Since the time of peripatetic Greek philosophers, many other writers have discovered a deep, intuitive connection between walking, thinking and writing. Henry David Thoreau said" How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live!" "Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move my thoughts begin to flow."
This is true of painting or any creative endeavor. Our chemistry changes when we walk. Our heart pumps faster and more blood flows to the brain. But to me it's so much more. Every time I switch paintings or get stuck on a painting I leave the studio to walk. I find it's best not to call a friend, listen to music, or any other distraction. I simply look and feel. When I return I am most likely ready to go again. I used to think that I was wasting time, but that is not so. My brain is undergoing a change.
Here is the article from the New Yorker. It describes this more eloquently.
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