The Art of Rest | Inside Sally Hepworth’s Sanctuary

For bestselling author Sally Hepworth, the art of rest is inseparable from the art of storytelling. A mind that spends its days weaving intricate characters and imagined worlds needs room to wander. In this chapter of her life, Sally’s bedroom has taken on a particularly personal meaning. As the first home she owns on her own, it is a space shaped entirely around her. Anchored by her Heatherly Zara bedhead, it is a little oasis away from the demands of writing and family life, and a place to retreat, recharge and simply be.

In this edition of The Art of Rest, Sally reflects on the unexpected relationship between creativity and doing nothing, why a well-timed nap can help unravel even the trickiest plot, and how the moments at the end of the day often give her imagination the freedom to roam.

You spend so much of your professional life immersed in stories, characters and imaginary worlds. When you close the laptop at the end of the day, what helps you step out of that creative headspace and return to yourself?

I would say that while real life often gets in the way – like a mad dash to the school run or making dinner – a few hours later when it gets to the end of the day, there’s nothing better than running a hot bath, slipping into pyjamas, getting into bed, reading a book and stepping into someone else’s imaginary world.

Your home is the backdrop to so much of your everyday life – writing, family, reading and all the moments in between. What did you want your bedroom to feel like, and what drew you to the Zara bedhead for the space?

The bedroom, out of all of the rooms in the house, was the most important to me. Having come out of a divorce, this is the first home that I’ve owned alone. My name is the only one on the title, and I knew that I wanted a room that was mine, which meant feminine, pink, girly and womanly. A place that I could just retreat to – that would feel luxurious and a bit of an oasis away from work and the kids. The Zara bedhead was key in creating that feeling and embodies it perfectly.

Writing a novel requires long stretches of focus and, often, an extraordinary amount of time spent alone with your thoughts. How do you balance the intensity of your creative work with the need to rest, recharge and simply do nothing?

I think the two are completely intertwined. You can’t write books unless you spend a lot of time doing nothing and resting – having time for your mind to come up with these stories. I have always been a napper. I’m a very good napper – it’s one of my life skills. And there’s nothing like a quick half-an-hour nap to unpick a knotty part in my novel or to help find a solution for something that I haven’t been able to figure out during the day. So definitely if I’m stuck, then rest time is almost always what gives me my answer.

As an author, you’re constantly observing people, places and the little details of everyday life. Where do you find inspiration when you’re not actively looking for it – and does rest play a role in allowing those ideas to surface?

Yeah, I mean, story ideas come from everywhere. I listen to my children talking to their friends and the things that interest them. I watch movies, I read books. It comes from all around me. And most importantly, it comes from the things that I am musing on, the things that I’m worried about, or excited about. And once I can have enough time to rest, turn off my mind, not try and dictate too much, I can then sit down at the computer and those things will kind of weave together with character and story that turn into a book.

Your books invite readers to disappear into another world for a while. What does your own version of escape look like, and if you could define “the art of rest” in this chapter of your life, what would it mean to you?

The art of rest has always been a big part of my life as a creator. Again, I think that if you’re not having rest, then you can’t possibly create. In this time of my life, it’s harder to find those moments because of the busyness of life. But there is something about having a sleep and curling up in bed where there’s finally no one wanting anything from you. And as an imaginative person, that’s when I really start to come up with stories and to imagine the things that later turn up on the page.

And we couldn’t leave today without asking – what are you reading at the moment?

I’m currently reading The Book of Possibility by Jim Curtis. I don’t know if it’s the first book of his or not, but he is a guru. He’s got beautiful, green eyes, and he’s dating Jennifer Aniston. Also the book is really good! I’m pretty sure I’ve just sold it to everyone who is looking for a new book to read 🙂