INSPIRATION

I usually get my creative inspiration through meeting people and experiencing a rainbow of cultures when I travel. So recently, adjusting to lockdown life, I have discovered that it's possible to find new ways to experience adventures, and sometimes, being physically grounded actually leads to the most unexpected of exciting journeys...

Nothing excites me more than the buzz of arriving at a new destination. The anticipation. That feeling as you step off the plane and begin your next adventure abroad. The sights. The sounds. The colour! Even the airport pandemonium...that intoxicating mix of excitement, wonder, (and of course the mad dash to collect all the travel necessities you’ve forgotten at the boarding lounge, then the essential pre-flight alcoholic indulgence!) and finally when there is nothing left to do but board the plane... the sense of endless possibilities. There is nothing quite like it.

I still remember vividly walking off the plane in Sydney, Australia for the first time - a lifelong dream for as long as I can remember. Twenty four, giddy with excitement and jet lagged, ready to embrace life down under. Or the time I arrived in Mallorca in the Balearics, for a summer of paella, long weekend beach days, and hard work selling sunscreen whilst attempting to learn Spanish for the first time! Possibly my most memorable journey, (although I had visited New York many times before), was when I moved to

NYC a couple of years ago. That feeling as I saw the striking, bold, and beautiful Manhattan skyline for the first time. That feeling. It’s so hard to articulate but we all know what I'm talking about, right? That sense of limitless possibilities and adventures. It still gets me every time. It’s that feeling that I’ve struggled to emulate recently, as my creative side has lacked the same inspiration - visiting restaurants, cafes and galleries, boutique shops, theatres, or even walking along the street in Tribeca or at home in the UK - I get inspiration from the energy and rhythm of life and people around me everywhere I go. So over the last year we’ve all had to find inspiration a little differently. And here’s how I found mine.

Rather than boarding planes and crossing oceans to see and experience the world, I’ve had to find a new way for the world to come to me. Right here at home. On the sofa, in my loungewear with my large glass of red on the go, essential daily supply of chocolate, chilled jazz, luxury candles, with my dog at my side. And actually, the world has come to me in the most unexpected of ways.

I admit that I did move into autopilot mode 12 months ago, as I worked my way through endless work zoom calls, pounding the same local streets, baking (banana bread and lemon drizzle cake if you’re interested!) reading, and chatting with friends and family to find a way to cope with our necessary confinement whilst staying connected. A year later, we continue to laugh, cry, dance, quiz, meditate and support each other whilst apart, as we have muddled our way through this challenging time.

But gradually, I started to find new ways to connect with the world around me. That started with listening to a variety of podcasts whilst jogging in the mornings, a number of (selective) Clubhouse discussion rooms, and more recently in the quiet stillness of meditation or restorative yoga. And here is the game changer for me: stillness. space. Gradually I started to introduce a little space without screens, and allowed myself to be quiet. It was in this quiet time that something shifted, and I started to find glimpses of new possibilities. But this time that sense of possibility came from within.

You know the feeling I mentioned earlier? Of taking the first step out of a plane into a new destination for the first time? That feeling...well I found a way to capture that feeling right here, in my living room, no passport in sight. That feeling propelled me to take a deep breath, be brave, and really find the creative inspiration that I thought I couldn’t find anymore. That feeling allowed me to begin to visualise a new path forward, making major decisions and changes to my life, all of which have culminated in me taking a chance by being here, giving that creativity an outlet, by telling this story to you today. It's exciting because it's a new adventure in itself, only just not in the shape I have recognised - until now! Rather than travel to far flung destinations on the outside, this time it's discovering the creativity within.

So... I haven’t travelled to California, (or actually anywhere in the world I planned to visit in the last year!) as I was expecting to. And no doubt I’d return glowing with contentment after my latest adventure, a rainbow of colourful stories and a new addition to my collection of sentimental jewellery, paintings, (like my beautiful, bold African female silhouette against a blazing South African sunset,) or fabulous shoes (don’t get me started on shoes) when I do finally venture onto a plane again! But I have discovered a whole new world of possibilities, just by giving myself the space to look inside and explore new ways to capture the creative inspiration that is so uniquely my own. So if I can do this, take a leap of faith, and commit to my dream of writing for the first time... then think about what that feeling or inner inspiration can bring to you.

Be brave. Be curious. Treasure it. And see where it takes you too.