Inspiration can be found in lots of places. A fantastic conversation, a solitary walk outside, or a great art show are just the tip of the ice berg. But for me one of the most surefire ways to fill the well of creativity is travel. Getting out of my everyday environment gives me a fresh set of eyes. And the best thing is I don’t have to go that far. I don’t have to travel to India to be immersed in color and new tastes. The light is different in every part of this country. Color, pattern, texture, and light provide incredible sensory nourishment for those of us who work everyday outputting creative.
In January I went on a yoga retreat in Mexico just outside of Puerta Vallarta. It was restorative yoga so imagine long poses held for alignment—vs. pretzel bending 100 degree sweat lodge stuff. The point being that we had two days off to venture in to the local villages. This included a nice lunch out and open air markets.
Armed with just my iphone X in hand, I found myself shooting everything in site. As a creative who dresses mostly in black head to toe this was a feast for my eyes. The market was like diving in to a pool of color.
Open air market in San Pancho
It occurred to me that I had been sitting behind my computer for weeks on deadline pushing pixels without a break, and this immersion in to a new place was just what I needed to pull me out of the rabbit hole. I have over 200 photos from the trip and was scrolling through them last week when I realized this trip had already changed the way I’m using color.
I couldn’t resist upping the saturation on this lovely green. The puppster was a bonus for sure.
My overall point is in order to stay fresh and inspired get up from your desk and get out. Go to the produce section of the grocery store if that’s all you have time for, or take a walk in your local park. Drink in the world. Namaste :-)