Take an inspiration jaunt!

‘Inspiration jaunts’ - over the last twenty years this a habit that’s kept me fed and watered, fuelled my curiosity and made life more interesting. I go on these jaunts - sometimes a half day in London, other times for a longer trip in a city away from home (pictured above, Amsterdam) - when I need a creative boost and am seeking fresh ideas and perspectives in different ways of doing things.

There aren’t any rules, but here are a few tips to get the most of an inspiration jaunt:

1. See it as an essential tool in your kit, as a way to refresh and get energised.

2. Diarise it. Do it at least twice a year. Whether it’s a half day out of the office or whether you’re able to make more of a time commitment. Set an out of office.

3. Go somewhere new.

4. Go somewhere old and be intentional about spotting new things in familiar surroundings.

5. Go with a list of topics - challenges, goals, projects - to noodle over.

6. Go with an empty mind. See what comes up as you wander around.

7. Talk to a stranger or two.

8. Buy a magazine you’d never normally look at.

9. Have a quality coffee at an independent cafe.

10. Slow down, look up, take notes.

11. Snap images and signs that intrigue or amuse or startle.

12. Go alone.

13. Go with someone.

14. Pop into a gallery or an exhibition for some creative inspiration.

15. Fill your notepad with observations, ideas and reflections.

Let me know how you get on.

In the photo below I’m with my work buddy Andrew Eberlin at my favourite bookshop Libreria on an inspiration jaunt last week. We’d strolled from Arnold Circus, powered by Allpress coffee, to Brushfield Street, chatting along the way about the history of the area, Don McCullin’s photojournalism of Spitalfields, and catching up on our respective business lives. Thanks Andrew for the photo!