25 Creative Excursions to Fill Your Well of Inspiration
As creatives, we have an inner artist whose curiosities need to be nourished to truly flourish. Our inner artist needs fresh inspiration through images, experiences, tastes, objects, and places.
Why Are Creative Excursions Important?
Think of someone you deeply love; someone you want to see blossom in their life. Because you love them so deeply, you naturally want to nurture their development, their joy and their soul. You may notice a book on their favourite topic and buy it as a gift, or find ways to encourage their interests such as investigating short courses they’d love or picking up an inspiring magazine from the newsagent. Perhaps you know they simply love flowers, so you give them an elegant bunch of bright yellow tulips.
Now imagine nurturing yourself with that same love, kindness and generosity.
That’s what creative excursions are. They’re a way to stretch your self-love muscle. They’re about tuning into your own heart and taking the time to make your own desires, needs and curiosities a priority. By doing so, you’ll also be feeding your inspiration.
It’s so easy to become totally focused on ‘to do’ lists and obligations we neglect ourselves. Our wonderings, our creativity and our curiosities.
As creatives, inspiration is our currency. It’s an asset that needs our attention if it’s to keep providing us with the resources we need to flourish. I find thinking of Creative Excursions as wise investments of my time (as they are making deposits in my inspiration bank), makes it easier to make them a priority.
Plus, creative excursions simply make life sweeter!
What To Do On A Creative Excursion
Do anything that’s out of your usual routine, that lights you up, that takes your fancy, or feels new. Do anything that helps you feel expansive; like the world is a marvellous place and there’s so much to look at and do that you don’t know how you missed it until now. Do anything that feels fresh, draws you into the present, and opens your world to other possibilities. Do anything that centres you, calms you, and allows you to feel peaceful or curious.
Perhaps you loved playing with your butterfly net as a child, catching butterflies (I know I did!), if so, then you may like to visit a butterfly house and marvel at all the delicate wings floating through the warm air.
Treat yourself as you would a lover; look for hints of desires, hints of ways to delight your soul, hints of themes that you love and when you see an opportunity to nurture that love, do all you can to take it. The investment will repay you through inspiration and also building a trust in yourself that you are providing a safe place to land in life.
Be your own best friend and let yourself do those things you love
More than 25 Creative Excursions To Get You Started
Take a meditation walk and collect interesting leaves.
Cook a new recipe that delights you.
Visit a market.
Buy yourself flowers.
Visit a fabric store and feel all the soft fabrics.
Visit an art supplies store and buy something you’ve never used before
Go to your local gallery or State gallery.
Have a Wabi-Sabi Photography Adventure.
Take a drive into a neighbouring town and look around.
Declutter your wardrobe.
Drive aimlessly and see where you end up. (Some of my favourite creative excursions!)
Be a tourist at home. Go somewhere you’ve never been.
Watch a documentary or read a book on your favourite artist.
Create a Pintrest account and make an inspiration board.
Visit a stationary or scrap-booking store.
Walk around a pond or through the historical part of town and make sketches.
Go to a museum. (I love maritime museums!)
Play at a park on the slide, swing and monkey bars.
Visit a plant nursery and admire all the different leaves, textures and colours.
Enjoy a bike ride.
Go to a writer’s festival. (I love hearing all the writers speak on different topics.)
Take a short course at the local community college.
See a foreign film.
Write a Pantoum Poem.
Spend an hour with your visual journal. Glue in inspiring pictures and make notes on what it is that inspires you.
Get involved in your local arts scene. Go to an exhibition opening, or visit a live music event.
Drive a different way home from the grocery store and see what you discover.
Browse Art 21 (www.art21.org) and watch short films on artists.
Visit a butterfly house.
Drive to a waterfall and hike the trail to see it. Absorb the power and majesty of the water.
Visit a book shop and buy yourself a book that sings to your soul.
Be generous with yourself.
