Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Work better in a cafe? Being stuck at home kills creativity
Big Think: While the pandemic has caused thousands of small businesses to temporarily close or shutter for good, the disappearance of the corner coffee shop means more than lost wages.
It also represents a collective loss of creativity.
14 comments:
Gabriela Fonseca Luna
said...
As someone who is part of the “works better at a cafe” crowd, it saddens me remembering that so many local spaces, small businesses especially, have closed down for good. I’ve been aware of the phenomenon before I read the article but I still felt drawn to it because it's odd. We always get told to work by ourselves, to work quietly, when in reality that is often hurting the quality of the work we produce. It is much more helpful – for me at least – doing work with others even if it is not the same assignment or subject as a way to hold yourself accountable. Specific to our line of work, it mimics the environment of a rehearsal room. The actors on stage, the director with them, often the stage manager on the side; although the work is vastly different from one another there is an understanding of wanting to do it anyway to pull the show off.
I have had a weird transition into working from home. Personally, I was never the kind of person to do all of my work in coffee shops, however, when I did set aside time to go accomplish a few specific tasks at a cafe somewhere, I would always be more productive than if I had done the same work at home. This was something I was doing more often last year right before the pandemic closed us all down, but obviously I could not continue doing this going forward. I found myself extremely distracted while working at home and doing things to procrastinate my work time and time again. If I was somewhere that I was forced to be doing quiet and uninterrupted work, I would be a lot more productive and get a lot more work done in one sitting. Normal tasks are taking me much longer, and I am losing motivation to get things done in a timely manner. Having people around me as I work is always some extra motivation that I would not have if I had to work at home all the time.
Weirdly, I always feel that I am the most focused and efficient if I am surrounded by other people working. During high school, my friends and I would go nearly every single day to a small local coffee shop called the Coffee Roasters. It had big wide doors that opened onto an outdoor patio when the weather was nice. The music they played ranged from Pirates of the Caribbean to Taylor Swift. I spent countless afternoons doing my work there eating coffee and drinking tea with my friends. I truly think I was the most productive working at the roasters. When the pandemic started I had a really hard time adjusting to working alone. I find that working with people helps me stay focused and keeps me accountable. I also enjoy being able to chat while I work or if I have a thought. I cannot wait until I will be able to work at coffee shops again.
While we are constantly hearing that we are living through unprecedented and uncertain times, what I really miss experiencing is uncertainty and unexpected things that are not terrifying. The uncertainess of who you might see while walking, who you might hang out with when you walk into the classroom, are all pleasant unexpectedness that is really missing from life right now. I think this article really highlighted what a lot of people are feeling but do not quite know how to articulate (myself included) that we can not meet and safely interact with strangers. There is something so great about being in a group environment with strangers, but all experiencing the same thing, like a concert, a festival, a movie, and I think many people are feeling that right now. As much as we have all adapted to a remote lifestyle, and are learning to connect in new modalities like Zoom and online games, I think everyone will celebrate the day where we can again have positive, unexpected encounters with strangers.
This is such a great article. I have definitely struggled with this the last few months. I feel as though I have no inspiration to draw or paint anymore. It’s hard to sit alone for months and try to “think big thoughts” and come up with brilliant ideas. And then the stress of not being creative gets your your head and you become sad. Good ideas and inspiration comes from your reactions and responses to the world. Things like watching nature and people to the emotions you get when you go to a certain place can all be great places to start. I miss the sunshine and fresh air. It definitely helps me feel productive. That’s why after the first semester of being remote I couldn’t take it anymore. I need to interact with people, walk around and be in a new environment. It not only influences my work and motivation but it helps me emotionally feel more connected to the world.
One of the things I miss most in the lockdown is studying and doing work at my friend’s rooms or in common spaces. Even though I don’t identify as an extrovert, it is nice to be in a space with friends working towards similar goals. There is an encouraging aspect, in addition to a developed accountability to the work. There are also fun opportunities for small breaks. I have tried doing homework with friends from my old school on Zoom, but it is not the same. There’s also nowhere else to go when my house is loud. The pandemic has provided us with many new circumstances to adjust to and adapting is one thing but embracing the changes is another challenge. The last assignment I did before the pandemic, I worked in a coffee shop in my local bookstore. I would go there to relax, and while it is open again, worrying about getting covid by sitting in the same place for an extended period of time is not relaxing. I look forward to going to campus in the fall and hopefully being able to return to some sense of normal and finding my own study spaces beyond where I will live.
I actually just wrote briefly in another comment about how I wish I could feel more comfortable working in a cafe. Pre-pandemic, this was one of my favorite things to do. Me and a group of friends would always have our local “haunt” where we would go do work sometimes on weekends, weekdays after class, or sometimes evening skipping class to get work done in a different scenery. Sitting at home in my apartment I find myself a literally stir-crazy, yet comfortable. It’s a weird place of mind to be stuck in, especially since the two are pretty oppositional. This article has it all right though. I love spending $5 on a coffee that hits the spot just right for me to sit on a table and FEEL productive. Feels human.
It’s very interesting how the article argues that going to a coffee shop actually fosters work. While I believe it fosters creativity, I know personally that if I need to get something done, the place to be is somewhere by myself that is not too distracting. Those chance encounters are the thing I miss the most right now, but while they’re good for ideas, it feels like they distract from actually getting work done. I’ve always thought that creativity comes from creativity and whenever you’re with someone, it’s a flurry of ideas. It’s also hard to be directed about your creativity, it many times feels like you can’t think about the problems that you have and your mind will solve them even when you’re not actively thinking about it. If sunlight really does play as large a role as they say, that would be really important and unfortunately a lot of buildings aren’t set up for sunlight and we could certainly use more of it in the school of drama.
I'll be honest, I was never quite one to get work done in cafes and eateries. They are fun to swing by with friends for a quick drink or a snack, a good, cool shelter from sweltering California summer days, but I never got as much done in there as many of my peers or Indie teenage movies would have me believe. I like to listen to music or TV shows while working. This doesn't work for a lot of people, but it does the trick for me. I can't listen to either of those things in coffee shops because there are always people chatting, taking and placing orders, and other intrusive noises. It sounds kind of weird, but I play things in the background in order to tune them out, but I can't do that effectively when I'm in a coffee shop with all these other lively things happening around me.
This immediately made me think of what we were talking about in Foundations of Drama a week ago. August Wilson would constantly be at bars and coffee shops just watching people and writing down ideas on napkins. In an interview, he talked about how it was nice because it didn’t feel so formal and permanent like he was sitting down to write. I completely agree. Coffee shops used to help me get out of my own head and stop putting so much weight on the task in front of me. I completed all of my college essays and any other big writing assignment out of my house in a new environment. Obviously that isn’t possible anymore. Even if I can sit indoors in a coffee shop, I’m so cautious about where people are and who is wearing a mask that I can’t really focus on the work I have to get done.
Like many people have already said in these comments, I really like working in coffee shops! In high school, I did a lot of studying for midterms and finals as well as college applications in coffee shops. I even remember the exact one I was at when I completed my CMU application. There is a lot of motivation for me when I am at a small table, pull out my laptop, and that is all I have to concentrate on. Looking around can be fun, but it is never too distracting as I get "inspired" or peer pressure myself to continue working after seeing everyone else working in such a motivating way. That is definitely something I miss very much during this pandemic, and have often times been in much need for a coffee shop study session. And for me, the ambience of the coffee shop, whether it be people chattering or the baristas making coffee, is the perfect amount to not get my mind distracted.
I love working in a coffee shop or a cafe. I think it lets me get out of my head and just get my work done. I think the the idea of working in coffee shops doesn't work for everyone though, as it really is dependent on your study style and what helps you focus. I definitely need a little bit of sensory overload to actually focus on whatever I am working on and using a coffee shop gives me that sort of "distraction" I need to be able to focus. I also think that everyone else working around me gives me the motivation to finish my own work and not just watch youtube videos the entire time. My favorite place to work would be an outdoor coffee shop when the weather is nice however I'm not sure how nice the weather will get in Pittsburgh. During this COVID era I have avoided coffee shops but I really do miss working in them. I know that it is possible to work in a coffee shop with a mask on however everyone has been taking it off periodically to drink their actual drink that it makes me uncomfortable to be in a coffee shop with a bunch of people. I am hoping I can get back into studying in an outdoor space as that is truly what allows me to get the most work done.
One thing that I miss most about pre-pandemic times is being able to walk to a cafe and do my homework. I always needed to separate my home from my work, and since the lockdown, I have had to adapt to staying in my room all day. I have been able to manage, as many others, but I still find myself going a little crazy towards the end of the day. The combination of not going to school in person, and having nowhere to go to do work, can really kill one's motivation to stay active and engaged. It would help if there were more areas on campus to safely get work done, but even the library is closed on the weekends. I want nothing more than a fresh cup of coffee, and a small table to do homework on. It is sad now when I walk in to a coffee shop to get my drink to go, and the store is devoid of tables and chairs. I am also sad that so many coffee shops that I loved have closed for good, and are never coming back.
I don't just think it is the coffee shops that are eagerly awaiting post-pandemic times... I think the biggest takeaway from this article is "Creativity is social" This year has been tough on everyone, especially creatives and extroverts. Personally, I have been in a state of denial throughout the past year and tried to be as optimistic about the situation as possible (I think that optimism is important) but I won't be one to say that it hasn't been extremely hard over the past year to be creative. My work has suffered becasue of the pandemic and I have had multiple bursts of burnout and confusion. I find that my best work comes from bringing around other people and exploring the world! Going out, walking around, getting some sun, and finding new perspectives and ideas from talking to people is where the brilliance comes from! Sure sitting in isolation and studying day in and day out can technically make you smarter but for me, that isn't what life should be about. I am looking forward to the days when I can go out to coffee and meet and talk to some incredible people that inspire me to continue to create :)
14 comments:
As someone who is part of the “works better at a cafe” crowd, it saddens me remembering that so many local spaces, small businesses especially, have closed down for good. I’ve been aware of the phenomenon before I read the article but I still felt drawn to it because it's odd. We always get told to work by ourselves, to work quietly, when in reality that is often hurting the quality of the work we produce. It is much more helpful – for me at least – doing work with others even if it is not the same assignment or subject as a way to hold yourself accountable. Specific to our line of work, it mimics the environment of a rehearsal room. The actors on stage, the director with them, often the stage manager on the side; although the work is vastly different from one another there is an understanding of wanting to do it anyway to pull the show off.
I have had a weird transition into working from home. Personally, I was never the kind of person to do all of my work in coffee shops, however, when I did set aside time to go accomplish a few specific tasks at a cafe somewhere, I would always be more productive than if I had done the same work at home. This was something I was doing more often last year right before the pandemic closed us all down, but obviously I could not continue doing this going forward. I found myself extremely distracted while working at home and doing things to procrastinate my work time and time again. If I was somewhere that I was forced to be doing quiet and uninterrupted work, I would be a lot more productive and get a lot more work done in one sitting. Normal tasks are taking me much longer, and I am losing motivation to get things done in a timely manner. Having people around me as I work is always some extra motivation that I would not have if I had to work at home all the time.
Weirdly, I always feel that I am the most focused and efficient if I am surrounded by other people working. During high school, my friends and I would go nearly every single day to a small local coffee shop called the Coffee Roasters. It had big wide doors that opened onto an outdoor patio when the weather was nice. The music they played ranged from Pirates of the Caribbean to Taylor Swift. I spent countless afternoons doing my work there eating coffee and drinking tea with my friends. I truly think I was the most productive working at the roasters. When the pandemic started I had a really hard time adjusting to working alone. I find that working with people helps me stay focused and keeps me accountable. I also enjoy being able to chat while I work or if I have a thought. I cannot wait until I will be able to work at coffee shops again.
While we are constantly hearing that we are living through unprecedented and uncertain times, what I really miss experiencing is uncertainty and unexpected things that are not terrifying. The uncertainess of who you might see while walking, who you might hang out with when you walk into the classroom, are all pleasant unexpectedness that is really missing from life right now. I think this article really highlighted what a lot of people are feeling but do not quite know how to articulate (myself included) that we can not meet and safely interact with strangers. There is something so great about being in a group environment with strangers, but all experiencing the same thing, like a concert, a festival, a movie, and I think many people are feeling that right now. As much as we have all adapted to a remote lifestyle, and are learning to connect in new modalities like Zoom and online games, I think everyone will celebrate the day where we can again have positive, unexpected encounters with strangers.
This is such a great article. I have definitely struggled with this the last few months. I feel as though I have no inspiration to draw or paint anymore. It’s hard to sit alone for months and try to “think big thoughts” and come up with brilliant ideas. And then the stress of not being creative gets your your head and you become sad. Good ideas and inspiration comes from your reactions and responses to the world. Things like watching nature and people to the emotions you get when you go to a certain place can all be great places to start. I miss the sunshine and fresh air. It definitely helps me feel productive. That’s why after the first semester of being remote I couldn’t take it anymore. I need to interact with people, walk around and be in a new environment. It not only influences my work and motivation but it helps me emotionally feel more connected to the world.
One of the things I miss most in the lockdown is studying and doing work at my friend’s rooms or in common spaces. Even though I don’t identify as an extrovert, it is nice to be in a space with friends working towards similar goals. There is an encouraging aspect, in addition to a developed accountability to the work. There are also fun opportunities for small breaks. I have tried doing homework with friends from my old school on Zoom, but it is not the same. There’s also nowhere else to go when my house is loud. The pandemic has provided us with many new circumstances to adjust to and adapting is one thing but embracing the changes is another challenge. The last assignment I did before the pandemic, I worked in a coffee shop in my local bookstore. I would go there to relax, and while it is open again, worrying about getting covid by sitting in the same place for an extended period of time is not relaxing. I look forward to going to campus in the fall and hopefully being able to return to some sense of normal and finding my own study spaces beyond where I will live.
I actually just wrote briefly in another comment about how I wish I could feel more comfortable working in a cafe. Pre-pandemic, this was one of my favorite things to do. Me and a group of friends would always have our local “haunt” where we would go do work sometimes on weekends, weekdays after class, or sometimes evening skipping class to get work done in a different scenery. Sitting at home in my apartment I find myself a literally stir-crazy, yet comfortable. It’s a weird place of mind to be stuck in, especially since the two are pretty oppositional. This article has it all right though. I love spending $5 on a coffee that hits the spot just right for me to sit on a table and FEEL productive. Feels human.
It’s very interesting how the article argues that going to a coffee shop actually fosters work. While I believe it fosters creativity, I know personally that if I need to get something done, the place to be is somewhere by myself that is not too distracting. Those chance encounters are the thing I miss the most right now, but while they’re good for ideas, it feels like they distract from actually getting work done. I’ve always thought that creativity comes from creativity and whenever you’re with someone, it’s a flurry of ideas. It’s also hard to be directed about your creativity, it many times feels like you can’t think about the problems that you have and your mind will solve them even when you’re not actively thinking about it. If sunlight really does play as large a role as they say, that would be really important and unfortunately a lot of buildings aren’t set up for sunlight and we could certainly use more of it in the school of drama.
I'll be honest, I was never quite one to get work done in cafes and eateries. They are fun to swing by with friends for a quick drink or a snack, a good, cool shelter from sweltering California summer days, but I never got as much done in there as many of my peers or Indie teenage movies would have me believe. I like to listen to music or TV shows while working. This doesn't work for a lot of people, but it does the trick for me. I can't listen to either of those things in coffee shops because there are always people chatting, taking and placing orders, and other intrusive noises. It sounds kind of weird, but I play things in the background in order to tune them out, but I can't do that effectively when I'm in a coffee shop with all these other lively things happening around me.
This immediately made me think of what we were talking about in Foundations of Drama a week ago. August Wilson would constantly be at bars and coffee shops just watching people and writing down ideas on napkins. In an interview, he talked about how it was nice because it didn’t feel so formal and permanent like he was sitting down to write. I completely agree. Coffee shops used to help me get out of my own head and stop putting so much weight on the task in front of me. I completed all of my college essays and any other big writing assignment out of my house in a new environment. Obviously that isn’t possible anymore. Even if I can sit indoors in a coffee shop, I’m so cautious about where people are and who is wearing a mask that I can’t really focus on the work I have to get done.
Like many people have already said in these comments, I really like working in coffee shops! In high school, I did a lot of studying for midterms and finals as well as college applications in coffee shops. I even remember the exact one I was at when I completed my CMU application. There is a lot of motivation for me when I am at a small table, pull out my laptop, and that is all I have to concentrate on. Looking around can be fun, but it is never too distracting as I get "inspired" or peer pressure myself to continue working after seeing everyone else working in such a motivating way. That is definitely something I miss very much during this pandemic, and have often times been in much need for a coffee shop study session. And for me, the ambience of the coffee shop, whether it be people chattering or the baristas making coffee, is the perfect amount to not get my mind distracted.
I love working in a coffee shop or a cafe. I think it lets me get out of my head and just get my work done. I think the the idea of working in coffee shops doesn't work for everyone though, as it really is dependent on your study style and what helps you focus. I definitely need a little bit of sensory overload to actually focus on whatever I am working on and using a coffee shop gives me that sort of "distraction" I need to be able to focus. I also think that everyone else working around me gives me the motivation to finish my own work and not just watch youtube videos the entire time. My favorite place to work would be an outdoor coffee shop when the weather is nice however I'm not sure how nice the weather will get in Pittsburgh. During this COVID era I have avoided coffee shops but I really do miss working in them. I know that it is possible to work in a coffee shop with a mask on however everyone has been taking it off periodically to drink their actual drink that it makes me uncomfortable to be in a coffee shop with a bunch of people. I am hoping I can get back into studying in an outdoor space as that is truly what allows me to get the most work done.
One thing that I miss most about pre-pandemic times is being able to walk to a cafe and do my homework. I always needed to separate my home from my work, and since the lockdown, I have had to adapt to staying in my room all day. I have been able to manage, as many others, but I still find myself going a little crazy towards the end of the day. The combination of not going to school in person, and having nowhere to go to do work, can really kill one's motivation to stay active and engaged. It would help if there were more areas on campus to safely get work done, but even the library is closed on the weekends. I want nothing more than a fresh cup of coffee, and a small table to do homework on. It is sad now when I walk in to a coffee shop to get my drink to go, and the store is devoid of tables and chairs. I am also sad that so many coffee shops that I loved have closed for good, and are never coming back.
I don't just think it is the coffee shops that are eagerly awaiting post-pandemic times... I think the biggest takeaway from this article is "Creativity is social" This year has been tough on everyone, especially creatives and extroverts. Personally, I have been in a state of denial throughout the past year and tried to be as optimistic about the situation as possible (I think that optimism is important) but I won't be one to say that it hasn't been extremely hard over the past year to be creative. My work has suffered becasue of the pandemic and I have had multiple bursts of burnout and confusion. I find that my best work comes from bringing around other people and exploring the world! Going out, walking around, getting some sun, and finding new perspectives and ideas from talking to people is where the brilliance comes from! Sure sitting in isolation and studying day in and day out can technically make you smarter but for me, that isn't what life should be about. I am looking forward to the days when I can go out to coffee and meet and talk to some incredible people that inspire me to continue to create :)
Post a Comment