Insights
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August 23, 2011

The Mental Digestive Process

Sonny Mui
I’m sitting here on the beach, having woken up from a nap, writing this post on the weekend before going off to vacation. Actually, what I should say is that I’ve just woken up from another nightmare, having dreamt of many things work-related 2 days in a row, with little peace of mind.
 
 
This made me realize that I really need this coming vacation. I’ve heard many people say that it usually takes a couple of days to transition from work-mode to vacation-mode, and it’s really true. 
 
The ad man, James Webb Young, was famous for teaching about the creative process. He related a lesson on how an important step in the creative process was simply to let it go. Constantly thinking and working at something for a long period of time can be pretty unproductive. Don’t think about your project(s), but rather, go to the movies, go get a drink, play some pool. Do something else. At some point, you should let your unconscious mind take a crack at it. “Stimulate the flow of gastric juices,” Webb wrote. He called this the “Mental Digestive Process.”
 

I think I’ll follow his advice. I’m going to shut down the computer, and leave the design magazines at home. And see what this punk George R. R. Martin is all about.