In my opinion, the two worst things you can experience as an artist are burnout and boredom.
Burnout you are familiar with. When you're burned out you're exhausted. Your creative "well" is empty. You've spent too much time at generate and you need a break. When you're burned out, the remedy is clear: you need to rest and refuel.
But what do you do when you're bored with your creative work?
First, let's take a whack at a definition: what does it mean to be bored with your art?
We experience boredom when we have lost the sense of mystery in our creative process.
As creatives, we're most engaged with our work when it feels like we're discovering something. Through the process of making a drawing, a song, a podcast etc., we feel like we're articulating something new. We're surprised by what we pull forward. We want to keep digging. We feel like we're in collaboration with a force outside of ourselves. (i.e. something mysterious).
When we are the least engaged with our work, we feel restless. We're impatient. We repeat ourselves. We over-control. This happens because we are anxious to get a certain result, and in doing so, we remove the variables we can't control (i.e. the possibility for surprise).
The creative surprise is the most important part of the art-making process. It is the reward for your labor. Removing the element of surprise is the equivalent of punishing yourself as an artist.
So if you're bored, how do you get excited again? How do you bring back the creative surprise?
Consider this:
1. What are you over-controlling in your creative process? The mark-making? The language? The format? Identify it and stop right now. Release the grip. Get loose.
2. Can you integrate an unpredictable force? Can you integrate a new medium, technique, or collaborator that would bring something fresh to your process? Something you can't anticipate? Allow yourself to be a collaborator vs. a creator. Respond vs. control. See if that helps bring the life back into your work.
