Every seven years, acclaimed Graphic Designer Stefan Sagmeister closes down his New York City-based design studio for an entire year to creatively explore and experiment, without the limits or demands of everyday working life.

Not quite as epic as Sagmeister, I’ve just spent the past 6 months doing the same.

For half a year:
– I closed my coaching practice.
– I informed friends that I wasn’t socialising, even for coffee.
– I unplugged from social media and the news.
– I let my mind freewheel.

Why?

Because like Sagmeister, I’ve experienced the value of taking time off for creative exploration.

Last week I spent an inspiring and thought-provoking day at Do Stress an ideas day run by the brilliant people at Do Lectures. They brought together a stella line-up of global speakers, each sharing 10 minutes of insightful information on the subject of stress.

The speakers covered topics such as conflict resolution, high-performance sports, nutrition, breathing, purpose, physical health, mindfulness, happiness, the office environment and new models of working.

The information and experiences they shared were engaging, insightful and very useful. They offered everyday practical solutions to help manage your stress, and look after your own wellbeing, all with the intention of learning how to reduce the impact of stress on your life.

It was all extremely good.

When you delve deeper into the subject of stress, the first piece of advice that’s usually given is to learn how to manage your stress levels by participating in activities to reduce the amount of stress you’re experiencing.

Two years ago, I still had a 30 year-long extreme fear of public speaking and I would never, ever consider doing a talk in public.

However, in March 2015 I spoke to around 300 people at the Promaxbda Berlin conference. In September 2016, I spoke at Reasons to on the Brighton Dome stage to 750 people and then to a further 200 people at PechaKucha during London Design Week. So what happened?

First, let’s go way back, to the 80’s.

It was during my teens that I cultivated my fear of speaking in public. Although I was a sociable young person, I didn’t like the spotlight being shined on me. Very quickly a schoolroom ‘discomfort’ turned into an art college ‘stress’ during my four years of design training and the many times I had to present in front of my peers.

Along the way I noticed there was a magic number – 5. If I had to speak in front of more than 5 people, my adrenaline would start pumping, my hands would get sweaty, my throat would dry up, my mind would scramble and the quietest of voices would nervously squeak out. And that’s if I was lucky. If I wasn’t lucky, I’d just freeze.

Throughout my career, both when I worked at the BBC and when I ran my own design company, this fear plagued me and dictated a lot of my behaviour.

The understanding that I teach reveals how your human psychological system works, it unpacks the nature of thought and explains how your thinking creates your own personal and unique experience of reality.

The more you understand how you work, the more you can access the best version of yourself, a version that spends much more of the time connected, engaged and aware.

And a ‘by-product’ of this best version of you is being able to have a deep connection with the people you encounter, a connection that turns you into a superhuman listener, someone that can listen without thinking.

Listening without thinking?

Showers.
Walking.
Coffee.
Exercising.
Listening to music.
Even reading 19th century French literature, are all things some well-known creatives do when they want to get back in the flow.

For many decades creatives have turned to activities to help them access a more creative headspace, hence the commonplace studio ping-pong table or table football arenas.

Activities are enjoyable, but do you really need them to get into a flow state once you understand what’s going on in your head?

In reality, how quickly does it really take to get back in the flow?
It just takes one thought.

I’d like to share with you something I discovered about an experience every creative professional will be very familiar with – The Deadline.

During the time I ran my own design company in London, I thought I’d cracked the code to coming up with my best ideas.

All I needed was some pressure.

When a new pitch deadline came in, me and my business partner always gave ourselves very little time to work on it, because over the years we’d seen that our best ideas and our increased productivity seemed to happen when we were really up against a deadline.

And this ‘method’ won us a lot of pitches to organisations, such as BMW MINI, the BBC and the Royal Academy of the Arts.

It seems widely accepted that pressure is required to create something great.

From paying for a product online, to taking a long-distance flight to an exotic location, you want to have a great experience. You don’t just expect it, you demand it. With the power of customer reviews and social media posts, experiences will be shared; the good, the bad and the ugly.

So other than experiencing something good, new, different, exclusive or far-out, why is the culture of experiencing so desirable?

Ultimately, you want to feel something.

If you go on a vertical rollercoaster, you want to feel the thrill, the fear, the exhilaration.
If you go on a meditation retreat, you want to feel the calm, the clarity, the stillness.
If you go to shop online, you want to feel the simplicity, the ease, the satisfaction.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you tend to chose experiences to make you feel something.

It’s the same with your creative capacity. It’s always there, ready to supply you whenever you need it. But like most people, you may not have located the switch. It may seem like someone else got there first and is randomly flicking it on and off.

When I’m speaking on stage or running a programme, one of the first questions I often ask creative professionals is “Where do you have your best ideas?” and one of most frequent answers is always “In the shower.”

You’ll also have of experienced times when the flow is just not happening, no matter how many coffees or brainstorming sessions you have, time races by without anything forming, doubt is in the forefront of your mind and you feel pretty unconfident with the way things are going.

As a creative you accept this is as the norm, it’s just how things roll, the ebb and flow of a creative life. You surf like the best on the crest of your flow states and cautiously tread water during your blocks, trying your best not to go under before the next ride comes along.