Nathan Borror

A few Sunday's back I was in a coffee house determined to work. Instead, I quickly fell into a dream state which is the plague of many Sunday mornings. I felt guilty about being so unproductive, but, I had no pressing deadlines, no urgent emails, no clients knocking at my door. Later that night I felt a surge of creativity and began painting, which got me wondering. Lets see what Brenda Ueland says:

Our idea that we must always be energetic and active is all wrong. Bernard Shaw says that it is not true that Napoleon was always snapping out decisions to a dozen secretaries and aides-de-camp, as we are told, but that he moodled around for months. Of course he did. And that is why these smart, energetic, do-it-now, pushing people so often say: "I am not creative." They are, but they should be idle, limp and alone for much of the time, as lazy as men fishing on a levee, and quietly looking and thinking, not willing all the time.

It's important to make time for nothing. It allows you to open your mind to thought you might not normally invite in. In a way, these moments cultivate our creative fields. When it's time to harvest, ideas should be ripe for the pickings. Basically, the answers we arrive at are a result of past thought. Neglect these moments and you limit the quality of creative outcomes.

"Some 40 thousand (and counting) elementary schools have eliminated recess in favor of more time for academics," says David Elkind. This is shocking. From what I recall, recess was the most rejuvenating part of my elementary day. "Our schools are now contributing to the suppression of curiosity, imagination and fantasy."

As we get older we unknowingly loose touch with our creative side and our imagination. I remember looking at clouds and immediately spotting frogs, space ships or elephants. Now I have to concentrate to come up with anything. Making time for relaxing and dreaming is so important, if for no other reason than to look up and see a giraffe float by.