Rest as a Creative Ritual

Give Yourself a Break (Your Creativity Will Thank You 🙏)

This voiceover is an audio version of my Slow Sunday Letter below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!

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Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.

A warm welcome to all my readers and subscribers to Generosity of Spirit and thank you to my paid members of Slow & Steady, I appreciate your company so much. I hope you are enjoying these letters and the invitation to slow down, and live gently.

In this month’s A Writer’s Life, I want to talk about the importance of rest and how it is absolutely essential for nurturing your creativity. Recently, I took a couple of weeks away from Substack. I’ll be honest, I felt a little nervous about it. It wasn’t the numbers that worried me - how many subscribers I might gain or lose, but rather the fear that stepping out of my weekly rhythm would cause my creativity to stall. I wondered if I’d struggle to find my way back to my usual writing routine after the break.

Spoiler alert - I did not stall, in fact I returned more creatively charged than I have felt in a long time.

So, grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s explore why rest is one of the most essential parts of your creative ritual…

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Creativity + Rest

“Doing nothing often leads to the very best something.” — Winnie the Pooh

We are surrounded by a society that places so much importance over gain, hustle, productivity, endless output, and being constantly ‘on’ - taking a break can feel counterintuitive, especially for creative people. Our creativity is something to nurture, play with - to fuel and celebrate. However, sometimes that can also translate into feeling pressure to produce, to maximise and squeeze out our creativity - this can lead to the dreaded burnout, or periods of disillusionment and a lack of confidence. The pressure to constantly produce, whether it is writing, painting, designing, sharing, or building - can make us forget a simple but vital truth:

To be our most creative, we have to also make time for rest…

As creative beings, our ideas, energy, and inspiration are not infinite - and particularly if you publish work online, there is a certain amount of pressure to balance. Balancing the heart and soul of your creative work, with the pressure of schedule, expectation and production of your work.

Creativity will ebb and flow. I know how if in the right mood and head space my words can fly out of my head and onto the page. Yet, other times, it feels hard and sluggish. When we try to force the flow, to push through when we are tired, blocked, or uninspired - creating can feel hard and unconnected. But here’s the thing: breaks are not a luxury. They are a necessity. A pause is not an interruption to the creative process - it is part of the process.

Filling Your Creative Cup

All channels of creativity - whether through words, images, movement, or sound, requires a certain amount of emotional energy, mental clarity, and space. When we keep pouring ourselves into our work without stepping back, we drain the well. We become depleted, overwhelmed, or stuck in loops of self-doubt and comparison.

Taking a break is one of the most effective and soothing ways we can allow our creativity the space it needs to grow, stimulate new ideas, muse over current projects and pour more inspiration and ideas into our creative cup.

To pour your heart and soul into your creative work, cannot work in one direction - you must nurture, feed and grow your creativity, by pouring into your creative cup. Rest, play and retreating are some of the most powerful ways you can refill your cup.

Whether it is a walk in nature, a quiet moment with a cup of coffee, an afternoon nap, a weekend off, or even a season of rest - the pause allows the mind to settle. It is in these moments of stillness that ideas start to reorder themselves, clarity emerges, and fresh inspiration begins to stir.

When we rest, we give our subconscious mind the chance to reconnect the dots, make meaning, and breathe life into our next creation.

Walking to Creativity

“Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” Henry David Thoreau

Some of our best ideas don’t always arrive when we are sitting, working at our desks, a moment of inspiration may arrive in the shower, while driving, on a walk, or during moments of daydreaming.

Our brains need downtime. Research shows that “default mode” thinking when we’re not consciously focused on anything, is when creativity often thrives. That state of soft attention, unconscious flow, free from pressure, is the perfect ground for insights, ideas and inspiration.

For me, I find walking helps me process my thoughts, think through projects or ideas, and often it is the only way I can shift through stagnant or anxious energy particularly when it comes to my creativity (especially if the walk concludes with a cup of coffee!).

One of the most well-known writers who cites walking as a powerful creative tool is Virginia Woolf. In her diaries and essays, Woolf often described how her daily walks through London and the countryside sparked reflection, clarity, and creative insight. She believed that walking helped her access deeper parts of her imagination and process complex ideas.

When we allow ourselves to step away, even briefly, clarity may just follow - we create space for inspiration and wonder to form. We notice things. We feel more. We return to our instincts and our senses.

Taking regular breaks also helps us reconnect with ourselves. Nearly every time I have allowed myself to step back, and rest, I feel like I tap into another part of my creativity, or I have an epiphany about my life, or new ideas start to arrive in my mind.

Sometimes you have to clear the decks, and allow your mind to play.

The kindest and most courageous thing we can do sometimes, is to stop. To close the laptop, put down the pen or brush, silence the inner critic, and just be for a while. To trust that we can return later, rested, grounded, and more in tune with ourselves.

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I hope you are enjoying this Slow Sunday Letter 📚💌 It is my pleasure to bring these as a free offering to you each week.

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Journal Prompts : Creative Rest

1. What does creative rest mean to me, and how do I know when I need it?

2. What happens to my creativity when I allow myself to pause without guilt?

3. In what ways does rest nourish my imagination, energy, and inspiration?

4. What are some signs in my mind, body, or spirit that show up when I’ve been pushing too hard creatively?

5. What kinds of rest feel most restorative to me as a creative person - mental, emotional, physical, or something else?

6. What would a rhythm of creative rest and renewal look like in my ideal writing or creative life?

7. Can I remember a time when stepping away from a project actually helped me return to it with more clarity, depth, or joy?

8. If I gave myself full permission to rest creatively right now, what would that look like?

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Practical Ways to Build Breaks into Your Creative Life

If you’re someone who struggles to stop and make time for rest, here are a few gentle suggestions for building more rest into your creative routine:

• Schedule breaks as part of your process. Treat rest as essential, not optional. Add it to your calendar if you need to.

• Take mindful walks. Leave your phone behind. Let gentle movement reset your nervous system and allow your thoughts to flow.

• FREE time. Give yourself permission to do nothing. Lie down. Stare at the ceiling. Daydream. Let your brain wander.

• Make time for play. Tap into a gentle creative flow, without pressure - like colouring books, puzzles, or playing a game.

• Check in seasonally. Take time every few months to reflect on where you are and whether your creative routines still feel good.

• Rest without guilt. This is the hardest part for many of us. You don’t need to earn rest. You already deserve it.

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I hope this week’s Slow Sunday Letter has helped you trust more in the process and importance of rest within your own creative practice.

At the heart of slow and gentle living is the belief that we are allowed to move at a pace that feels true. That includes our creative pace. Your creativity needs rest. It is an expression and a reflection of who you are - and it flourishes when you are fully rested and connected with yourself.

So in the coming weeks and months - try scheduling in breaks and time for rest. When you return to your work, you might find yourself more inspired, more connected, and more aligned than ever before.

I would really love to know your thoughts, and if you have regular breaks and periods of rest? If you feel able, please do share in the comments.

Thank you for being here,

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