Why Doing Your Laundry is Good For Your Creativity

“The ways of creation are wrapt in mystery. We may only marvel and bow our head.”
                                                                        - Albert Einstein

Why is it that our best creative ideas hit us while we’re shaving, showering, walking, or doing laundry? Seriously, what’s happening there? There’s something wonderfully mysterious about the way ideas pop into our heads while we’re sorting socks or doing the dishes. Like a golden leaf falling into a still gray pond, there it is - the solution we’ve been searching for. 

Eddie Van Halen once built a recording studio in his bathroom because he kept getting song ideas while sitting on the can. Clearly there’s some sort of cosmic joke happening with this phenomenon, and I have my theories.

Here’s why doing laundry (and other boring stuff) is great for your creativity:

1. You’ve ‘let go’. When your rational mind works overtime to fix a pesky problem and it can’t, it burns out. You feel frustrated, tired and hungry. So what do you do? You get up and go to lunch.  In that moment you’ve let go.  Something about the act of letting go of the struggle is akin to opening a clenched fist - now the gems can hit your palm. When my friend Spencer and I get stuck on ideas for our comic strip, he says, “I’m going out for a cigarette.” Five minutes later he returns with great gag.

2. Your rational mind considers mundane activities to be irrelevant, stupid time wasters. Ah, but to the subconscious creative mind, this is prime time! A drive to Walgreens is just as important to the creative process as painting your picture or rehearsing your lines.

Let’s take another example: taking out the garbage. Not exactly considered a creative activity, right? Not so fast!

As you toss your trash into the barrel, you notice an old man walking by your house. It suddenly hits you; ‘Hm. Maybe instead of starting chapter 4 with a waitress witnessing the robbery, I’ll make her an old man - a former mob boss in the witness protection program - yes, of course! It’s Jezebel’s father!’

See? You just figured out the plot for your future best-seller while standing on a curb holding 2 Hefty bags. Happens all the time. J.K. Rowling was sitting on a train when she dreamed up Harry Potter.

I’ve created enough stuff to know that I’m collaborating with the Big Creator in the Sky, or The Muses as Steven Pressfield calls them in The War of Art. I wish The Muses could separate my lights from my darks, but I’ll happily endure the drudgery of laundry if it means a million-dollar idea might come out in the wash.

(Groan…I know…But I couldn’t resist!)

Your thoughts? Leave a comment…

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“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”  - Michelangelo

We all want to succeed creatively. Most of us want to be good - if not great - at our craft, profession, or project, no matter what it is. Sometimes it’s easy to lose focus, get lazy or discouraged, and want to give up. We compare ourselves to other amazing creators and think, “I’ll never be as good as them, so why bother.”

But instead of getting down, we need inspiration and guidance; a list of creative rules and standards to live by. 

In my studio/office I have all kinds of inspirational quotes and reminders tacked to my walls. They keep my eye on the ball. I’m also constantly inspired by countless creative friends and role models - artists, musicians, business owners, teachers, and parents - who possess outstanding qualities that really light a fire under my butt whenever I’m near them. I simply watch how they live and create. 

So here’s a little something you might want to tack on your wall - it’s helping me…

These are what I consider the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Creators:

1. They are passionate about what they do. You’ve gotta love what you’re creating. Love is the fuel that keeps you writing that novel, illustrating that book, or building that business. If the world suddenly blew up and Dolly Parton was the last person on earth, you can bet she’d be singing “9 to 5″ to a bunch of rocks and a pile of rubble.

2. They are disciplined. They have incredible work ethic. Steven King and Ray Bradbury sit in that chair every day, no matter what, and bang out those pages. Illustrator Bob Staake seems to pump out a picture book every week. I hate these people, they make me cry. But I respect the heck out of them and I notice that most Great Creators possess that same work ethic, so I leave it on my list.

3. They strive to master and improve their craft. It’s easy to fall into a rut, but all the great creators master the fundamentals of their craft, whether it’s Larry Bird shooting 500 freethrows at basketball practice, or George Carlin re-telling a botched joke in front of a live audience just so he could nail it perfectly for an HBO special (I saw him do this - I was there).

4. They don’t care what other people think. They create because they have to - their soul is on fire with their creative passion, and they just make stuff, critics be damned. Yes, they want to share it with others. Yes, they want people to enjoy what they’ve created. Of course. But they care more about executing their vision properly than whether or not people like them. 

5. They insist on getting paid handsomely for their talent (but they would still create anyway). Professional Creators who have paid their dues, educated themselves, and produce quality work expect (and request) healthy fees. They respect their own talent, know its worth, and charge accordingly. Why does A-Rod get the millions? Because he makes millions more for the Yankees every time he knocks another homerun out of the stadium.  True, it is sad that some creative professions, like teaching, or being a stay-at-home mom, or being a poet, don’t offer similar paychecks, but as a general rule, if you offer a quality creative service or product, and have for years, you should be gettin’ paid appropriately based on what your market allows. Money is an exchange of energy and value.  

6. They welcome criticism from their peers and learn from them. Look, your mom is going to love everything you make, okay? But think of somebody who does the same thing you do who is just as talented if not more so. Somebody who doesn’t mince words. Creators who want to improve seek reactions and constructive criticism from people they respect. When George Lucas makes a Star Wars movie, do you know who he calls for feedback? Spielberg. Copolla. Ron Howard. (I’m sure they told him to lose Jar Jar, but re-read #4 - Lucas didn’t care what anyone thought of Jar Jar. He liked him and the rest is history.)

7. They take risks. Creative people take risks. They not only sacrifice income to live their passion, they take crazy creative chances that they know might make them look stupid. Michael Jordan tried to be a baseball player. Billy Joel stopped writing pop songs and made a classical music album. Stallone turned down $100,000 when he was dirt broke because he insisted on playing Rocky, even though his wife left him and he had to sell his dog! He believed so much in his Rocky screenplay that he risked everything. Now that’s inspiring.

What do you think? Would you add other habits?

I welcome your comments…

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
                                                            - Lao Tsu

Welcome to Creative Journey Cafe! Hi, I’m Mark, and I’m the creator & owner of this blog. Like any new establishment, I’m still sprucing things up. No, this cafe isn’t a real place, it’s just a blog - but there’s still a lot of work I need to do to get it running smoothly! Meantime, I just brewed some fresh coffee, so grab a seat and hang out with your sketchbook or laptop, and excuse me while I paint the final dabs on these virtual walls. It’s a work in progress!

This cafe is for you as well as me. It’s a place you can visit anytime, 24/7. Hang out as long as you want, I don’t mind! Or simply grab a cup of inspiration for the road - chances are you’ll find something here that’ll improve your creative journey through life. Oh, and be sure to tell your friends about us!

As a freelance artist, I’m on this journey with you. I created this blog so I can share the tips and tricks I’ve picked up throughout the years - and so I can have a forum for passing along whatever new wisdom I absorb from other creative people, whether they be artists, writers, musicians, business owners, or bloggers. I hope you’ll find this place valuable and fun - a creative escape. I think you will.

You’ll notice, on the right sidebar, a few links to places that inspire me; places that help me live a more enjoyable (creative) life. Check ‘em out when you can. Take what works for you and leave the rest! I’ll post more links as we go…

Also, have a peak at the “About” section to learn  more about my plans for the blog, and to learn a little more about yours truly.

I look forward to reading your future comments and starting a creative community. So until the next post, I hope you have an awesome creative day!