How to increase the Surface Area of your Creative Brain 🧠

1-2-1: Everything that's been living in my Creative Brain this week

We can all agree: We don’t need more information to scroll through.

But, we do need exposure to high quality ideas - because creativity starts with the inputs we feed our brain.

---

Before we dive in, a note from Katina -

My purpose in writing this newsletter has always been to help you increase the surface area of your Creative Brain.

The first way to do that is by gaining depth of knowledge. If you haven’t seen it yet, last week we launched our new paid community tier, Deep Dives, for that exact reason. One scientific concept, explored from all edges, to strengthen your creative intellect. I’m endlessly grateful to those of you who already signed up - not only to receive value yourself, but also support our mission. And, I’m excited for all our new faces, too! We’re going to have so much fun there together 🤓

This week’s newsletter serves a different - but equally essential - purpose: building Creative Health through micro-consistency and controlled novelty. This short-form note isn’t just to summarize existing content and give you more to do; it’s designed to give you the highest quality exposure to creative ideas per minute that currently exists on the Internet.

Take these as inputs I’m personally feeding my creative brain - ones that I’m mulling on during my Awe Walks, in my alone time and as I sink into those in-between moments. 1 idea from me. 2 inputs from others. 1 moment of inspiration. Let’s go!

---

1 IDEA FROM ME: REFRAME BOREDOM

Boredom is the starting point of creativity, full stop.

But, in our always-on, productivity-obsessed culture, we demonize it. We’re afraid of it. We do (almost literally) anything to avoid it. So much so, in a 2014 study, the majority of participants chose to have a mild electric shocks than be bored for less than 15 minutes!

The concept of boredom is completely misunderstood in our world today. When grabbing for our phone is easier than sitting with our own thoughts, we think of the discomfort as a bad thing. But, it’s actually where the magic lies - it’s what motivates our brain to do something new.

Whenever you feel that ping of annoyance or frustration, try seeing it as a good sign. Your brain is searching for novelty or problem-solving - and when we channel that desire correctly, exactly what leads to insight, ideation and innovation.

To me, boredom where friction grows into creativity. Where our brain can finally connect concepts that don’t seem to go together on the surface.

But, the majority of us aren’t being bored nearly enough; research shows that most Americans are bored less than 10 minutes each day. And anecdotally, most people tell me the only time they’re bored is when they’re in the shower (go figure 😅).

A while back, we got really curious about this idea and wanted to explore the science behind it (it’s currently living on the Daydreamers app called “Why Your Best Ideas Come to You in the Shower”). It’s still one of my favorites, because it’s not just a funny comment; it’s scientifically true:

When we’re alone with our thoughts - especially in relaxed, low-pressure moments - our brain shifts back into the Default Mode Network. This is what’s responsible for our imagination, memory, and creative thinking. Daydreaming, mind-wandering and shower thinking aren’t a waste of time; they’re exactly where “sparks” of inspiration happen.

In our world today, boredom is a radical act. But, it’s also the exact basis for your creativity to germinate. So, take out the headphones. Put away the never-ending scroll.

And, let yourself do…nothing for a little while.

From my brain to yours,

Katina, Creative Health Scientist & Daydreamers’ Co-founder / Chief Science Officer

This was one of our earliest ethos statements at Daydreamers. I feel like it’s even more relevant today, right?

2 IDEAS FROM OTHERS

1. On why we all need to be amateur creatives: “Not so long ago, it was acceptable to be an amateur poet or essayist. Nowadays if one does not make some money (however pitifully little) out of writing, it’s considered to be a waste of time. It is taken as downright shameful for a man past twenty to indulge in versification - unless he receives a check to show for it. And, unless one has a great talent, it is indeed “useless” to write, hoping to achieve great profit or fame. But it is never a waste to create for intrinsic reasons.”

   -Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow, originally published back in 1990 (!)

2. On why we need to protect our creative intellect: “Bluntly: Making healthy cognitive choices is hard. In a culture saturated with more and more accessible and engrossing forms of entertainment, long-form literacy might become the domain of elite subcultures.”

   - Mary Harrington, Thinking is Becoming a Luxury Good

1 MOMENT OF INSPIRATION

Photo credit: NASA 🪐

The Edge of Space: The Kármán Line

I’ve always been taken by this image - and I spent some time really looking at it this week. It’s a picture of the Kármán Line - the 100km line between Earth’s atmosphere and “outer space.” Visually, it seems subtle - like a gradual shift from blue to black. But, it had me thinking about liminal spaces in all parts of life, and how when we choose to move past that threshold, there’s depth on the other side.

In a way, it reminds me of how boredom feels - simple, maybe even scary at first. But, when we sit with it for a moment, it’s filled with possibility.

---

This newsletter is brought to you by Daydreamers: The first and only platform that turns your creativity into a consistent, science-backed habit. Creativity isn’t something just for the rich or talented; it’s for all of us. And, it’s never been more important for everyone to exercise it 🧠 It’s time to strengthen your Creative Brain: