‘The best place to have or develop ideas is the small town’

I live in Leigh-On-Sea, 30 miles to the east of London. From my attic workspace I can see the fishing trawlers and gigantic container ships come and go up the Thames estuary. Most days we start the day by walking the dog on the beach. From May to October this is where I go swimming.

And now that I spend the majority of my working life here, life in Leigh-on-Sea is woven into my creative habits.

I like that distance from London. A 45 minute train ride to reflect, prepare or unwind. And here in Leigh, a community where every day you’ll bump into someone you know when you’re walking around. Plenty of smart creative people, people running their own businesses. I like that. Taking my ideas for a walk along the beach, those big estuary skies like a blank canvas. That ever-shifting landscape, and it’s daily cycle: a magic trick from mudflats to water. And back again.

It feels like a good place to incubate my thoughts and ideas, before sharing them with the outside world.

So this quote from Simon Kuper , the FT Weekend columnist, really resonates with me. I guess it sums up why Leigh-on-Sea works for me. Big enough to run into smart people. Quiet enough to escape back inside your own mind.