Writing - Caring - Boredom

Some reflections from Austin Kleon’s discussion with Rob Walker

Writing is crystallizations of thoughts in a particular time

We often tend to think of the written word to be relevant for eternity. But in fact every written word is a thought that is relevant depending on the context of the time. With time and situations, thoughts change and the written word can lose its efficacy or relevancy.

Caring for something, you can fall in love with it.

We like to think that we need to be in love with something to care about it. Where in fact it runs both ways, if we decide to take care of one thing dearly, we can eventually in love with it. There is a physical and emotional investment in the things we decide to care about that can bring about love in our relationship to that thing. Find something to care about.

Smartphones are the anti-boredom machines of the worst kind.

Its important to be bored. More so for the creative as boredom allows for the mind to consolidate the thoughts and allows you to be present in the moment. It brings the learnings of the past clarity and fuses it with things that can be done in the present. Its easy to kill boredom by taking out your phone but with boredom one kills its benefits too.