The older I am, the more I feel that sleep is the unsung hero of the creative process.
I wrote this text on the 4th of August, 2025. It was a day when I got up at 7 a.m., went to the office to work for 10 hours, returned home on foot carrying 30 kg (66 lbs), took almost 13k steps, and took over 200 photos. After all these things, I took a cold shower, ate, and lay on a couch, hoping I would write something special and profound. The only concrete thought that appeared in my mind was that sleep is the unsung hero of the creative process.
I love sleep. In general, I always try to sleep at least eight hours (unfortunately, I do not always manage to sleep eight hours). After returning home and lying on the couch, I realized I was tremendously tired, and I did not want to write, but I wanted to get some sleep. Still, knowing I will be able to sleep in the next few hours, I decided to write about what I’ve been missing – sleep.
While writing all these things, John Lennon’s voice echoes in my mind:
Please, don’t wake me
No, don’t shake me
Leave me where I am
I’m only sleeping.
The Beatles’ beautiful, slumbering dedication to sleep, entitled “I’m Only Sleeping,” often comes to mind when I am tired. Isn’t this song proof that long and sound sleep was one of the main factors that helped John Lennon be one of the most creative persons of the 20th century, along with Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Michael Jackson? I think the answer is not straightforward. Still, I believe that good and long sleep was crucial to all the people mentioned above for their creative powers. I am tired. I miss the unsung hero of the creative process. Good night, my Dear Friend. Take some sleep to evoke your creative powers.
