Creative people need time to sit around and do nothing
In the magical world of the brain, a fascinating journey of information processing begins. Our senses collect data from the world, like tiny messengers delivering messages to the brain. The brain organizes this information, like sorting puzzle pieces into a picture. It pays attention to the most important things while ignoring the less important ones. The brain also keeps special memories safe, like treasures in a secret vault. Using all this knowledge, the brain tells amazing stories about what’s happening around us. It makes choices and learns from them. It is full of mysteries, waiting for us to explore and discover its secrets. How we put it to use is completely on us.
After a creatively intense couple of weeks that consisted of a ton of back-and-forth decision making and designing, I wanted to make the most out of the weekend by watching a film, spending time with friends, writing a blog and dining with family. It sounded like a perfect weekend. Days like that can make one feel like they’ve reached their creative threshold, and pushing the barrier almost seems impossible — a feeling of hopelessness. The only thing that could compensate for the kind of work week that I’d had was going to be this action-packed weekend that was wrapped in a shiny sheet of dopamine.
Going for a nice stroll or playing badminton would’ve been the best way to kick things off, but me being my lazy self (on a lazy Saturday), opened the bird app (or should I say, X) to do some mindless scrolling. To my surprise, this was the first tweet that I saw:
First off, the timing couldn’t have been better. Secondly, I partially agree. I believe this statement should apply to all individuals and not just people in the creative line of work. Thirdly, this is one of those statements that is easier said than done. How can someone sit around and do nothing in 2023 when short video apps are directly contributing to our attention span, influencing the way we behave and live life? Adding to that is the hustle culture and productivity hacks that almost make you feel like you’re committing a crime if you don’t make the most use of your time. Amidst that, this almost felt like a breath of fresh air. Advocating for the other end of the spectrum — taking it slow to rejuvenate a creative mind.
This rose a ton of my questions in my head. What does doing nothing mean? Does it mean to straight up do nothing and gaze at a wall? Or to not carry out activities that overload your brain? Could it also mean to do anything that doesn’t require a high order of creative thinking? One common theme amongst all of these is to put your brain to rest.
Imagine your brain as a little superhero that can handle lots of information, but it has its limits. When there’s too much information coming in, like the weekend I had initially planned, the superhero gets overwhelmed and tired eventually leading to information overload. When your brain faces information overload, it might feel like a traffic jam in your head, making it difficult to make decisions or remember things — which is exactly what I was facing. This implies that I had to do the exact opposite of what I had planned over the weekend. Lose the clutter and let your mind flow because the coming week isn’t going to be any easier. There’s still going to be creative calls to make, maybe harder ones this time, that the brain needs to be ready for. I mean, superheroes need some time off too.
While I do understand the core sentiment, it seems difficult to pull off, but something I’m really looking forward to practice. They say an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. But Noel Gallagher from Oasis, one of the most creative people in the history of music, in his 2005 song “The Importance of Being Idle”, says:
I don’t mind
As long as there’s a bed beneath the stars that shine
I’ll be fine
If you give me a minute
A man’s got a limit
I can’t get a life if my heart’s not in it
