Periods of quiet are part of the creative process

Summary

• In the creative process, it is natural to have a period where we have no ideas

Details

• Out brain needs the quiet period to come up with new ideas

References

• John Cleese on creativity

Quotes

We came to understand that the blockages weren’t an interruption in the process, they were part of it. For example, when you eat, the bit where the fork returns empty to your plate isn’t a failure. It’s just part of the eating process.
The anthropologist Gregory Bateson once said, “You can’t have a new idea ’til you’ve got rid of an old one.” This insight helped me to view my fallow periods as preparatory to the fertile ones, and therefore as an inseparable part of the whole creative process. When the juices are not flowing, don’t beat yourself up and wonder if you should retrain as a priest. Just sit around and play, until your unconscious is ready to cough up some stuff. Getting discouraged is a total waste of your time.

Related

• Creativity is yoga for the brain
• Creativity is a fundamental quality of being human
• Periods of quiet are part of the creative process
• The Creative Process - James Clear
• When we reach an impasse at any point in the creative process, it can be helpful to step away from the project to create space and allow a solution to appear - Rick Rubin
• Creativity doesnt happen by chance, we need to have a creative process
• Inspiration and creativity