Nature Can Be a Worthy Friend on Your Creative Journey

If you have ever felt lost and unsure of the next step in your creative journey, have you considered that clarity awaits in the great outdoors?

I’m not a hiker or a camper, and I’m not after some other adventurous activity (deep-sea diving anyone?) as a thrill-seeking distraction from my life. But I’m always up for a simple walk in my neighbourhood.

I always underestimate the power of a quick walk around the block. It never fails to be the right course of action for me when I need to clear my head, get some inner quietness, seek inspiration, or (as was the case this morning) get the restless toddler out of the house.

Within minutes of me being on the street with my toddler, and placing a leaf in his hand, he was calm. A different child.

We walked on, and I found more leaves with striking colours that began to “speak” to me. As I was showing them to my boy, I began to analyse what I liked about them. The gradience in the greens, browns, yellows. The way the colours ran into each other, each patch doing its own thing — all having a different part to play in the overall look.

These leaves were moving on, too. Transitioning. And therein lay my a-ha! moment. I am transitioning creatively.

The answer was in the leaves: let your colours change. Trust your evolution. This is what you need to take your writing to the next level.

It were as though nature had subconsciously shown me where I am in my creative journey. After that walk, I felt a block lift within.

We all have blocks we need to lift, otherwise we remain stuck. We don’t grow — as creatives and as people. There is no inspiration to be found in stagnation; catalyst thoughts cannot survive there.

If you want to spend more time outdoors, it doesn’t have to be strenuous, challenging or costly. A trip to the beach, a couple hours of fruit-picking, Tai Chi in the park, camping in your backyard – whatever does it for you. Neighbourhood walks are easiest for me right now.

It seems far-fetched that nature can whisper affirmatives into our ears when we have questions about our next creative step. I continue to be surprised by it.

Sometimes, you can’t explain to others how nature plays a part, especially after witnessing it. A Monarch butterfly crosses your path, or sunbeams pierce a cloudscape right when you are feeling down — suddenly, you get a knowing feeling that what you are doing is the right thing. Your intuition kicks in and you are filled with loving vibes; a renewed ability to trust. If you then try to explain to someone that the butterfly or the sunbeams supported your choice, they’re probably not going to go for it. That’s okay, what matters is you connected with nature, and you had a crucial moment, and now you have all the encouragement that you need to strive for your next creative goal…