Anna Deavere Smith states, in her chapter on discipline, that all successful artists are mentally and physically both focused and organized. She speaks of discipline for artists as their being in a state of constant movement and focus.
I'm not so sure that that is true. For me---in order to ensure that my creative processes are nourished and healthy---I need to "step back"---maybe play music, or garden or hike----I need to do something to "unfocus" to order to "freshly refocus."
Does anyone else experience this need to unfocus?
Joy
I think this is an interesting question, Joy! The interesting thing is, scientifically, our brains often keep working on problems we know about even while we are at play or rest. There have been studies on students completing math problems, walking away to do something completely unrelated (like a relaxing activity) and then when they returned they were able to solve the remaining math problems at a faster pace. I personally think it is really healthy to "unfocus" in order to "freshly refocus." I like how you put that!
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