Photographer, go touch grass! This one habit lifted me out of a creative rut

I’ve never been one for slang – my 7th grader and I both looked at each other with equal looks of horror when his teacher said that she used AI to rewrite the syllabus in Gen Z slang. But there is an expression that I can 100% get behind, particularly as a photographer: Go touch grass.

Photographers – and really anyone dabbling in any sort of creative pursuit – you need to go touch grass.

I don’t mean to say that photographers are doing “something weird, stupid or pointless,” as Urban Dictionary describes. What I mean is the more literal definition of the expression: You need to get offline and go outside.

As screens are becoming more and more a part of everyday life, creatives are spending less time being bored. Why wait around staring at the back of a stranger's head in a coffee line when you can browse through your phone?

The problem is that creativity thrives best in boredom. As writer and philosopher Robert M Persig once said, “Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity.”

There’s a reason that the best ideas often come to us in the shower, or while trying to fall asleep. When our minds have nothing to do, the brain wanders. And when the brain wanders, it gets lost on winding backroads where it often stumbles upon an idea.

Yes, browsing images on Instagram and combing through photography tutorials has its place. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do that. But what I’m saying is that you need to give your brain time to wander.

I’m finding my best boredom-induced ideas come when I’m spending time outside. Taking a walk has become a near-daily habit – and when I’m staring at the same scenery that I see every day, my mind wanders. Sometimes I get nothing but exercise and Vitamin D from these walks, but other times giving my brain the space to be bored produces an idea for a photograph or a story.

Photographer, your “touching grass” may look different than mine. Perhaps you prefer meditation or working on a repetitive project to let your mind wander. Perhaps you already have a hobby that you love that lets your mind wander, like hiking, yoga, or gardening.

Perhaps you actually want to go literally sit in the grass, or there may not be any grass involved at all. But putting down the screen and giving your brain space to wander is an essential part of the creative process.

Find the moments where your brain wanders best and then try to incorporate that into your regular routine. I have, and it’s giving my creativity a much-needed boost.

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Dive into more boredom-induced creative ideas or browse photography tutorials.