On Anti-Creativity

"Ferris Buellier's Day Off"

After a week like I’ve had in the workplace where in place of my usual duties I’ve had to sit through endless hours of meetings with a group of people, watching each other through the week as our minds become more fatigued, we care less about what we say, less about when we interrupt, and more when the day is over.  When all is said and done, since I don’t spend every day with these people, overall, it was not a bad takeaway from routine.  The people I spent time with this week were very pleasant.  Therefore, I feel blessed for that, as I’ve heard horror stories.

I’ve written before about creative shutdown.  But this type of environment gives way to something more severe:  Anti-creativity.  Meaning, not only can I not think of anything creative, I’m 100% certain that anything I do will be better written on a bathroom wall somewhere.  Why is it when we have to sit under close direction and structure like grades school classes my brain feels numb at the end of the day?  I do understand this may not be the case for everyone, so anyone stimulated by all-week meetings, my hat’s off to you.

With honesty, I believe some types of work, especially when not routine, tend to occupy the mind more and be physically tiring even when we are not moving around much.  Afterward, I cranked out a few emails in record time back in my office.  It’s normal that our bodies get used to routine, and spend less energy with routine work. 

Days like this make it difficult to create good fiction, but it also makes us appreciate the days we do even more. I’d like to see these days as they are, as part of my life, and hopefully a small part.  Every once in a while we swerve off the creative path but our instincts will guide us back.