Physical Training for the Arts

It’s a struggle forcing myself to exercise this time of year, when the days grow colder and my inner bear longs to crawl under a pile of blankets and hibernate. The sudden change in temperature is always a shock to my system.

I’ve kept a close record of my exercising for the last 8 years, and October is usually a lousy month for me. This year was no exception. (In 2022, I exercised ONE DAY in October. I wasn’t as terrible this year, but I was still lamentably close.) Once I’ve switched from tank top to turtleneck weather, my primary aim in life is typically to huddle as close to heaters or fireplaces as much as possible.

But what does this have to do with creativity? Quite a lot.

For starters, it’s a confession that even though I openly acknowledge the benefits and importance of exercise and how it helps with managing (and preventing) RSIs, there are times when my drive to move goes down the drain. Exercise is hard. Sometimes I just don’t want to. Sometimes I’d rather curl up and take a nap. In other words, I’m not perfect, and there are times when I am more zealous in this department than others.

Regardless of my inclinations, I still need to snap out of sinking into “cold weather dormancy” and get moving—not just for my health, but also for my creative endeavors.

Because while the human body was not designed for hibernation (darn), it wasn’t designed to be a creativity machine, either (double darn). Not that the human body isn’t a remarkable machine in itself—it most definitely is. But it must be operated with care. Your body is your most precious tool, after all, and if you want it to serve you well, being glued to a desk and hammering away hour after hour at the art of your choice isn’t going to help.

You need to step away and rest sometimes. And… you need to exercise, too. One thing the human body IS designed for is movement (fancy that). This can be an annoying pill to swallow for any obsessive creative with a bottomless well of ideas.

This obsessive creative has finally come to accept it.

One thing that helped turn my angst to acceptance was coming across the concept of training like a “cartoonist athlete” in Kriota Willberg’s Draw Stronger: Self-Care for Cartoonists & Visual Artists (Uncivilized Books, 2020), a book I highly recommend for both artists and writers. Physical training for the arts—sounds funny at first and puts some entertaining pictures in my head, but it’s a fantastic way of looking at it.

(…and because this is in graphic novel format, it’s really quick to read!)

Exercising for one’s health alone feels like such a chore for most of us. We know we should exercise. We get nagged to do it. And the reward? Sweat, fatigue, and soreness. Yippee. And improved health, really, but you have to be dedicated in order to reap the benefits. But if exercise becomes an activity necessary to help me achieve my creative goals, that helps me feel motivated.

This book in particular also helped me to realize that everyone needs to take breaks from their creative activities—RSIs or not. For a long time I felt alone and trapped when performing my daily physical therapy exercise routines. Sure, I may need to do more of that sort of thing than most people because I wrecked myself, but we all need to do something. I’ve learned that my old desire to CREATE, CREATE, CREATE for hours on end simply isn’t feasible, healthy, or realistic.

That doesn’t mean I happily hit the gym on a daily basis or anything zealous like that. I need my recovery time in between exercise sessions (which are performed in the sweet privacy of my home, thank-you-very-much). I admit I get rundown pretty easily. I struggle. I don’t love it. But I still try to get in a couple sessions per week and take movement breaks when partaking in any sedentary activities. And I admit exercise does help in many ways—RSIs, other health issues, emotional health, preventative measures for a host of scary conditions.

Plus, it keeps you well enough to keep pursuing your writing, art, whatever it is that you love to do. And that’s a huge win. You don’t want your art to break you!

It’s just so much easier to exercise when the fireplace isn’t beckoning me. And blankets. Blankets are just wonderful. It’s okay to cut myself some slack sometimes, but I need to pull myself back out of those slumps, too.

See if viewing yourself as a creative-athlete helps you to get out of your chair, too! Try to stay warm and resist that urge to hibernate. It’s a real battle over here.