This article is part three of a three part series. See part 1: Embracing Your Natural Cycles of Creativity and part 2: Rest vs. Resistance

Rest is uncomfortable because society has convinced you that your worth is only as high as your productivity. In reality, your capacity to hustle is only one facet of the beautifully complex human that you are. Your ability to perform does not define your worth. Your drive doesn’t make your soul any more or less valuable.
You are a reflection of the Divine, my dear.
There is so much more to you than what you can do.

“We have calcium in our bones, iron in our veins, carbon in our souls, and nitrogen in our brains. 93 percent stardust, with souls made of flames, we are all just stars that have people names.” – Nikita Gill
Life asks us to carry a lot of tensions:
Keep working toward your dream every day, but don’t hustle so hard you burnout.
Allow yourself to rest, but don’t actually take a break from your creative practice.
There is no one like you, and yet every other human is struggling in the same ways you are.
You’re a talented artist, but you also make your fair share of bad art.
Don’t fear Resistance, but also the only way to conquer resistance is to master your fears.
As an artist and all-around sensitive soul, I’m aware of these tensions every second of the day. The cognitive dissonance is real and that’s why therapy exists. Seriously though, the key to holding all these tensions is mindset. And the key to understanding Rest vs. Resistance is also mindset:
Rest is a mindset of self-grace, self-nurturing, and a slow cultivating of the ability to embrace the slow rhythm of low output for a season. Resistance feels like paralyzing fear, self-doubt, shame, and guilt over not being or doing enough.
Pay attention to the emotions that your thoughts bring. Do you feel shame and guilt over your business or creative practice frequently? Then the answer is to adopt an attitude of Rest and extend to yourself the same grace you’d offer a friend.
Rest is uncomfortable. It asks you to be ok with watching everyone else around you gain the recognition and the metrics that you want. But by embracing your season of Rest and giving yourself permission to enjoy it, you set yourself up to gain some major momentum when your creative practice shifts back into abundance. Rest is productive.
“When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned favor in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete.” – The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Move forward into action without pushing yourself into burnout
You’ll have to find the delicate balance of what being in Rest looks like while also staying committed to doing the work. No one else can decide that for you. For me it looks like getting into the studio a few times every week, even if it's just a short session where I organize my supplies or focus on a creative project outside of painting.
Here are a few ideas I’ve jotted down over the past several months that keep me inspired, making it easier for me to find my way back to the studio:
Get back in touch with your why: Why do you love this? What is it you want to communicate to the world?
See local art: Go to a local gallery or art show. Go to the theater, or a concert. Go to the farmers market! Get your eyeballs on the creativity all around you (instead of finding inspiration through the screen of your phone).
Find an artist support group (in-person or online): Accountability is everything in life, and no one else gets you quite like someone else in your same field. I have a few suggestions for wonderful online communities if you need some!
Step into more authority: Master imposter syndrome and give yourself permission to step into your authority as a creative. Give yourself some credit. You’ve been doing this for a while and you know A LOT about your craft. Stepping up as a leader in some capacity – even if it’s just making more educational content – helps keep you in alignment with your dreams.
I hope this article has been insightful. I’d love to know if it resonated with you or what stuck with you the most. You can leave a comment below, email, or DM me.
I leave you with this last quote from Steven:
“Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, Resistance will unfailingly point to true North — meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing. We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others. Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it. Always move towards Resistance.” – The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
This article was written in July 2023.

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