If You Are Bored, Draw

Since smartphones became a thing, boredom – in the sense of not having anything to do, as on a long drive or while waiting at the doctor's office – is relatively uncommon. Nevertheless, I sometimes find myself mindlessly scrolling – and that is a kind of boredom too, even if the brain is ostensibly stimulated.

This usually happens when I have free time, but not enough energy for more demanding tasks – chores such as cleaning my flat, or otherwise fun but relatively effortful activities like cooking a new dish or writing photography articles. So what to do at such times, other than mindlessly scrolling?

My friend's daughter Colette (age 7) made the following list for her own reference.

A truly excellent list.

When I'm already lacking motivation, coming up with new things to do is harder than, say, reaching for the phone. So I figure I should have such a list too, for ready reference.

Now what should my list contain? My brother is in a different country, and I'm too old to play erasers. But there are other things which I am generally up for, even when I'm not feeling very motivated or energetic, and which – unlike mindless scrolling – not only stave off boredom but actually make me feel better. "Draw" and "read book", for sure. What else? Take a shower, go for a walk, call my parents, do some Duolingo lessons, or stretching exercises and pushups. But my list is not as cool as Colette's.

Anyway, I've been trying to draw more regularly. It's something I always liked to do, but of late, drawing – and other hobbies for that matter – have yielded too much ground to photography. This is something I am trying to redress.

Here's a pen-and-ink drawing of a horseshoe crab, which we saw on a walk in the intertidal zone (that part of the coast which is underwater at high tide but exposed at low tide).

I always liked nature drawing, but I'm trying to expand into architecture. The sketch below is from my bedroom window.

I later tried panting it in watercolours, but the result was so bad I tore off the page and threw it away.

This is something I rarely do; even when I produce a drawing that I'm unhappy with, I tend to keep it as a record. But with this particular drawing, I reflected calmly for a few minutes, and decided I never want to see it again.

Luckily I took photos of the sketch. Maybe someday I'll attempt it again.