Creativity: Between Market Need and Boredom
I once heard the phrase “boredom drives creativity.” It stuck with me, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that boredom is only half of the equation. The other half is market need. Almost everything I’ve built or painted can be traced back to one of these two sources.
Creativity from Market Need: The Story of NASI
Take NASI, for example. Like so many creators, I found myself exhausted by the constant jumping between social media platforms — the endless scroll, the scattered streams of information, the fractured sense of connection. One day I asked myself a simple “what if?” and then decided to answer it.
That question grew into NASI: an AI agent designed to combine your favorite social media into one cohesive stream of information, one that could even adjust to your mood and fine-tune the intensity of what you see.
For me, NASI is more than just a product idea — it’s the embodiment of Relationship-Driven UX. As someone endlessly curious about psychology, I’m fascinated by how AI is starting to profile us not just by our skills or résumés, but by our mentalities, preferences, and relational patterns. NASI represents that fascination translated into a tangible concept, one I’m now pitching and shaping into reality.
Creativity from Boredom (and Wandering Minds): The Return to Art
But not all creativity starts with strategy or market gaps. Some of it arrives unannounced, born from stillness, wandering thoughts, or even boredom.
That’s where my art comes in. My newest series, Kohana (meaning “Loved” in Ukrainian), is inspired by astrology, elements, and magic — a world re-imagining that marks a shift from my earlier work.
Before the pandemic, I was a prolific artist with multiple exhibitions around the world. When lockdowns began, my energy moved toward building a corporate career, and the canvases gathered dust. But lately, I’ve felt that magnetic pull back into painting — the colors, textures, and worlds spilling out again. It feels less like a decision and more like a remembering.
The Unpredictable Spark
What fascinates me is how unpredictable the spark of creativity can be. Sometimes it comes from boredom. Sometimes it comes from a market need. Sometimes it comes when you’re walking down the street, or even when you’re doom-scrolling late at night (let’s be honest, we all do it).
Both paths are equally valid. One is driven by analysis and problem-solving, the other by intuition and wandering imagination. Together, they create the full picture of what it means to be human — practical and visionary, grounded and expansive.
Your Turn
I’d love to hear your perspective:
Has your creativity been sparked more by boredom or by market need?
Or, what does “being creative” mean to you in your own life and work?
Share your thoughts — I’d love to learn from them.
