Monotony

Finding inspiration in the mundane.

Wake up. Shower. Go to work. Come home. Nap. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Monotony is some people’s worst nightmare, especially as a creative. Routine is nice, sure, but inspiration doesn’t often come from the mundane. I regularly find myself frustrated with my daily life; I feel like I could be doing so much more. But I think I forget that without the normal and the boring, we can’t always appreciate the extraordinary. Some of my most exciting ideas came from trips to beautiful places with fresh air and rolling hills. I’ve spent so long living in the city that I appreciate it that much more.

My job is rather menial...at least, it feels that way. So I sit at my desk, and I type, and I answer phones, and I print documents. I go home at 5:30, drained and lacking the brain power to do much, which is irritating when it’s the only time I really get to write. Life feels monotonous. I’m seeing the world in monochrome.

When my partner and I went to Wales a couple of weeks ago, the lovely little seaside town of Llandudno, it felt like a switch flipped. We got to watch the scenery change as we sat on the train, and when we finally arrived, everything felt alive. The stifling city air was replaced with a sea salt breeze. Template brick houses were replaced with colourful terraces, towering cliffs, and glittering lights. I felt like I was seeing the world for the first time. The first thing we did after checking into our hotel was go to the beach, which was just across the road. We walked right up to the shoreline and grinned as the waves splashed our faces with mist. I think, if I got to experience this every day, it would lose some of its magic.

Several years ago, I went to the Lake District with my parents. It might just be one of the scariest places to drive through, but when we got to the apartment, I was in awe. The view from the balcony stole the breath from my lungs, and suddenly, for that week, I was a morning person. I woke up just before the sun, made a cup of tea, and sat on one of the patio chairs to watch it rise. I got lots of writing done that week, especially during quiet mornings and cosy nights. We’d hike during the day, fill our bodies with fresh air and our souls with the wonder of nature. And when we returned, I wrote until my fingers ached. I wrote like I was bleeding all over the page.

I appreciate the magical moment so much. There is beauty in this world we take for granted.

But, and it’s a big ‘but’, there’s inspiration to be found in our daily lives too. The warmth a good cup of coffee spreads through your bones could inspire a cosy character introduction. That stranger who held the door open for you on your way into the store? The next most charming love interest. Your commute to work on a rainy day could spark a poem about the emotional connection between humans and the weather (maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the idea). There’s so much that we experience daily...repetitively. And those experiences can fuel your art. I’m still learning how, but it’s possible. I’ve met people in passing with the most interesting eyes that I’ve just had to form a character around that fact alone. Some days, I may feel differently about a task that I complete on pure muscle memory, and I’ve used that for a scene in a story. That warm smile the barista offered as I ordered my coffee on a particularly rough day? She became a supporting character integral to my MC’s emotional development, in the most comforting way.

There is beauty in the mundane. You just have to look for it.