Yesterday, we explored the beauty of being creatively unfinished. Today, we're chatting about something that might feel even more challenging: the art of creative rest.
(Become a paid subscriber for $5 a month for full access to this workshop, or, read the article that introduced the concept, You’re Enough, from our community’s open-access library for a brief overview.)
Let's talk about something that changed everything for me: the day I realized that rest isn't the absence of creativity—it's essential to it.
I used to feel guilty about my creative "down periods." Those times when the words wouldn't come, when inspiration felt distant, when all I wanted to do was read other people's works or stare out windows or take long walks with no particular purpose. I saw these periods as failures. As proof that I wasn't "committed enough" to my craft.
But here's what I've learned: Just as a field needs fallow time to restore its fertility, our creativity needs periods of apparent emptiness to replenish itself. Think about it—every natural creative process includes rest. Seeds need darkness before they sprout. Musicians need silence between notes. Even the ocean pulls back before each wave.
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