Last fall, I started a new (interim) job. Although I would be working with a creative team, I found the job to be more talking, less doing. Despite my desire to create, I found myself struggling to find the energy after a day of meetings upon meetings to much more than consume – through either reading or television. As a creative person at my very core, I began to feel a bit shriveled up after two months of this.

The Artist’s Way

Enter The Artist’s Way. While it looks like a book, it’s really a 12-week program to regenerate the creative spirit inside you. I’d had a couple of friends use this previously and highly recommend it. I’d also considered doing the program before, but it never seemed like the right time – or as though I even needed the boost. But this seemed like the perfect time to give it a shot.

After purchasing the book around the beginning of the new year, I read the first part, then skimmed the first two weeks of exercises. I’d have to get up thirty minutes earlier to write three pages of whatever drivel seeped out at that time of day. (Those are the “morning pages” required by the program). Then I’d have to do one artist date each week – easy peasy. I love taking time for myself. So far, so good.

And then last week I reached week four of the program. While reading through the reflections and activities for the week, my eyes stuttered to a stop on the words “reading deprivation.” Wait, what?

A Week Without Reading

If I had to guess, many creative types are also consumer types. I’d also guess that a large number of people who have sought out The Artist’s Way are writers, and so they consume books. That’s what makes this particular exercise both so very challenging and so very effective.

Yes, I managed an entire week without reading. So what? you might think. So a LOT for me. On average, I read around two to three books a week. I read during lunch hours. I read in between meetings. I read while waiting to pick my son up from whatever activity he’s participating in that evening. I read at night before bed. Essentially, I read all. the. time. This was no easy feat.

Reading, Mental Health, and Creativity

Here’s what I learned (and what I already knew) about what reading means for me:

  • Reading is definitely a delicate balance for me. It is easy to over-consume, which is where I had been at the start of this week. When I over-consume, I under-create. It’s a pretty simple equation, really. It doesn’t always mean I can get it right, though.
  • Reading is also one of the main ways I manage my anxiety and depression. By the end of my week of not reading, I was struggling pretty hard with depression. I hadn’t spent enough time outside of my head. It gets to be a pretty scary place if I don’t take the occasional break.
  • I get a much more healthy amount of sleep when I’m not reading. After all, what am I staying up for? (I’m just kidding – I found other reasons to stay up. Sometimes.)
  • I began making again. I’m most drawn to working with fiber arts when I’m feeling the need to do something creative with my hands. I cross stitch, I’ve learned (and unlearned) knitting, and I’ve dabbled with Swedish weaving. This week I picked up an old Swedish weaving project and started planning my next one. It reminded me that it’s good to switch things up every once in a while.

To Read or Not to Read?

You might ask, after discovering all the positive creative and health benefits of not reading, did I go back? I mean, duh, of course I did. But possibly in a more balanced way. Instead of reading every day at lunch this week, I’ve also taken a notebook and written one day. I’ve continued to do my Swedish weaving at night. And here I am, writing a blog post instead of reading.

Reading will always be something I do. I just need to continue to monitor my balance with it. Sometimes I need to create instead of consume.

Side note: The first book I picked up after my reading hiatus was so awful to read I almost quit all over again. Therein lies the problem of reading so many books – you encounter almost as many bad ones as good ones. Luckily book two has been much better. If you’re looking for me later, I’ll be reading.