Why rest is good for your creative brain
I hope you had a fantastic holiday with the people you love the best. It’s so nice to slow down, drink Pumpkin Chai Tea all day and converse with your extended family until 2 a.m. every night. At least, that’s what I did.
While it was super wonderful getting to catch up with my huge family of cousins, uncles and siblings, I also enjoyed the holiday in an unexpected way.
I slowed down.
How often do you get caught up in the hustle and grind so much that you forget to take a deep breath and enjoy the refreshing yet often difficult task of “nothing”?
It was in this relaxed space that many former creative thoughts reentered my mind. I painted for a bit, I read a book that wasn’t even about self-help or business development. I even came across an old favorite book of mine that inspired a completely new idea for sharing my enthusiasm of increasing creative confidence! (More on that later on.)
This influx of relaxed creativity reminded me of a lesson I’ve heard many times, yet somehow still forget.
Dr. Maxwell Maltz puts its this way:
“Invariably, they tell us that creative ideas are not consciously thought out by forebrain thinking, but come automatically, spontaneously and somewhat like a bolt of out of the blue, when the conscious mind has let go of the problem and is engaged in thinking of something else.”
Dr. Maltz is referring to what he calls the “Creative Mechanism”, which is the act of achieving creativity through a relaxed state. Many great creators had their best ideas come to them in a dream, on a walk or while driving — not when they were actively in front of their work trying to solve the problem.
The idea of creating from a relaxed state led me to another lesson that’s been on my mind for the past few months. I heard a podcast on the teaching of feminine and masculine energy and how they are completely different vibes, yet we need both to move forward.
The act of creating “the good stuff” for me is often feminine. It’s a highly spiritual activity I find in a relaxed state. I need my space and my quiet in order for this vulnerable action to take place.
On the other hand, I can create quite a bit in the masculine space. For me this would include things like writing sales emails, sending out press releases for work, creating my business plan, etc.
Both energies are needed at different times to create different things.
Neither is better nor worse than the other, they’re simply different.
We each have strengths and weaknesses on either side of this spectrum as well. This is okay! That’s normal. This is why we need support and encouragement in the space that is lacking for us, or perhaps you need a bit of help on either side to up-level your entire creative game. That’s even better! When you’re a driven and impassioned creativepreneur, there isn’t a downside to investing in your creative strengths.
This week, I’m going to encourage you to pay attention to your masculine and feminine creative energies. Which one comes more natural for you? Which one needs more focused attention? How can you practice yinging and yanging between the two?
I’d love for you to share your thoughts with the tribe!
Namaste to a good day.
P.S. If you’d like to increase your confidence in creativity and entrepreneurship this month, give me a shout.