Brain daze - how to spark your creativity in the summer
by Rebecca West
Summer brings so many great things - warm weather, festivals, weekend getaways, terraces, barbecues… Yet with summer fun, comes the pressure of packing a lot into two short months, all the while maintaining a productive work pace. It can be challenging for creative types to stay focused when the temperature at the office is soaring, you’re being kept up at night by the noises of an entire neighbourhood with their windows open, and everyone is posting photos from the cottage, beach or poolside. What to do? The best answer may be not to worry too much about it, but rather allow yourself to naturally slow down and switch gears.
Idle ≠ Lazy
If you’re yearning for some down time in the summer months, there’s good reason. It’s been proven that allowing your mind to idle is not only healthy, but can also boost creativity. Andrew Smart explores this notion in his book Autopilot: The Art & Science of Doing Nothing. In contrast to our always-on, over-productive culture, Smart argues that our “culture of effectiveness is not only ineffective, but it can be harmful to our well-being”. While it used to be believed that there was nothing happening in our brains when we weren’t engaged in a specific task, recent studies show that a different area of the brain becomes active when we’re idle, referred to as the Default Mode Network. As highlighted by Hannah Brooks Olsen for CreativeLive, according to studies from Washington University and the Medical College of Wisconsin, allowing the brain to idle is not just beneficial, but essential. “[The researcher] favours the idea that activity in the resting state helps the brain to stay organized,” explains Kerri Smith for Nature. “The connections between neurons are continually shifting as people age and learn, but humans maintain a sense of self throughout the upheaval. Spontaneous activity might play a part in maintaining that continuity.”
Why do our best ideas often come to us at random times?
It’s no surprise that taking a step back can be beneficial to our health, but why is it that we often get new ideas when seemingly doing nothing at all, like talking at walk? As Elizabeth Renzetti mentions in her recent Globe & Mail column: “A 2014 Stanford study, “Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking,” concluded that walking, whether outdoors or on a treadmill, opened up people’s minds to new and unorthodox lines of thought. The authors recommended a nice stroll before every brainstorming session – and also that educators should rethink stillness as the default learning position.” Daydreaming therefore isn’t just wasting time, but allowing your brain to switch modes and open up new trains of thought.
How to encourage stimulating brain time
So what kinds of activities trigger this restful brain mode? As Olsen points out, “Does it mean zoning out in front of endless episodes of Game of Thrones, or does it mean reading a book? Does gardening count? What about exercise? Listening to podcasts?” There is no one answer, but the key seems to be to allow your mind to truly wander. Activities that allow you to be physically active but don’t require a lot of mental effort seem to be best, such as walking, biking, swimming, gardening or cooking. Or if you’re more ambitious, scheduling yoga or meditation sessions, even for as little as 10 minutes at a time, can be beneficial.
Vacation from your vacation
If you find yourself on a busy family trip this summer (in my experience these are usually dominated by endless grocery runs, prepping and cleaning up after meals) there are still ways to disconnect and unwind. Find a little alone time for something that you enjoy, whether going for walk, writing or sketching. If you’re travelling, try and take some inspiration from how the locals do and see things. Or if your summer will be spent more at the office than outside, take a moment to enjoy this calming School of Life nature appreciation video. Once you get a taste for the regenerative powers of downtime, you just may find ways to incorporate “summer speed” into the rest of your year.
