One sunny day last week I drove to the grocery store. This kind of errand used to be a chore. Now it has become a big deal during this pandemic, an outing that I look forward to each week. Like so many millions of people, I have to be careful with vulnerable family members who simply cannot get Covid19.
So, on my long drive through the countryside, I noticed the cows and deer grazing in fields, neighbors bailing hay, geese swimming in ponds, and the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia holding up a clear and cloudless sky.
And then it hit me. The solution to a work problem I had been pondering for days. While thinking of nothing in particular, the solution came to me – and it was a good and creative one - if I do say so myself.
Lately my pandemic lockdown thoughts have turned to how nature can help get that creative mojo flowing again.
I know this happens to everyone, and I started to wonder why. Much has been written about how nature inspires creativity and problem solving. Studies have proven that being in nature reduces stress, which is especially helpful these days.
Five proven ways spending time in nature inspires creativity
Ten creative benefits of spending time in nature
Lately my pandemic lockdown thoughts have turned to how nature can help get that creative mojo flowing again. Before the pandemic, I used to just change my setting. I’d go to the library for a few hours after attending an in-person meeting. Or I might spend an hour in a coffee shop, working on my laptop while people-watching and sipping a hazelnut decaf. Ah, those were the days.
I live in the middle of the woods, in the middle of nowhere. These changes of place were just what I needed. Without the option of working in another location, how can you re-set that creative spark?
Well there are some simple ways, if you go about it with planning and intention. This is not scientific, although it has worked well this past month or so. I would like to make it a lifelong habit, with tweaks along the way.
Step One: find a nearby spot in nature that soothes your soul. It could be your backyard or a park in your neighborhood. Anywhere outdoors and peaceful will do. With a creative goal for the day (or week) in mind, pick a good time when your stress level is kind of low, and then go to that place.
Step Two: while there, focus your mind on your senses and ‘exercise’ each one. Walk or sit on a bench and observe, really see your surroundings. Listen. Smell. Touch. Most importantly, breathe deeply. Take a video or a picture with your phone. This will be useful later.
Step Three: before you leave, find a souvenir. Something simple and easy to put on your desk: a pinecone, a rock, a wildflower, a seashell. Make it a souvenir that represents the problem you want to solve. If you need to come up with a “thorny” design solution at work, one you don’t have experience with, a pine needle might represent that problem, for example. Your souvenir will serve to remind you of your creative goal for that day. The picture or video you took could serve as the souvenir, too.
Step Four: as your souvenir pine needle sits on your desk during the week, each time you see it think for just a moment about your solution. Don’t focus on it for long, just a few seconds. That’s all you need to get the creative coffee grounds percolating.
Step Five: set a date to do this regularly - at least once a week is ideal. Put it on your calendar. Set a new creative goal for each sojourn and keep it loose. No pressure, just be open to whatever might happen that day.
If you miss going to your nature spot one week, that’s okay, life happens. Instead, use an outdoor chore and set your mind to creative energy and solutions. If you need to wash your car, weed the garden, or walk the dog, decide what you will focus your thoughts and creativity on during the entire chore.
Like meditation, when your thoughts stray, just bring them back to the task at hand. The solution you’re seeking will likely appear later, when the chore is done and you’re thinking of something else. But the seed was planted with conscious intention. And all seeds grow – and bloom - while you are doing something else.
With some practice and dedicated time, solutions and creative inspiration becomes, well, just a walk in the park.