Stressing the process

When my Dad retired people asked him what he did all day. 

“The same things I used to do on my lunch hour, only now it takes all day,” was his answer.

I know what he’s saying. Several times I’ve quit jobs to go on physical adventures: bicycling, motorcycling, kayaking, vanning across America, stuff like that.

Except for when I was immersed in the trek itself, I found myself lolling through all the free hours as if I were on perpetual siesta. 

Being on perpetual siesta is tiring! It saps your energy.

The artist David Gordon says flat out: “You have to put a creative person in a state of stress.”

He does this by signing up for frequent exhibitions, where he’s tasked to make artwork happen in periodic bursts. Consequently he’s prolific in a way most artists can only pine for.

We forget there are two kinds of stress, and one is goooood. 

There is distress, no one wants it. 

But there is also eustress, the kind of stress that is beneficial. 

Exercise is an example. 

Time constraint done right is another.

Part of the What creators do series.
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