Early last year, Time Magazine cited a study that found boredom may trigger creativity. Time explained, “In the study, people who had gone through a boredom inducing task – methodically sorting a bowl of beans by color, one by one – later performed better on an idea-generating task than peers who first created an interesting craft activity.”
Recent social media and news reports are providing anecdotal evidence that supports the idea. For example, people are:
Creating art galleries for pets. A couple of bored 30-year-olds built a mini art gallery for their pet gerbils while on quarantine. The Good News Network reported, “The tiny space was furnished with carefully curated rodent-themed takes on classic works of art – including the ‘Mousa Lisa.’”
Playing real-life versions of children’s games. In Wales, a nursing home has seniors practicing social distancing while playing a real-life version of Hungry, Hungry Hippos. “Instead of using hippo mouths to capture the plastic balls, however, the women brandished baskets on sticks…,” reported Good News Network.
Transforming their homes. One clever person transformed glass patio doors into stained glass using painters tape and washable markers, reported BoredPanda.
Cooking together. Quarantine cooking clubs are catching on. For instance, one club, “…assigns a new dish every weekend; a last meal of one of the celebrities who has been a guest on the James Beard Award nominated podcast, Your Last Meal,” reported the MyNorthwest podcast.
If you’re looking for something to do, the J. Paul Getty Museum (The Getty) in Los Angeles recently asked their followers to select a favorite work of art from their collection and re-create it using three everyday household items. The museum’s blog reported on the results so far:
“You’ve re-created Jeff Koons using a pile of socks, restaged Jacques-Louis David with a fleece blanket and duct tape, and MacGyvered costumes out of towels, pillows, scarves, shower caps, coffee filters, bubble wrap, and – of course – toilet paper and toilet [paper] rolls.”
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