Nature’s path to creativity

Have you ever had a situation where your head is spinning in so many different directions, that you feel you don’t have any space for creativity? In times like these, stepping into nature can help you find a calm space in your mind, to open up to new possibilities.

Evidence has shown that we can access the creative pathways in our brains through looking at a landscape in a nature setting.  This is called soft fascination, which is a concept introduced by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan as part of their Attention Restoration Theory.  It refers to the gentle, effortless attention that natural environments elicit, which allows the mind to rest and recover from cognitive fatigue. This in turn opens our mind to thinking more creatively.

Try these 3 simple steps to create an immersive experience of soft fascination in nature and notice how it makes you feel:

1. Find a space in nature, whether it’s your local park or the countryside.

2. Sit quietly for 5 minutes just looking out into the distance, noticing what you can see, hear and feel. Perhaps the clouds are creating playful patterns or the trees are swaying gentle in the breeze?

3. Take gentle breaths in and slightly longer breaths out.
   

Taking short moments like this out of our busy day helps to calm our minds and open up our pre-frontal cortex for creative thinking and decision making. When we practice exercises like this on a regular basis, it creates new neural pathways, that our brains start to recognise and use.

Muggleswick Moor, Northumberland

Do you have a favourite place you like to visit, when you want to find some calm? Mine is Muggleswick Moors in Northumberland. I was lucky enough to spend my childhood years adventuring over these moors and it's still my go-to-place whenever I'm visiting.

Feeling inspired? Join me and Jo Slessor, a lovely Creative Wellbeing Coach, for a day of creative art projects in nature on Saturday 29th June (no artistic talent required). Find out more and sign up here by clicking the button below.

Sign up

If you are curious to learn more about me and my work, click here to find out more and to get in touch.

Did you enjoy this blog? Come back next week for more nature inspired wellness ideas!