining room table, recording a script. The man from the Bible Society coming for lunch to discuss publishing.
All these memories from my teenage years when my Dad, Bill Geers, decides that computer graphics are the new medium for animation. It’s 1987 and he is no stranger to screen fatigue. It takes him hours and hours to create a single scene, but we’re behind him and celebrate when the angel’s face slowly emerges from the mass of blocks and he gets a sheep to jump (Minecraft is, as yet, unheard of). His faith and his incredible capacity to stick at something and finish it gave him the drive to accomplish what many would have given up long before.
Boredom
My teenage years were creative. We lived in a satellite village that wasn’t known for its public transport so it was difficult to go anywhere except when parents were free to take me. There was a lot of time to fill in those days and I wasn’t really interested in Chucky Egg.
I guess that’s where boredom is helpful. I spent a lot of time playing the piano and writing songs to fill the time. The keyboard provided a great source of inspiration with its different sounds and recording facilities. I seemed to spend hours just messing around with my ideas and working on arrangements, sometimes just to fill an empty afternoon. My friends lived miles away and we needed to arrange to meet if transport was available. Minutes on the phone were timed so calls were kept pretty minimal. TV was only interesting to me at certain, short times of the day, and I wasn’t really into cycling in the Chiltern Hills as I would be now.
Watching my own kids makes me wonder if I did these things through lack of other things to do, or whether I was just naturally inclined anyway. They never seem at a loss to know how to fill the time, provided they have their phones and a wi-fi connection. Problems only arise if we say they’ve had too much screen time. This is great for them in many ways, but it does mean that they actively have to choose to do something practical and things like practising an instrument are definitely harder work than connecting with friends. And you have to have a certain competence on an instrument before you can really enjoy being creative on it.
I find myself wondering where the inspiration for creativity comes from, and whether boredom is actually an essential catalyst for self-motivation?
Soundtrack
It became obvious that I could do the soundtrack for Dad’s films. I managed to provide a full soundtrack for each of his four short films using music I had written anyway and songs composed especially for the film in question. It was fun and hard work but I loved the sense of achievement when they were finished. Even though I now have other musical achievements to reflect on, I think of these first experiences with a sense of pride and satisfaction. I’m grateful for the time I had and the opportunity to challenge myself. I hope the next generations feel the same.