Creativity and rest

Creativity and RestMarcus takes us back to episode 12 and reminds us about the 5 Rs of creativity Rules Research Reflection Repetition RestToday Marcus is going to talk more about the subject of rest.Marcus has been looking at the latest research into creativity. According to the research your brain works in two different modes1.   “Default Mode Network” When you are not really thinking about anything. When you do something by habit. Like having a shower in the morning, or driving your car and you arrived without knowing how you got there. It is when your thoughts are going inwards2.    “Executive Control Network” This is when you are really in the zone and doing focused activity.It’s been discovered that the Default mode network is linkedto creativity.Taking the time When Marcus wants to think about ideas he sits down in the evening with a glass of wine. Sam suggests then that meditation should be part of this process, which Marcus agrees with. It’s important to find that quiet space, and think about nothing and let the ideas come to you. It’s crucial this is in a quite space withnothing else going on. NotebookMarcus recommends always having a notebook to hand to write down your ideas as they come to you. But also Marcus says as you get better at getting creative ideas you can also train your brain to remember these ideas.How to startFor Marcus he says about 8pm he sits in quiet with a glass of wine and just sits, and thinks. And the more you try this the easier it becomes. There is lots of meditation help online, both in terms of techniques and calming sound tracks. Marcus recommends doing this every day. Finding that time can be very challenging. But it is worth that effort. For some people the day time is a better time, when the house is quiet. It’s important to try and schedule thatquiet time into your day. Long termThis is a long term process and it will take time to get better at this. There is a great Netflix documentary about this      On the flip side of rest, Using Repetition in Your Photography Practice looks at how showing up consistently builds creative momentum.