By Emma Goad, Staff Writer
Modern technologies that make life easier are great, but what cost do they have on our ability to imagine?
In a fast paced, capitalistic, world like the one we live in today, convenience is king. We crave instant gratification, quick fixes, and effortless solutions to our problems. Our culture has become obsessed with making life easier, but this fixation has come at a cost: every convenience gained is a skill lost. With this extreme emphasis on making life more automated, we’re risking our creativity.
From my personal experience, I have never found success in activities that I do not want to do. Even when what I need to do is centered around what could be one of my favorite hobbies, I will ignore and procrastinate until the very last second. By that point, I am no longer producing something artistic and creative but rather I become a machine manufacturing exactly what is wanted of me; it is in these moments that I find myself reaching for convenience and giving into my instincts for instant gratification. Art takes struggle and mastery takes dedication; by expecting to find pleasure in everything one does, a person deprives themselves of the ability to reach excellence. I like to view real creativity like walking. It is never the most sensible or beneficial way to reach my destination. I do not always want to do it, and it is not always pleasant. Sometimes it’s tedious or sedated and sometimes it’s exhausting and senseless. And sometimes it feels like I will never escape the path I have walked a million times. However, I always feel worse in my body and mind when I put it off for too long, and it is a loss that feels greater than just the calculable number of calories I didn’t burn or sunlight I didn’t feel. Walking offers the chance of priceless material reward. Only through walking one might stumble upon small surprises such as a niche cafe that isn’t on Google Maps or a rich lady doing an antique sale in her yard. When one chooses to walk, one chooses to open their mind to the potential events that may happen to them, whether it be a random thought or unexpected cash along their path. The same can be applied to making art: by allowing thoughts to flow and refraining from using services like Artificial Intelligence, one can let their mind flourish and explore all avenues of creativity. Walking and authentic, individual art invests in the possibility of experience with no promise of any tangible reward at all, which is a risk we all need to take but most are afraid to take now. Creativity does not always end in a product, just like how a new path may end in a dead end. Either way, do not be afraid to let the mind wander and walk down any path it chooses to.
Of course, creativity does not always mean something artistic. It can also refer to the ability that humans have to problem solve and innovate. All innovations have come from someone who understood what it meant to be inconvenienced. Necessity is the mother of invention, and through necessity inconveniences are found. Human history has never been driven by actions that have gone according to plan. True humanity and true living comes from those moments where one is forced to step outside their comfort zone and still choose to go onward. When one repeatedly shuts out inconvenience and prioritizes convenience, one must ask themselves: “what am I waiting for?” “Why do I sit here and procrastinate about what I want to do until it is convenient to do it?” One should not wait for a crisis or wait for inconvenience to become too unbearable to tap into your mind and let it wander down paths with creativity. Welcome inconvenience and create moments for it daily so that imagination can flourish. Do not be afraid to be uncomfortable. It is surprising at how brilliant the brain is when it is forced to truly work and forced into an unfamiliar environment. The mind was never meant to be spoon fed everything. If it was, it would not be capable of problem solving. If we maintain this monotony of constant convenience, we will eventually lose touch with our ability to imagine and create. We may lose out on a major source of joy that can make life worth living. If you ever find yourself falling into repetition and a routine that lacks any scope, consider choosing to walk. Both with your feet and with your mind.