Why nature connection boosts creativity

Claire Winter, founder of The Creatrix Journey, shares the magic power of nature to boost our mood.

How do you spark your creativity when you are feeling uninspired or busy?

For me, creativity is as essential as breathing to lead a happy and fulfilling life. But when and how do you get inspired?

There are times when you are sitting at a desk, staring at a screen or blank paper, seeking inspiration when it feels non-existent.

Creative blocks can arise for many different reasons, it may feel like there’s a problem you can’t overcome, overwhelm, fear of failure, and self-doubt can also stand in your way.

Being creatively blocked can feel incredibly frustrating, time- consuming, and ultimately, can lead to a lack of motivation. The most important thing to remember is that creative blocks happen to everyone, but there are ways in which you can overcome them. A powerful tool to help you get creative is spending time in nature.

Walk it Out

Going for a walk has been found to boost creativity. A study from Stanford University found walking can boost creativity by sixty per cent. The great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that all great ideas came from walking. So, what about walking helps our brains switch into a creative mode?

According to the scientists at Stanford, subjects who walked and performed creativity tests, such as rapidly coming up with alternative uses for common objects performed 60% better than those who were sedentary.

Interestingly creative output was similar whether walking on a treadmill or being in nature in the study. However, walking in the great outdoors can help to empty the mind, get inspired, and come up with new creative ideas. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and the rhythmic cadence of your steps can get you into the magical ‘flow’ state that many artists, writers, and creators talk about.

On top of this, we also know that exercising in nature is not only good for our physical health but also our mental health. By boosting mood and energy, you are also helping to improve your creativity.

Nature connection can also be an important part of the creative process. Taking a walk allows the overthinking cycle to break when we are stressed about not finding a solution to our creative block or a work issue. I believe so passionately in the power of walking to ignite creativity that I created an online walking and creative writing course for women. Each week, they are given powerful audio to listen to and writing prompt. They go for a walk, and we return to write on Zoom together to write creatively. The results have been amazing, beautiful poetry and prose, fabulous business ideas, amazing personal insights, and really interesting blogs have been written during the course. We are also working on a corporate away days and workshops to help boost creativity and communication in hybrid teams too.

Mindful Walking in Nature is Good for You

Mindful walking in nature has become so popular that you can now go to a forest bathing workshop or even train to be a forest bathing practitioner.

Forest bathing or ‘shirrin-yoku’ was first developed in the 1980s following studies by the Japanese government.

The benefits of forest bathing are said to be numerous. Results showed that two hours of mindful exploration in a forest or wood could reduce blood pressure, lower cortisol levels and improve concentration and memory.

Researchers also found that trees release a chemical called phytoncides which have an antimicrobial effect on human bodies, which can, in turn, boost the immune system.

The Japanese government thought the benefits were so great that they introduced it as a national health programme.

In another study, researchers in Finland found that urban dwellers who strolled for as little as 20 minutes through an urban park or woodland reported significantly more stress relief than those who strolled in a city centre.

As we spend more time online indoors, this is a timely reminder to stop the scroll and spend twenty minutes in walking in nature.

Claire Winter is a former journalist, ICF coach, Nordic Walking instructor, speaker, and awardwinning podcaster who loves being out in nature. She wants to make an impact by helping people to connect back to nature, ignite their creativity and share their words and wisdom with the world.