Stepping outside the bubble will refresh and reboot creativity.

It was a warm summer evening as we walked out of the old hotel doors.  The night was alive with strange new sensations.  A smell of mixed spices and sweet flowers hung in the air.  The sound of music came in waves.  It touched something inside me, a deep primal chord.  I wanted, no I needed, to find where the music was coming from.  At that moment I had to choose whether I was going to take that first step out into an unfamiliar world, or play it “safe” and stick close to the hotel.  I chose to step out of the proverbial “bubble”.    It was 1990 and I was eighteen years old, Madrid Spain was my first overseas adventure.  As we explored our new playground for the next few days, I realized that I was experiencing something that would be with me for the rest of my life.  I was free!

I can’t fathom why someone wouldn’t want to travel.  I have learned so much from traveling.  You get a better understanding of who you are and where you fit into the grand scheme of things. You become a part of the place as much as the place becomes a part of you.  You in turn share that with everyone you come in contact with.

On that trip I learned that not only am I fearless when it comes to exploring new places and things, but I have a real gift at talking others into stepping out of their bubbles. I’m not afraid to get lost, you can always find your way back. That in it’s self is a good lesson for life.  I always proclaim “I’m not Lost, I’m just having an adventure that I wouldn’t have had otherwise”.

Traveling has made me a better designer, I know that sounds weird, but when you travel you are exposed to a variety of people and cultures.  And with that an understanding of human nature.  It doesn’t always make sense, you do however learn to see things in different ways.  That is a very handy skill to have when working with the proverbial “client from Hades”.  It also opens the doors to a creative cornucopia that you have access to at any time.  Getting out of your day to day environment, not only refreshes you but it also has the potential to spark forgotten emotions.  As designers we sometimes forget to put that little extra into our work.  We get so busy that we just push the buttons to get the job done. Traveling helps get you back to a creative place allowing the art to flow easily, making work more enjoyable in the long run.

As we danced the night away that first night, I knew that traveling was in my blood.  I felt as if I had become a part of a secret group that had been in the making from the beginning of time.  I then knew what the driving force behind early exploration was.  It was a thirst for new experiences, something you just couldn’t find down the street and around the corner.  In the years since I have continued to feed my need for travel and exploration. I have a true love affair with my suitcase, but that’s a story for another time.

Whether you own your own exhibit house, sell exhibits, are a creative, or maybe all three, you may agree it is important to step out of your bubble.

How do you re-generate your work life? I would love to hear from you.