The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

THE INNER STUDIO
refreshment. We are not machines. Our nervous systems are heavily
used when we are making creative decisions. Many creative
people live in a state of heightened perceptions and the intense use
of our senses means we are running the equivalent of a creative
marathon when we work intensely. Allowing the psyche a time to
rest is an idea as old as the Sabbath.
The key to our difficulty is often found not in a lack of time, but
in a lack of respect for our own needs. This habit, if undetected,
will be built into the world. We can already see that the busy built
world has little regard for nature, the body of the earth. We feel
guilty when we put our own needs for health ahead of the task we
have been given; we feel we should be able to complete the project
without taking a break. We think we should be able to solve every
problem. If we pause, we risk losing the respect of some colleague
or peer or parent. These notions lead to stress and reflect the
shadow that may influence the design process. Exhaustion is like a
fire–difficult to extinguish if we wait too long to notice it. Burnout
and exhaustion can take years to recover from and seriously impair
our decision making. It is much easier to quench our fatigue if we
notice its first signals or are prepared to spend some time examining
our attitudes and incorporate some healing supports into our
approach to design.
I don’t mean to suggest that when resting we are no longer
creative. My favorite way of creating is to raise questions before I
take a rest. Whether I fall asleep or just daydream, I usually find
myself with a new sense of direction or fresh creative material when
I get back to work. Sometimes we feel physically depleted but our
imagination is really quite ready to explore new possibilities–it just
doesn’t want to be pushed. We are simply expanding the space of
creativity to solve the problem of feeling tired. We may need to
dream more than to work. We may need to slip into a brief reverie
about what we are facing before continuing. I have often thought
that Mediterranean cultures hold so many of the Western world’s
treasures because these cultures practice the afternoon nap or
siesta. This enables these cultures to dream twice a day, increasing
the chance for the wisdom of the psyche to come through.
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