The Creative Walk

Mindfulness & Creativity

Take your creativity for a walk

As a freelance designer working on a laptop for hours every day, I’m always striving for the work/life balance and aiming for productivity that isn’t at the expense of my wellbeing (an ongoing journey). When you spend hours working on a computer it’s easy to forget that you are in fact interacting on a two-dimensional level, which is not only stressful for your eyes but can also make you feel energetically stagnant - therefore not full of vitality and creativity.

I have found that a simple daily practice completely refreshes and energises my mind on the busiest of days. I call it “The Creative Walk” but really it’s about taking your creativity for a walk. It’s about walking with intention and truly engaging with yourself, your surroundings, and being mindful of the present moment.

Generally the afternoon is an energy lull for me so this is usually when I go out for a walk. Sometimes I take my Nikon and sometimes I just walk out - and all I do is observe.

I was somewhat inspired by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way where she encourages a practice called ‘The Artist’s Date’ (or assigned play). The Artist Date is a once-weekly solo expedition to explore something that interests you. It’s supposed to fire up the imagination and foster a playful attitude. The concept is to feed your creative work by replenishing your inner well of images and inspiration, to do something fun that enhances your vitality. So The Creative Walk is a little adaptation to refresh the mind in the middle of the day but I’d certainly recommend reading The Artist’s Way as it’s a wonderful book to help you unblock creatively.

Walking with Intention

I like to walk to an inspiring neighbourhood and often I’ll be thinking about a particular project that I’m working on - but I make a point of being truly mindful of my surroundings. I pay attention to the quality of light, to the textures of brick or sun dapple on a wall. I get inspiration from brand design, shop signs and displays. Sometimes I’ll go to the park and observe the various textures and patterns of nature or architectural structures. I make a point of engaging with my surroundings in a very intentional way - looking high up to beautifully crafted old chimney towers or down at the details of some weathered steps.

Most of all I try to be fully present and engaged instead of just sleep-walking from A to B while running an errand. As someone who spends a lot of time in their imagination and dreams, I find this a wonderfully inspiring exercise that helps me refresh my senses, reboot my inspiration and gives me a fresh perspective. I always arrive home feeling rejuvenated and full of creative ideas.

I have found this exercise works in any environment you live in, it’s really just about being present and allowing yourself to become aware of your inner and outer world and slow down into the present moment. It’s all too easy to get caught in prioritising deadlines and keeping clients happy but we also need to nurture our creativity and feed our imagination.