Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Why Boredom Is Actually Great For The Creative Mind

Today we strive to avoid boredom; it's practically a taboo in our society.

We have all heard that being bored is something bad. Something that you should never be. But it's actually not so bad!
I'm a person that quickly got sucked into the social media and Netflix black hole. Now I constantly have my favorite TV show playing in the background of everything I'm doing and Facebook is always open, interrupting my life with notification pings. As a result, I am bombarded with constant information. And useless information at that. Moments of silence in my life are rare. Moments of inactivity are far in between. My life is punctuated by the busyness of my day, the compulsive social media skimming and Netflix binge watching, and naps. I fall asleep watching Netflix as well.
I remember a time when I would fall asleep reading; I'd wake up my face lined with the imprint of the book's pages. Throughout my day, I'd be writing, doodling, and so on. I'd keep a journal and set daily goals to improve myself. Peace and quiet was welcomed, and doing absolutely nothing was welcomed with open arms.
Today, being bored is one of the worst things we can be.
Today, we can no longer stand in line without scrolling through our phones, texting our friends.
Today, sitting absolutely still for a period of time is agonizing.
Mental Floss
Andreas Elpidorou, a researcher of the University of Louisville, writes in an article, "The Bright Side to Boredom," that "boredom helps to restore the perception that one's activities are meaningful or significant." Boredom actually functions as a "regulatory state that keeps one in line with one's projects. In the absence of boredom, one would remain trapped in unfulfilling situations, and miss out on many emotionally, cognitively, and socially rewarding experiences. Boredom is both a warning that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a ‘push’ that motivates us to switch goals and projects." Watching Netflix fends off boredom, but also the fulfilling experiences that boredom leads to.

"Boredom is both a warning that we

are not doing what we want

to be doing and a ‘push’ that motivates

us to switch goals and projects."


Boredom pushes us to find what we are lacking in the present situation. We crave something more meaningful and rewarding. So the next time you run into creative block, whether in writing, painting, etc. allow your brain the chance to be bored. Pause the Netflix series, silence all notifications and find that creativity. Being bored shouldn't have the negative connotation that today's society places on it. Let your mind wander for a minute without bombarding it with useless information and interruptions. Let boredom motivate you.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Social Media Has Changed The English Language

Ever hear a member of the older generation, perhaps an English teacher, say texting, tweeting, and facebooking are ruining our language? There is actually no proof that shortened text language affects our grammar. Facebook introduced us to new words with new meanings like 'friend,' 'wall,' and 'like.' Read more here.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

English Majors: It's What We Want

English majors have a bad rap. We're virtually taught to be poor and thrown out into the world assumed that we can only be teachers. False. My English major is everything I want. And it is a lot more than people think. 
I'm pursuing what I love, and it has opened so many doors for me. No, I do not want to be a teacher; I want to be an editor, a writer, an intellectual, a critic, and a traveler. My English major gives me these options and coupled with my Spanish and Publishing major, the world is wide open! 
There is nothing wrong with being a teacher; they're the people that do the most for this world and receive the least credit. I salute them, and I have an utmost respect for them. Teachers are the ones who got me to where I am today: I owe it all to them. 
But let me tell you what I can do with my English major: Anything I want. 
I can travel. I can teach English in Spain. I can edit articles for the local newspaper. I can submit short stories to popular publishers. I can write a novel. I can read The New Yorker and Wired, and learn about anything I want. I can be a writer; I can be an editor; I can be an intellectual. I have the skills to do just about anything, skills that are valuable in a company. 
I started taking a Web Communications class this year, and the class is not what you would think it is, unless you were like me and had really no notion of what a class with that title could entail. The professor spoke in terms a layman like me did not understand (what are deliverables), assigned 60 pages of reading, and told us there was a large project due at the end of the semester of producing an online presence for a real company. I shrugged and said, "That's nothing for an English major." 
The professor and the students in this class looked upon me as unprepared and oblivious to this class. On day one. And as much as I mirrored those looks, I knew I had what it takes. Sure, the first reading I actually had to active engage myself and look up terms and take notes and do such things that I've managed to skip since freshman year, but I get it. I think critically; I think outside of the box.
Second day of class, the professor notices my Star Wars mug and jeers, "Hannah's a closet nerd!!"
I said, "Oh, there's nothing in the closet about it." Apparently, I gave him the perfect segue to his next discussion: being open to new concepts and the ever-changing world. 

I may not know all the web design terminology, or what deliverables are, but I surely can find out. I can be as up-to-date as anybody because I love information and I love searching for it. Reading is easy. Research is easy. Best of all: It's my passion. 
So here's to the doors opened to me, doors of travel, opportunity, and novelty. 
Lastly, here's to all the English majors. Keep on keeping on.