I am going to make a terrible and shocking confession here, that I am only willing to make as I know my partner is unlikely to read this post and use it forever against me – I am an organizational tyrant, aka control freak. There I said it.
So enforced can my organizational regimes be that my brother in law calls me the Chris-tapo, Gestapo meets Christina, get it? Hilarious (I’m not laughing). I love schedules and plans and I have lists for my lists , it’s why I love events management and have a rather quirky combo of being an artist with a passion for business planning. I love to take the chaos and bundle it up beautifully in spreadsheets and tables, I give myself KPIs and berate myself for substandard work delivered outside of deadlines. I desire order where there is none and revel in knowing what to expect. And no I’m not on the Autism spectrum, but did always love my clients who were when I worked in this field as I too occasionally felt like flipping out when activities were cancelled and the bus was late. For all these reasons I find it strange that over the past 15 years I have engaged in a love affair with South East Asia.
Without ever living in Asia I have spent a combined total of about 2 years adventuring there. From the jungles of Borneo to the chaos of India, the indulgence of Thailand to the wonder of the Himalayas. This region of the world has become my second home and a source of adventure, inspiration, relaxation and joy. Why are these two factors at odds? Because Asia is chaos embodied and I’ve just confessed to being chaos adverse. This brings me to the heart of this article, travel helps us to shift our thinking and enhances our ability to think creatively.
In the past week I have been in Bali lining up all my ducks for the creativity retreats I am running in Ubud in July. In spite of my best laid plans I have had slow internet, no internet, no transport, no electricity, traffic jams, Hindu ceremonial total city shut downs, no shows, slow responses, confusing leads, wrong numbers, communication break downs, language barriers and Bali time to contend with. By all usual measures I should be certifiable right now by my lack of ability to keep the Chris-tapo regime policed. Strangely, however, I feel just fine. In fact inspired, invigorated and full of new ideas. How does this work? Apparently science has looked into it and it goes something like this;
distance (physical and conceptual) = improved creativity and enhanced problem solving.
Want to know more about this, then click here –
It seems right too. On a personal level some of my best songwriting has been achieved whilst on the travel and some of my most creative life solutions have emerged when outside of my usual routine and environment. Historically artists have gravitated towards travel to find inspiration and create bodies of work. Paris has been a popular pick. Van Gogh painted his famous work Café Terrace whilst there and Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon On the Island of La Grande Jatte” was inspired by the bank of La Seine river. Writer Henry Miller renounced Brooklyn as his home town in favour of 10 years in the city of light and love before finally resettling to California. Tapping into the transience and energy of travel Heathrow Airport enlisted Alain De Botton and Tony Pearsons to complete week long artist in residency stints resulting in completed works inspired by this unusual setting. In fact for creatives the ability to step out side the day to day into new and stimulating settings is almost a must have for the creative process. Whether it’s a cabin in the woods, a weekend getaway, a favourite café in your hometown or more adventurous travels overseas, a change of scenery is an amazing springboard for creative productivity.
Check out our retreats for a chance to get your travel on, amp up your creativity and get some perspective on your creative life.
For a bit more reading on this topic, check out this article on famous writers and travel
or this article on some of the top artist in residency programs in the world
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