It's 4 a.m. and I am wide awake. It doesn't make any difference if I go to bed at 10 p.m. or midnight. I am wide awake at 4. My mother and grandmother would do the same thing. Mom would get up, make herself toast and then meditate or read. My grandmother would write letters.
I sometimes get up and make art. However I know as soon as I throw my legs over the side of the bed I am up for good. This morning I was wondering if famous artists got up to create in the middle of the night. I was awake anyway, so decided to do a bit of research.
Vincent van Gogh often worked until 3 or 4 in the morning while he was in an asylum. He created some of his most famous pieces in the middle of the night like The Starry Night.
Lee Krasner, one of the most important Abstract Expressionists had insomnia after the death of her husband Jackson Pollock. It was during this period that she created her "Night Journeys" series.
The French author Coletter said that "insomnia is almost an oasis in which those who have to think or suffer darkly take refuge."
There's even a term for it... "Creative Insomnia." It seems that there are a lot of creative folks awake in the middle of the night. It is common for people in creative fields to not be able to turn off their thoughts at night.
There's good news an bad news about Creative Insomnia. It can lead to new ideas and periods of high productivity. It also can be detrimental to your health and mental well-being.
What about you. Do you have times of Creative Insomnia? Do you get up and create?