Part of the creative process is knowing both when to rest and how. Resting recharges our batteries, and much like sleep helps refresh us so we can continue to do the creative things we do. The problem is, how do you do that? 

When I was growing up resting was when you just did nothing. If my parents were resting, things didn’t get done. I wasn’t even fed when they were doing it. As a result, I internalized a negative view of resting. It felt lazy and unproductive. But while that might have helped my parents, it’s not the type of resting I’m talking about.  

Artists and people in general are an amalgamation of the things we experience. We are the sum of the movies we watch, tv shows we binge, and books we read. We internalize people’s ticks and habits, speech patterns, and everything else we are exposed to. And it’s from that well of experience we draw our works from. Resting in a targeted manner helps refill that well so we can keep drawing on it. When we rest to recharge that well, it helps to learn how to target it. But how do you do that? 

You step away from the keyboard and you consume media. You go for walks. You talk to people. You engage in other hobbies. It doesn’t have to be something you do for months, either. You can do it for a day. A week. But taking that time to refill your inner creative well pays off in the long run. You can avoid burnout, for one thing. You learn more about how to create art for another. Finding the best way to relax and unwind while also letting your mind absorb more for later is a necessary skill.  

Another problem with not resting is the eventual negative impact on your mental health. I am bipolar. When I’m neck deep in a novel it can become so consuming, I’ll go manic. It’s also common for my moods to be more unstable between stages of any given project too. The thing that helps both the mania and the instability is knowing how to rest. And it wasn’t easy. It took a long time to sort out, and it was only because a friend pointed out what resting really is that I actually understood that aspect of self-care. The resting I was engaging in between projects wasn’t the productive kind, and my brain doesn’t take being idle well. Learning how to rest in a way that recharged my empty well has vastly improved my mental health. 

Because that’s what it is. Resting is self-care. Repeat it over and over, as many times as you need to. Because everyone needs to rest. Everyone needs that break, the ability to let go and enjoy the moment because we’re human. And part of being human means resting.  

It’s important to remember, however, that you eventually have to stop resting. Setting a time limit on it can help. I myself will schedule a week off between projects or milestones, and I write short stories instead of a novel during the winter. Eventually, though, you have to get back in the saddle. You can’t rest forever after all. If you need to rest, rest. Just make sure to come back. It will be there when you’re ready.