Talk to your manager. They may be okay with you looking for what to work on on your own. I started doing that a couple years ago. I'd scout and talk to people

Talk to your manager. They may be okay with you looking for what to work on on your own. I started doing that a couple years ago. I'd scout and talk to people about what they needed. Eventually we'd find a project that was worth working on. It's gone really well. I was okayed to basically choose what I worked on after a while, so that made work more fun. And your employer may recognize that and reward it.