Everyday Canvas

Does "Doing Nothing" Mean Really Doing Nothing?

Prompt: Several creative people, such as artists and authors, claim that relaxing and ‘doing nothing’ can be extremely beneficial for the creative process to follow. Do you believe this could work, I mean doing absolutely nothing? Has this been true for you, if ever?

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A few decades ago, I tried to do the mind-emptying meditation. It is the most difficult thing I have ever attempted. No matter how I try, I can only accomplish it only for a few seconds. Granted, if done well, this might be a soothing practice; however, to me, it showed that “doing nothing” is a myth.

On the other hand, doing something else other than the work at hand may have its benefits as it pulls the mind in a different direction, relaxes the person, and thus, opens him up to new ideas. When we are relatively inactive, that is watching or reading something or taking a walk, gardening, talking to friends, or engaging in a different hobby, we usually pay attention to our surroundings and to our own experience at hand. Doing something else that is pleasant and thinking over different things enable us to solve problems and come up with new ideas.

Doing anything without the pressure of achievement can be highly beneficial, since our potential of creativity may be blocked by that pressure and the pressure of our busy minds and lives. When we are in the relaxing mode, surprising ideas --either in pieces or in a framework and possibly from the deepest parts of our being-- may come to us suddenly on the things we need to achieve. Artists from all areas of life can attest to that.