Work

Taking inspiration from nature

By Claire Winter How do you spark your creativity when you are feeling uninspired or busy? For me, creativity is as essential as breathing for a happy and fulfilling life. But when and how do you get inspired?

When you are in the rut of daily chores, creative inspiration can feel non-existent. Perhaps current news events or the relentlessness of family life are making you feel stuck. Creative blocks can arise for many different reasons; maybe a work issue, fear of failure or self-doubt are standing in your way.

Being creatively blocked can feel incredibly frustrating, timeconsuming and ultimately, can lead to a lack of motivation.

While creative blocks can happen to everyone sometimes, there are ways to overcome them. A powerful tool to help you get creative is spending time in nature.

Walk it out

Simply going for a walk is surprisingly effective. A study from Stanford University found that walking boosted creativity by sixty percent, compared to subjects who were sedentary. The great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that all great ideas came from walking. So, what is it about walking that helps our brains switch into a creative mode?

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. While walking on a treadmill can work, walking in the great outdoors is more powerful to clear the mind, get inspired and come up with new creative ideas.

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 helping to improve your creativity.

Let nature nurture you! Your over-thinking mind will clear when you take a walk, consciously seeking out greenery and clouds, listening to the sounds around you and breathing fresh air.

So, the next time you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or creatively blocked, take yourself out for a mindful walk in nature and see what inspiration you can bring back to your desk.

Claire Winter is a journalist, ICF coach, speaker and awardwinning podcaster who loves being out in nature. She works to help women connect back to nature, ignite their creativity and share their stories. Read more at www.creatrixjourney. com or follow @thecreatrixjourney on Instagram.

Mindful walking

Set out with a small notebook or use voice notes on your phone to record any insights. If you have to take your phone with you, switch it to do not disturb mode and ignore the screen.

Start to notice the woodland and nature around you. Even towns have leafy gardens and birdcalls when you pay enough attention! Start tapping into all your senses. How does it sound? How does it feel? What does it smell like? What does it look like? How do you imagine things taste? What does the movement around you feel like outside your body and inside it?

Continue to notice your breathing. Is it slow or fast? How has it changed since you started the walk?

If you are distracted, take a moment to ground yourself and connect to your environment. Stand still, root your feet into the ground and take three deep breaths.

When you come back from your walk, stay in the refreshed zone. Write down all your creative thoughts straightaway to give yourself inspired starting points.

Nurtured by nature

Mindful walking in nature has taken a step further with the introduction of forest bathing workshops.

Forest bathing, or ‘shirrin-yoku’, was first developed in the 1980s following studies by the Japanese government. The benefits 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. 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 twenty minutes through an urban park or woodland reported significantly more stress relief than those who strolled in a city centre.

Here’s the science bit: trees release a chemical called phytoncides which have an antimicrobial effect on human bodies; this can, in turn, boost the immune system.

As we spend more time indoors and online, this is a timely reminder of the value of stopping the scroll and spending twenty minutes walking in nature.