Blog Post #9 - Macrame and Boredom

Occupation Update

This week I decided my next two projects will be a 'paw print' macrame wall hanging that I found a tutorial for on YouTube, as well as another macrame kit from Hobby Lobby which is for making coasters. I decided to start with the paw print project, as most anything having to do with pets brings me a lot of joy. I am using a thicker macrame cord than what the project calls for as well as using black cord instead of white, but I think it will still turn out nicely in the end. I got this project started by cutting 14 cords which were all 5'6'' in length and tying them onto the wooden dowel with a Lark's Head knot.

Westgate & Steidle (2020) Model

Referring to the Meaning and Attentional Components model published by Westgate & Steidle (2020), I feel my new occupation of creating macrame falls in category F, or "Enjoyment (Low Boredom)" (p. 6). I chose this category because creating macrame is harmonious to my value of creativity, meaning this occupation is of high meaning to me personally. Additionally, while I think the attention level I have to give my occupation changes throughout the process of the project, I would say overall creating macrame requires a fairly low-level of engagement once I get started on a project. There is usually a series of the same knots I need to complete, so once I get the initial pattern down, the project doesn't require much specific attention other than making sure I am consistent with the pattern and using the correct cords. Thus, with low-level engagement and high meaning, the occupation of making macrame would fall in the enjoyment category (Westgate & Steidle, 2020).

Macrame and Boredom

Not knowing that we would be discussing boredom this week, last week I mentioned in my blog post that my new occupation had felt somewhat boring as I felt stuck with knowing what project I should go to next. Since then, I have found two projects which I feel passionate about completing, and I feel these new projects have added a level of interest back to my new occupation that I was lacking before. Compared to other phases of my life, once I felt boredom during an occupation, I would often leave the occupation and go to a different task which was more interesting and meaningful to me. This was especially true for creative endeavors, as I would start a project, lose interest quickly, and then move onto the next project. However, after reading the Westgate & Steidle (2020) article and discussing how boredom can be a positive emotion during lecture, I now see boredom as a catalyst to change and innovation. Regarding my new occupation, in the past I might not have continued to search for other projects once I hit the wall of boredom. However, in this case I persisted through the phase of boredom and found new projects which seem to be meaningful to me.

Beginning of 'paw print' macrame project


 

References

Westgate, E. C., & Steidle, B. (2020). Lost by definition: Why boredom matters for psychology and society. Social and Personality Psychology Compass 14(11), 1-18. http://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12562

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