A Creator Makes Progress Through Rest

"The classical violinist Stephen Nachmanovitch proclaims that Perhaps the most radical sociopolitical invention of the past four thousand years was the sabbath.

I think he's right. Often I wake up early and sit for hours at my desk without a break through. And then on a walk, it will come to me. Creativity is not like working with a jackhammer. You cannot force the creative. Something like God has to show up and work through you. I do not believe this is God, but I do believe there is a part of the creators brain that is God created and that your Cerebral Cortex cannot get to it by force. Your executive brain can till the cerebellum like a garden, but it cannot make fruit come at will.

When we stop forcing, the breakthrough often comes.

A creator then finds a rhythm. They certainly show up to their work. They put in hours harvesting what has come to the surface. They edit chapters, write blogs, polish songs, record their music and so forth. But they rest, too. They turn off their minds and let the soil work for them.

Walt Whitman spoke of the value of loafing. God rested. God told you to rest.

Have you ever heard a song that sounded forced? Have you watched a movie that was crammed into story form? Have you read a book and wondered if the author had a tight deadline?

This is a sad thing because each of those artists may have worked harder than they should have. They burned the soil so it wouldn't produce fruit. They did not rest the ground.

Have you ever wondered how Chic Fila thrives when they aren't open a full day of the week? This is for business leaders to. Your competitors will pass you if they rest. Get your rest and bear more fruit.

A Creator Makes Progress Through Rest is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog