But what if the issue isn’t just what’s in, or not in your head, but where your head happens to be? Sometimes, the best way to kickstart creativity isn’t to push harder, but to step away and change your surroundings.
We’re all aware that our environment can affect our mood and how we feel; architects (some of them anyway), interior and landscape designers etc all recognise and take advantage of this, and Feng Shui embraces this concept. But the environments we immerse ourselves in also have a profound impact on how we think. As business leaders, this is something that we should be very aware of as we are trying to create the most productive working environments and culture for our staff.
Spaces. Take, for instance, the “cathedral effect.” Spaces with high ceilings, such as cathedrals, tend to make us think more freely and creatively. There’s something about the openness, the sense of space and scale, that encourages us to think big, abstract thoughts. On the other hand, more confined spaces with low ceilings push us to focus on the details and get down to the nitty-gritty. Both have their place, but the key is to match your environment with the kind of thinking you need to do.
Lighting. Natural light is more than just a nice-to-have. It’s known to boost mood and productivity, making it easier to solve problems and think clearly. But dim lighting can be very helpful when you need to get a bit more introspective. The lower light levels can encourage a freer, more exploratory mindset, which can be great for brainstorming or getting the creative juices flowing.
Movement. Movement has a big role to play in creativity. Have you ever found that an idea or solution to a problem occurs while out walking (or running)? Physical activity, even something as simple as a walk around the block, increases blood flow to the brain, which can lead to better mood and enhanced creativity. Many of history’s great thinkers were proponents of the ‘walking meeting’: Aristotle founded the Peripatetic School where all students had their class outdoors in nature while walking; Steve Jobs was also a great fan of walking meetings.
Of course, when it comes to finding your creative sweet spot, there’s no one-size-fits-all. The trick is to experiment with different environments or combinations to see what works for you. You may respond to the buzz of a busy cafe where the ambient noise provides just the right level of distraction. Or perhaps you need the tranquility of a park, where nature can have its calming effect on an overactive brain. Or maybe simply moving to a different room in your office to change your perspective can do the trick.
What’s important is that you give yourself permission to play around with these different combinations. Try working in a high-ceilinged space when you’re looking for big ideas, and then retreat to a cozy, low-lit room when you need to hunker down, focus and brainstorm the detail. Go for a walk when you’re feeling stuck, or spend an hour in an art gallery (contemplating the mysteries of modern art) if you’re looking for a new perspective. The key is to notice how these changes make you feel and how they impact your thinking.
But the environment is just one part of the equation; you also need to get into the right frame of mind to make the most of it. So, take a few moments to tune into what you are hoping to achieve. Are you looking for clarity, creativity, or simply a fresh perspective?
Having a goal in mind can help you get the most of your new surroundings. Having a mindset of openness and curiosity is equally important. When looking for grand inspiration, don’t think on the problem too hard; sometimes, the best ideas come when we stop trying so hard to find them. Let your mind do its thing; it knows how to ‘create’, you just need to give it the time and the right space. Be fully present in your new environment; notice the small details, the way the light falls, the sounds around you, the smells and aromas, and the textures you can feel. Engaging many or all of your senses engages more or your brain. Allow your mind to wander and make connections you might not have seen before.
Here are a few things that work for me; take them as a starting point for working out your ideal creative places:
High-ceilinged Spaces create a sense of openness and grandeur, which can inspire expansive, big-picture thinking, especially if it is well lit. If your thinking requires vision and innovation, try working in a space with a lofty ceiling—whether it’s a library, an office lobby or atrium, a cathedral-like hall, or even the mountains. Staring into the vertical space encourages your mind to think beyond the immediate and reach for more abstract, creative ideas.
Dimly Lit Rooms can be very effective for creative work that requires free-form thinking and introspection. A dimly lit room helps to lower your inhibitions and allows your mind to wander without the distraction of being able to see clearly around you. This environment is great for brainstorming sessions or when you need to think outside the box and perhaps further explore the grand ideas from your cathedral experience. Just don’t spend too long in the dark; the combination with intense thinking can cause you to fall asleep.
Nature Walks naturally clear the mind and reduce stress and increase blood-flow to the brain, allowing new ideas to flow. Walks in a park, forest, or by water allow you to reconnect with the physical world. The multi-sensory world of sights, sounds, and smells of nature can inspire creativity in a way that a sterile office environment often can’t.
Cafes often have a background hum that acts as white noise that can help you focus while simultaneously allowing your mind to stay open to possibilities. The ambient sound level is often just enough to prevent over-focusing on a single distraction, idea, or train of thought which allows your brain to make new connections. If you find yourself stuck on a particular issue, try taking your work to a local cafe and see how the change in environment and background noise influences your thinking. And try different cafes, they all have different effects.
Art Galleries and Museums. I am perpetually perplexed by modern art, and I don’t particularly enjoy looking at art, but these places are full of other people’s creativity and ingenuity across the centuries or millennia. I find that a visit to a gallery or museum (which often include high ceilinged spaces and dimly lit rooms) where I don’t think too deeply about what I see gives my creative mind a good jolt. I rarely find inspiration there and then, but usually the days after are quite productive. What they do for you may be quite different.
Quiet, Natural Spaces such as a secluded garden, a quiet spot by the river, or a peaceful room with a view of nature, may allow your mind to relax and open up to new ideas. Silence can enable deep, reflective thinking. However, this does the opposite for some people; I find silence very noisy as my hearing becomes hyper-sensitive as it tries to latch onto anything to fill the sound void, then the rest of my mind joins in. But add in a little background or white noise (such as a flowing river) then this works for me.
Libraries and Bookstores have an interesting effect on people. There is a combination of the closed cozy environment, soft lighting, warmth, the quiet hum of people engrossed in reading, the smell and feel of the books, and the sense of the sheer volume of knowledge and stories that you can browse. And there is a reason that bookshops are often combined with cafes. I have spent many, many hours in bookshops.
So, next time you’re stuck, don’t keep staring into the same familiar space expecting the result to be different. Give yourself permission to take your mind somewhere else that will provide the right sort of environment for the creativity you need.
And in the meantime, explore different places and types of environments and notice what impact they have on how you feel and think. Where are you going to go next?
Graham
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