#35 Days of Dares #26Dare to Go Outside
To live an adventurous, creative life, we need to get outside literally and figuratively. Creativity thrives when we break out of our same old routine. Even the smallest changes can help get us out of a rut and encourage creative thinking.
Here are five ways to ‘get outside’ and find inspiration:
1. Go for a walk:
Changing our physical environment has many benefits. Walking boosts my mood as well as getting the blood pumping through my body. I find I get great ideas when walking in the bush or along a deserted beach. The benefits of getting outside are enormous. Steve Jobs used to hold walking meetings to brainstorm ideas. Tchaikovsky took walks around his village before working on his latest creation.
2. Get outside your comfort zone: Try doing something new. When we actively choose to do new things it helps to open our mind and introduce us to new ideas and situations which can help you come up with new or unusual ideas. Every year I try and do some new activity or take a class I haven’t done before. This year one of my goals is to learn Italian. I try and read all sorts of genres and authors I haven’t read before. Sticking to what we’ve always known limits our creativity.
3. Be spontaneous: Doing things that you haven’t planned for occasionally will encourage you to develop the ability to think on the fly and spark new ideas. It may even cause you to get inspired with a fresh approach to something you are working on.
4. Change little things: Sometimes it’s the small changes we make that give us the most benefit. This last year, I’ve been drinking more tea and was given a beautiful tea cup and saucer to serve it in. Changing this small thing and drinking a tea has caused me to pause before beginning to write and puts me in the mood for work. Going to a different cafe or changing the route of my bush walks often inspires my creativity.
Tea at a new cafe
5. Go Away: Travel is one of the most inspiring things I do. If we stay in the same place, doing the same things and seeing the same people over and over, our perspectives are often limited. I find getting on a plane, or going on a road trip to be the best thing to get me writing. I see things that spark ideas and over hear conversations that give me inspiration for scenes in my books.
Spring in Canada
It’s easy to come up with big ideas. Just think of something that everyone agrees would be “wonderful” if it were only “possible”… and then set out to make it possible.” – Armand Hammer
Dare to Go Outside
#365adventure is a book lover’s year of adventures. Adventures in travel, friendship, family, soul, heart and, of course, book stores!
