“I’m bored!” - my 4-year old son
“What!? What do you mean you’re bored? We did all your favorite things this morning. We got breakfast burritos and went a playground and a swim class and a trip to toy store and bakery to get a special treat. You’re not bored!” - Me
“I’m BORED!”
“Stop it. No, you’re not.”
“BORED”
'“Alright, what do you got? What do you want to do? What’s missing from the day?”
“BBBBOOOOORRREEDD!”
“Do you even know what bored means?”
“Uhhhhh….nope!”
Sigh…
I’m not winning any Dad of the Year awards for this interaction, but let’s dive deeper into so we all really understand the meaning of being bored.
Let’s say my son knew what the word bored meant and he accurately expressed that he was feeling that emotion in that moment. What was my response? My first reaction was to think that boredom is a bad thing and we should do everything we can to avoid it.
But here’s the thing…
Boredom is not inherently good or bad - it's an emotional state like any other. And like any emotional state, there are ways that we can understand and use it to become a more complete person. It's time to stop treating boredom like an enemy, and instead embrace it as a teacher.
An Argument for Boredom
After intense periods of focus like work or study, it's crucial to give your brain some downtime to recharge. What's happening during these moments of mental rest? Your brain slips into its "default mode" where it consolidates memories, reflects on lessons learned, contemplates yourself and others, and daydreams. This is an essential part of learning and creativity.
Without these down periods, your brain can become fatigued and unable to focus correctly. It needs time to make new connections and process what it has absorbed. This is why activities like taking a shower or going for a walk often spark those lightbulb moments. With your body occupied with routine tasks, your mind is free to wander, the brain makes intuitive leaps you can't force when actively focusing.
Protecting your brain's downtime enhances learning, creativity, focus, and problem-solving. So build in restoration periods and don't feel guilty about temporarily zoning out. Your brain is still working hard - and the results will show in your refreshed motivation and ideas when you resume your work.
(Source)
Actively Seek Out Boredom
These natural downtimes to let your brain rest are not assumed anymore. We all have busy lives with demanding jobs or loud kids or annoying roommates or dating apps that are constantly fighting for our attention. We also have distracting devices beside us all day and night that we can use to entertain us at the first sign of feeling bored. The solution is to schedule dedicated time into your calendar to allow your brain the space to rest and wander so you can grow. Some tips I’ve found over the years:
Turn off Notifications
For the love of all things holy, turn off all the notifications on your phone. You can't let your brain rest if you're constantly being pulled out of your mental space by random slack notifications.
Morning Cup of Coffee
When I lived in Savannah, I had a neighbor who drank a cup of coffee on her balcony every single day. It didn’t matter what the circumstances were… heat, wind, rain, or literal hurricanes…she swore by her routine of starting her day with a cup of coffee in her pajamas to get her mind right.
Take a Walk
This was my jam, especially when my kids were brand new. Every day during paternity leave and every Saturday after, I would start my day by strapping one of my kids to my chest in a Baby Bjorn and walking around Central Park. It didn’t matter what the weather was, I was dedicated to doing that every weekend.
The slow movement let me clear my head from the week and envision long-term goals. Fun fact - I came up with the idea for this newsletter on one of those walks!Fun fact…the idea for starting this newsletter came out of one of those walks.
Cook From Scratch
You can grow your brain and make delicious things?!?! Yup. It turns out most of the cooking/baking is pretty mindless tasks. Dicing onions, peeling carrots, and kneading dough are a big chunk of the prep time and those repetitive tasks can give your mind the space to wander.
Try Yin Yoga
I didn’t know what Yin Yoga was until recently. I explain it like this:
Do you know a regular yoga pose? What if you just did that and like didn’t move for a long time to the point where you think “I can’t possibly do this for longer?” That’s yin yoga.
It’s staying in single yoga poses for 2-3 minutes each and settling into the poses. Yin forces you to slow down and opens up your mind. It's perfect for us computer-bound folks.
Get a Massage
Admittedly…this is not an affordable option for all…but getting an occasional massage is also great. You are forced to lie motionless staring at the floor for an hour. Your brain can find some weird thoughts when your face is stuffed into that little hole in the table.
Screenfree Saturdays
This was one I was motivated to try after attending a presentation by Karen X Cheng at Adobe MAX. She spoke eloquently about detaching from social media and the culture of likes (similar to my article a couple of weeks back.)
She suggested picking a day of the week when you engage with zero screens. No computers or phones or TVs of any kind. Just be a person in the world for that entire day.
The other part of her presentation that I have yet to explore is the idea of getting a minimalist phone. This is something with a black-and-white screen that gives you access to all the things but does so in a way that makes it less addictive.
Conclusion
The next time you feel bored, just try and lean into it. I know it’s hard and you want to make that feeling go away but trust me…let that bored feeling wash over you. Let your body embrace the boredom because who knows what excellent weird thought you are about to have.
3D News of the Week
ActionVFX launches free Practice Footage Library - cgchannel.com
A Cool App That Lets You Add 3D Models to Real-Life Footage - 80.lv
Procedural Water Drips in Houdini - LinkedIn
Generate 3D PBR materials with AI in a free online library - withpoly.com
Artist of the Week
Not a 3D Artist, but I love Sangyoon Jeong’s work. The use of color is mesmerizing.
3D Tutorials
3D Job Spreadsheet
Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)
Michael Tanzillo is the Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D Growth team at Adobe. Previously, I was a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic.
In addition to his work as an artist, Michael is the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging.
www.michaeltanzillo.com
Free 3D Tutorials on the Michael Tanzillo YouTube Channel
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