Creativity Comes When Your Brain is Quiet

When you have a lot going on, whether that is school, work, personal projects, or just the state of the world as a whole (which is understandably overwhelming) - I often feel like I need to constantly be going and making progress, or else I’m wasting time or falling behind.

I’ll feel frustrated when I can’t think of a melody, or a color scheme for a painting, or how to go about a problem at work, or how to make my streams more engaging. And so to combat this, I’ll think about them nonstop, on a loop trying to find the solution. Then, continue to feel frustrated as to why I can’t produce anything.

Today, I had enough and decide to make myself a cup of tea, sit outside with a book, and attempt to shut my brain off for a bit. I was trying to do this, I just was so tired of thinking endlessly, honestly. However, I am not exaggerating when I say 5 minutes into reading, I immediately had ideas flowing. I ran over to my notebook and started sketching and writing things down.

So this is your reminder that if you’re a creative, you need that downtime. It’s not optional. Whether it’s reading, meditation, or walks (maybe without music or a podcast every once in a while), this is how your brain gets its wrinkles working. And maybe do it for longer than 5 minutes, if you can.