Artists are some of the most mentally active people around, although not all are the most physically active (what are 'sports', am I right?). It is an artist's job to create and recreate and it becomes a vicious cycle, so all artists are always under some pressure to come up with their next masterpiece.

Unfortunately, it's not always that easy. Just like other professionals in their field, artists need a break every now and then to rest. Athletes are given time to heal when they injure an ankle, so to equivocate the equation, producers of creative content need time to put their minds at ease when they find themselves losing grasp of their creative control.

Our minds work in very interesting ways, and most of the time overexertion isn't the best answer. We too need time to get back into the mindset for a proper work environment. Artists create some of their best works from personal experiences and draw from those happenstances which can take quite a toll.

Part of the problem comes from the media source outlets. When gossip magazines constantly harass the most prominent artists of our generation, claiming that an art maestro is taking a hiatus from their career to live their life, it always comes across as a negative thing. The question it ultimately comes down to is 'why?'

The general public interpret 'breaks' as quitting rather than simply taking a time out. If the masses are able to begin to distinguish the difference between taking time for yourself and giving up completely, then the perspective on hiatuses could potentially change.

Similarly to elementary and middle schools, very few kids have the ability to focus on schoolwork for six hours a day, so all students are granted a recess and lunch to allow them to recuperate. This way, when the students are pulled back into the classrooms, they will have rejuvenated their ability to maintain an expected level of focus.

If young children in the American school system can learn about the incorporation of mandatory ten-minute free periods, then why shouldn't everyone? We, as human beings, are constantly learning and need the same free intervals to allow ourselves to refocus.

According to Time Magazine's 2015 February edition on sleep, experts determined that people aged 18-64 require 7-9 hours of sleep a night. With very few adults actually receiving the recommended amount of sleep per night, many find themselves lackadaisical and lethargic as a result of their sleep deprivation.

With artists being so mentally active, and getting so invested in their works, it can be an especially difficult combination. With the amount of time and effort that each creative endeavor requires, the effect on your body can be disastrous. Time away is almost part of the job description of a creator.

There needs to be some premeditated balance between rest and work. Time off can and should be exhibited as a positive behavior considering the benefits it holds for health. In addition, to create something new and unique, something never before seen, a healthy state of mind must first be achieved. In doing so, and taking proper precautions, the art will mirror that of the creators mentality in the time of production.

Artists are constantly being compared to their previous works. I've heard it said that an artist is only as good as their last piece of work, but why should that be the case? The question as to why art is judged in the first place is beyond me, but why should an esteemed and prominent artist lose all acclaim for a piece of work that was unable to live up to its hype?

We need time to create, to come up with brand new content. Otherwise our work will become trite and will recycle our already-utilized thoughts and ideas. Everyone wants to create the next masterpiece, their Magnus opus, but without taking a break and giving our brains the necessary amount of time to regenerate, artists will eventually hit a brick wall.

These walls, should we push ourselves far enough to hit them, set us back further and prevent us from developing any art altogether. We need to start taking preventative measures to ensure that we never get to that point. Giving your body rest is essential for both a healthy lifestyle and an increase in the production of content.