For a printer to work well it requires ink jet cartridges. Lacking one the great idea, the brilliant plan, the astounding photograph sits in the virtual world trapped as nothing more then computer code. From time to time, the printer needs an ink refill. The ink is used up and the printer needs refreshing. The photos look streaked. The expensive and professional printing machine is useless without ink. It is the same with human endeavors of all kinds. It doesn’t matter how great our resources are if the ink, the last bit of effort we need to bring the idea out of our minds and into the world, is empty. The ink of real world creation could be a lot of things; money, time, effort or inspiration. Whatever the juice is that brings our creations to fruition; one thing remains constant. No matter what we draw on, it needs to be replenished from time to time.
There are many ways to refill the creative ink in all of us. What holds true across the board, no matter what the endeavor is, adequate rest is an important part of the creative process. Many people have the experience of working late into the night on a project, drinking coffee or energy drinks to stay awake and plug away. Very often, they have come back to the project after taking a break and discovered the answer that had eluded them, or worse, discovered that the work they had been doing was flawed by bad judgment and had to be re-done. Stepping back, getting rest is an important part of any successful endeavor.
To fully replenish the creative ink well there is a couple things the one can do. One of the first things is redefining the definition of rest. It should not be narrowly interpreted as sleep, napping or sitting on the couch. There are different attributes that need resting and this suggests the need for different approaches. The body needs rest, the mind needs rest, and the senses need rest. Of course the body can be rested with sleep, napping or even just sitting quietly. There is other effective ways of resting the body. Sometimes, after periods of idleness, the body needs to move a little and a walk or run can do the trick. The question to ask is what the body is in need of? Perhaps it is tired of being cramped behind a desk, maybe the body is exhausted from standing in one place, maybe it is tired of the physical effort involved. Often tension and stress can feel like weariness and a little exercise relieves the body. So it is necessary to rest the body from its routine.
The brain is often working overtime. Often relaxing the mind, giving it a break from the problem is the quickest way to a solution. Relaxing the brain doesn’t mean changing from one form of stimulation to another. Give it a break from whatever form of thinking that has occupied it. Here as well exercise is an excellent option, the bodies movement can lull the brain into stillness. Meditation can also be an excellent choice. Change things up and free the mind. Someone that has been doing accounting should pursue an artistic endeavor, or some activity that requires a different way of using the mind. Changing the nature of the activity is great for those who don’t know how to meditate and still the mind.
When tackling the issue of reviving the senses, this is perhaps the most fun. Using music, meals, massage, aromatherapy are all great ways to rest the senses. The fundamentals are basic, to replenish the creative ink well rest is required and rest can be defined in an active and expressive way.
