Feeling Sleepy...

Yesterday, I woke up at 4 am to embark on a chicken coop adventure.  It was a successful mission, but I've been sleepy ever since.  I've noticed how difficult it is to write blog posts in my tired state.  In my Don't Let Those Creative Ideas Die post, I discussed my thoughts on following through on creative inspiration.  I didn't mention that getting plenty of rest is an important part of the creative process, but I thought about it.  Now that I'm actually experiencing how tiredness saps creative motivation, I'm more inclined to write about it!

We have these romantic notions of staying awake all night, engrossed in a project.  I've been in that type of absorption state many times in my life and it seems to be supportive of short term bursts of creative output.  But for the long haul, rest may be one of the most important ingredients for creativity I can think of.  I am lucky to have a much more restful life than I did a year ago.  After several years of putting in long hours running my business, I started a sabbatical last August.  Since then, I've increased my amount of sleep and meditation and decreased my hours of work.  I've noticed my creative output is at a level I haven't seen in years.  I think I might have had as many creative ideas back then, but just didn't have the ability to actualize them when I was tired and busy.

In the United State, there's so much pressure to work hard and push to achieve.  I'm thinking this pressure is a force that compromises our creative potential.  Just to test my point, I'm gonna quit typing and get some sleep!