Rest as an Integral Part of Creativity

Thank goodness for the gloomy rain. If yesterday had been another sun-sparkled day, Heather might have had to pry my fingers from the doorframe when it was time to say goodbye to Vashon Artist Residency.

For nearly a month, I was given the opportunity to do nothing but write. With almost no other demands on my time, I could not only immerse myself in the work, but also to take care of my body and mind.

In my life outside VAR, every hour seems to be filled with endless tasks and the pursuit of their completion. If I can squeeze in a little writing time each day, I feel I have served my muse. But at VAR I could not only write, but also make time to feed my spirit. Where distant horizons of sea and sky became the backdrop of my days, I was able to slow down to find more space, both inside and out.

Each morning I wrote, revisiting painful memories as I hammered away inside the structure of sentences, building and reinforcing with images, memories and reflections until I had to stop.
And then, I turned away from the writing to walk, bike or kayak along the shores of Quartermaster Harbor. Strolling beneath towering Douglas firs reminded me to engage in the pleasure of respiration, drinking in the earth’s nourishing energy as I gazed at branches twining overhead. Floating on the glassy surface of the Salish sea, I rested in the quiet between calls of swooping gulls and splashing ducks. In the evenings, I grounded myself in the goodness of female friendship, side-by-side cooking and shared laughter as my sister artists and I discussed the challenges and insights of our day.

I am sure it was this combination of work, rest, exercise and camaraderie that worked its magic, helping me to turn a corner by the end of the residency. After struggling for years, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of words the manuscript holds, I was able to see a storyline emerge. Spreading hundreds of printed pages out in the studio, holding them in my hands, gathering, cutting, stapling, It suddenly came to me that there was an arc. I saw a path through what had felt more chaos than story when I first arrived.

This sudden insight came because my mind had been opened and my body refreshed in a way that made room for a wider perspective in general.Yesterday I left the spiritual shelter of Vashon Artist residency feeling rejuvenated, understood and even hopeful that finishing this manuscript will happen.

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