Over the summer, one of my daughters looked high and low for a particular Lego set. We couldn’t find it, but at one of the stores we came across a collection of small diorama kits from a company called Rolife. Intrigued, we bought a kit and spent the next week putting it together. We’ve since built four together and it’s been a great bonding experience for us.
I built model airplanes and cars as a kid and as an adult I’ve built my fair share of Lego kits (there are four in my home office right now) but until we sat down and focused on these tiny kits, I hadn’t realized how the focus it took to build the dioramas shook off everything else. Not worrying about normal things (work, finances, chores, etc.) is one thing, but working on these kits shut down thoughts of the work I was doing on the novel I completed this summer. When we’d finish a section, or reach a stopping point, my brain was energized and eager to return to the novel project.
Talk about a weird experience. But, our subconscious minds fill in the stories and find the issues while we’re not working on the story, right? The clarity of mind and project that came from working on these model kits equaled the same type of clarity I’d find just walking or swimming.
I believe movement doesn’t have to be physical. Changing up our routines and doing something different is vital to our creative processes. Yours might not be a model kit. Maybe you used to love to sketch and haven’t for years. Maybe it’s playing a video game for 30 minutes. The point is that when we do different things and let our subconscious take over as the “creative engine” we get movement. Momentum.
Next time you’re feeling stuck, break the mold. Do something physical. Do something more mental. Do something. That simple act of doing is momentum. Use it.