When I was at the subscription summit, one of the attendees made a comment to me that I thought was very interesting and would be worth exploring a little bit more. The comment was that rest is as much a part of the creative cycle as work is.
Often when we think of being creative, we think of the action associated with it. Writing, drawing, painting, building something with our hands, creating something. That is definitely a big part of creativity. But the truth is that rest is just as much a part of creativity as action is.
Rather than just trying to keep up action and then get frustrated when we’re not being active, I thought it would be helpful to talk about rest as part of the creative process. This is something I’m very much learning about because the truth is that I am an action-oriented person when it comes to my creativity. I would rather be producing than not.
In my perfect world, I would wake up in the morning and over the course of the day, I would write 20,000 to 30,000 words. I wouldn’t think about anything else. I would just do that, go to sleep, and then wake up the next morning and do it all over again. In my head, that is the absolute epitome of creative work.
But it’s also a really terrible lie that I tell myself. The idea that we have to be productive when we are trying to be creative is definitely a lie. Now, that doesn’t mean that productivity isn’t important. In fact, it’s vitally important. If you find somebody who tells you that you don’t have to produce anything to be a creative person, they are also lying to you.
These are lies that are on different ends of the same spectrum. If creativity is a line, on one end we have high production, and on the other, we have just thinking about things, no production. Every creative lives somewhere on that line.
There are some concessions that have to be made. If you want to be a full-time creative, you have to produce something that other people are willing to pay for. If you just want to be creative, then you can spend more of your time on the thinking end of the line. If you want to pay your bills, then you probably have to spend more time on the production end of the line.
But both extreme ways of thinking about creativity are wrong. It’s not just a matter of what you can produce. It’s not just a matter of putting out as much content as possible. And it’s also not a matter of not putting out any content at all. Creativity, properly applied, threads the line between these two things.
I often feel a sense of light anxiety when I’m not being productive. It’s an anxious, gnawing feeling that won’t go away until I start writing. Part of this is my personality, and part of it is how I’ve trained myself. However, this past year, I’ve come to realize that downtime, the time to mull over my stories or think about what I’m doing, is just as important as productive time.
For me, I need less downtime than productive time. Other people might be different. Everyone lives somewhere on this spectrum, and we’re not all the same. The truth is, rest is part of the creative process, and it’s a vitally important part. In some cases, it might be the most important part.
We often see people who burn themselves out. They are incredibly creative for a period of time, and then they lose months, sometimes even years, of creativity. This happens because they never properly take the time to rest. I’ve talked in previous videos about how important it is to just breathe, to take a moment and soak in the world around you, preferably in nature. Science shows that it’s better to do it in nature than in a manufactured environment.
Not only is that breath so vitally important, but it’s something that we can actually build into our daily schedule, our daily routine. When we do, we find that it actually supercharges our writing. It’s so counterintuitive to think that you could actually improve your writing by doing nothing. I’m constantly thinking to myself, “I’ve got to do more. I have to get better. I have to strive to write more.” But the reality is that sometimes the best thing I can do is not write at all. It’s to actually step back, take that deep breath, and say, “You know what, I’m just going to sit on this for a little while.” When I do that, I invariably find that the writing I produce becomes better and better.
At the end of the day, like so much of life, creativity is a balance. On the other hand, it’s possible to just not do anything. To get so caught up in your thinking, dreaming, and musing that you never act, you never achieve, you never produce. If you don’t produce, then you’re going to be stuck forever. No amount of dreaming will ever move you toward your goal. Taking action on a dream you have will move you toward your goal.
There has to be a balance of resting and working. The balance is different for different people in different seasons of life. So, whatever season you’re in, I would encourage you not to become anxious if you aren’t producing something. Maybe you’re in a season where you just need a little bit more space and time. On the other hand, if you’re not getting anywhere and you’re feeling frustrated, then it’s probably a sign that you need to start pushing more toward the production end of the spectrum.
There’s no need to remain in one place. I’ve found it incredibly helpful to realize that my creativity ebbs and flows. It comes in waves. At some parts of the wave, I need less rest. At other parts, I need more rest. But I would also encourage you not to think of rest as something that is a distinct part of your creativity or even a distinct thing from your creativity.
Don’t think about this in terms of production and rest. Think about them in terms of a cycle. Producing things generates thoughts in your mind, problems that you have to work through. Rest is how you work through them. It creates a cycle because production creates problems, problems require rest, rest allows you to produce. This creates a virtuous circle.
Now that I’m back from my vacation and have spent a good amount of time resting, I’m very excited to get back into a higher production period and work towards maintaining that balance between rest and work.
YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/Q2PyswO_kww
Thanks for reading and watching.
Want in on all the secrets of writing compelling books? Have burning questions for Seth about the business side of being an author? Join the email list for up to date info on the latest videos!
"*" indicates required fields