Lynda Barry Discusses Smartphone Impact on Creative Conditions
Cartoonist and educator Lynda Barry argues that smartphones diminish three essential elements for creativity: loneliness, uncertainty, and boredom. In 2016, she required NASA Goddard Space Flight Center staff to surrender devices during a workshop, advocating for handwritten methods. Barry believes digital tools like delete buttons hinder novel ideas, while analog practices like doodling help manage time and boredom. She notes that artists including Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine used such conditions productively during their youth. Other figures like photographer Eric Pickersgill and author Calvin Newport also critique device overuse for similar creative concerns.
Key facts
- Lynda Barry identifies loneliness, uncertainty, and boredom as key creative ingredients threatened by smartphones.
- In 2016, Barry mandated device surrender at a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center workshop.
- Barry promotes handwriting and doodling as alternatives to digital distractions for fostering ideas.
- Artists such as Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine leveraged similar conditions in their early work.
- Figures like Eric Pickersgill and Calvin Newport also examine device impacts on creativity and focus.
Entities
Artists
- Lynda Barry
- Daniel Clowes
- Simon Hanselmann
- Ariel Schrag
- Adrian Tomine
- Eric Pickersgill
Institutions
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center