The one culprit that robs to much of the potential creativity in the theatre department is the lack of wonderful, wholesome, delicious sleep. It seems ironic that at the very age sleep is needed to grow and develop we are depriving teenagers. It’s easy to see that teenagers truly do need to eat, study, and exercise – but they also need to sleep. I have found that the best creativity that I am capable only comes after a full nights sleep – or even better DURING a full night’s sleep. Sleep and and blessed dreaming become the ideal playground for creativity. Where better to explore concepts, metaphors, and possibilites then in the total freedom of dreaming? How great to be able to go anywhere and do anything with anyone and have no repressions. Now that breeds fantasy – and is the perfect soil to creativity.
I am a firm believer that you need to work hard and really push your body, mind and spirit beyond it’s comfort zone. It needs to hurt a bit. If it doesn’t hurt and cost you there is nothing of benefit happening. But, but – – you also need the sleep to let these ideas simmer – to let this practice soak into you. You need the TOTAL free time to let your mind sift through the day of art-making and choose what it is able to own and work with at the moment – and the time to discard that which is not understood – and thus standing in the way.
We understand the need to reboot our computer – – espcially when it used a lot or it gets “wonky” on us. We also need to rebook our world – – and SLEEP becomes our vital shift-alt-delete.