For those following my page, you’re probably aware of how indispensable travel is to my creativity. What you might not know is that until three weeks ago I had never travelled alone. Only now have I been brave enough to discover a new place all by myself — and I loved it! My boss told me about a conference in Brighton and I pounced on the offer. I won’t lie: the night before my flight I was quite restless, but I’d go through it all over again.
Because creative people sometimes need to get out of their routines and do something that scares them in order to develop. As John Haltiwanger perfectly sums it up: “The frightening aspects of waking up by yourself in an unfamiliar place are precisely what make it so intoxicating.”
1. Detox from routines
Routines kill a creative mind. A trip abroad on your own will help you cleanse your mind from all those daily tasks and processes. Instead of routines, you’ll find yourself faced with gaps to fill with whatever you want.
2. Step out of your comfort zone
You’re in a place you’ve never been before, you’re alone, you have to figure it all out by yourself. It’s scary sometimes — but that’s the beauty of it. That’s how we develop as people. Outside of our comfort zone there are new people, new food, new mannerisms, new ideas.
3. Trust your intuition
When I travel with others I tend to relax knowing there’s someone else doing all the thinking. You can’t really zone out when you’re on your own. You need to be wide-awake, trust your intuition, and learn to follow your gut feeling. So far, mine has never failed me.
4. Communicate with your ‘self’
When you’ve got time on your hands in a foreign country with no one waiting for you, you can just go somewhere and communicate with your ‘self’. In Brighton I’d go by the sea, walk with no direction in mind, and process. I had all the time in the world because I had no schedule to follow and no one to meet.
5. Freedom to do what you want
As a photographer, travelling with people can sometimes be limiting. When I travel with friends I can’t really stop and take my time to compose and capture a shot. Being alone strips you of all those limitations. Now you can roam and discover non-touristic things worth capturing, take all the time you need, and visit the photography exhibitions or quirky art galleries that others would consider ‘boring’. You are your own boss.
6. Space for creativity
With all the time in the world in a new place, comes space for creativity. You will see new things, meet new people, get inspired by art and buildings you haven’t seen before. It got my mind popping with new ideas and creative energy — even everyday things like squirrels and seagulls caught my attention.
7. Learn more about others
In being alone I was more open to other humans. I spoke to a lovely man who let me capture his portrait for 60p — he insisted he was related to the Queen of England and that punk was not dead (I couldn’t agree more with the latter). I’ve listened to stories from taxi drivers, from a waitress at one of the best vegetarian restaurants on the planet, and from a great old friend I met in London.
I’m looking forward to my next solo trip. What about you — have you booked your ticket yet?