THE POWER OF REST IN YOUR CREATIVE LIFE

The brilliant author, coach & teacher Octavia F. Raheem once said, "The world doesn't need more burned-out visionaries. It needs well-rested revolutionaries who move at the speed of wisdom" and... no objections your honor.

But when you’re between projects, or in a season of low output, the mind starts spinning: 

Am I falling behind?
Will people forget me?
Why don’t I feel like doing anything? What’s wrong with me? 

We live in a world that glorifies productivity, where success is measured by output, and exhaustion is worn like a badge of honor. If you’re an artist, this mindset is a trap. Pushing past our limits doesn’t lead to better work, it drains the very energy required to create in the first place. That’s why rest isn’t just self-care; it’s a creative discipline.

Burnout happens because we’ve been conditioned to ignore our limits, not because we’re weak or incapable. It The common approach to avoiding burnout is reactive: managing stress after it piles up. But by then, it’s too late.

A more sustainable approach is filling our energy reserves before they’re depleted. It’s about listening when we feel a lull in focus and taking a break instead of forcing ourselves to power through. The irony? When we allow ourselves to rest, we actually get further in the long run.

So many of us feel guilty when we slow down. We equate rest with laziness because we’ve been taught that our worth is tied to how much we produce. But rest is not the opposite of ambition: it’s what sustains it. A well-rested artist is sharper, more intuitive, and more inspired. When we take breaks not as a last resort but as a built-in part of our process, we create from a place of abundance rather than depletion.

Rest is also a form of resistance. It challenges the idea that we exist solely to produce. It disrupts the hustle culture that keeps us in a cycle of overworking and burnout and forces us to question who benefits from our exhaustion. Radical rest is about personal wellbeing AND about reshaping a culture that devalues stillness, slowness, and sustainability.

How do we make rest the norm? It starts with rejecting the idea that we have to deserve it. Rest isn’t a reward; it’s a right and the foundation of a creative life that thrives over time. And while the guilt might linger at first, we can remind ourselves: we are allowed to pause. We are allowed to recharge. We are allowed to rest.

The difference between radical rest and laziness comes down to intention and awareness. Here are a few ways to tell the difference:

Radical Rest is Intentional; Laziness is Avoidant

• Radical Rest: You’re making a conscious decision to rest because you know it will replenish you. It’s an act of care for your future self.

• Laziness: You’re avoiding something you know you need to do, often out of fear, overwhelm, or resistance.

Radical Rest Feels Nourishing; Laziness Feels Stagnant

• Radical Rest: You feel refreshed after. Even if you’re still tired, there’s a sense of ease, clarity, or alignment.

• Laziness: You feel sluggish, disconnected, or guilty, like you’re escaping rather than replenishing.

Radical Rest is a Choice; Laziness Feels Like a Default

• Radical Rest: You’re actively choosing rest before you reach total burnout.

• Laziness: You don’t feel in control: it’s a passive state where time slips away, often paired with distractions (scrolling, numbing out).

Radical Rest Prepares You for Action; Laziness Keeps You Stuck

• Radical Rest: After resting, you’re more ready to engage with your work or life.

• Laziness: It creates a cycle of avoidance that makes taking action even harder.

How do you rest? You listen to your body. You honor it’s cues:

Your eyes start to get heavy, rest. Your posture at the desk starts to get slouchy, go rest. Your focus dwindles and you have to re-read a sentence or scroll back 10 seconds in a video to hear it again…. rest. Recondition yourself to honor your body’s cues, and grow away from the societal conditioning that wants you to be a tool for the system’s gain. Rest is subjective and predicated on your needs. What works for me might not work for you. That’s the beauty of it, you get to honor your body and everyone else gets to honor theirs.

A well-rested artist is sharper, more intuitive, and more inspired. When we take breaks not as a last resort but as a built-in part of our process, we create from a place of abundance rather than depletion.

What do you do when you rest? You dream. What do you do when you have a really good dream? You make art. We need you to rest because we need your art.