Getting out into the big wide world can be one of the things that change our lives. If you are living in a small town, or even a big city that just doesn't inspire you to be your best then you might like to think about what you’re still doing there.
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Sometimes in order to change our lives, we have to be willing to push ourselves, to explore our options. To not be afraid to do the things we want to do. Life is so very short, and when you have the chance to do something with you - you should.
Travel, rather than vacation, is a little deeper than laying on the beach for hours topping up your tan. Travel lets you explore who you are, taste new foods, learn about new cultures and spark our own creativity.
If you are in any doubt about what travel can do for you in terms of a creative boost, then it is worth reading what Adam Galinsky has to say on it -
“Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought, the ability to take deep connections between disparate forms. The key, critical process is multicultural engagement, immersion, and adaptation. Someone who lives abroad and doesn’t engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really participates in the local environment.”
Perhaps it isn’t all that surprising we learn better by doing than just watching.
How Does It Impact Our Creativity?
When you travel, you are already more open to new experiences. New spices, tastes, people, colors, patterns, and an entirely different style of living in some cases. The critical detail about travel is that you intend to stay a short while, not for a few days.
You build a small base, you even get to know the people in the local stores. Depending on where you go, you will likely meet others, who are also on a creative journey. Mixing with people from different cultures, races, belief spectrums, and even continents is something pretty incredible. When you listen to their accents and stories, you will soak in all of those details.
Your own prejudices, even those you didn’t know you (unconscious bias) had will be deconstructed, and in their place, you’re going to build interesting world views - with more information and experiences than you’ve ever had.
Travelling gives you a point of view that you wouldn’t have had any other way.
Where Should You Go?
Well, it won’t take long for you to come up with a list of cities that you want to explore. You’ll think about the art galleries, the co-working environments, the language, the food, and the people. But, you should also take into consideration the Global Creativity Index (2015). Each country is ranked and filed according to a number of things. Technology, Talent and Tolerance - an exciting combination that also links with social and economic development.
So what does all of that mean?
The top 3 ranking countries are:
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Australia
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United States
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New Zealand
And if you break that down to what people consider the most creative cities from those New York will come out as number one. It’s eclectic, there is a lot to see and do, it’s innovation is large scale and of course, it never sleeps.
New York is comfortable for most travelers, the currency isn’t hard to understand, and the primary language is English. The culture is a melting pot, and all who visit want to go back.
But you’re still going to have to narrow that down. Rather than hopping in and out of hotels, you’d be better off checking New York Apartments and using the same company each time you go.
Think about what you want to see and do there. As well as your budget.
How Long For?
Well, once you consider the jetlag, and getting your sense of directions and where things are (NYC is enormous), you’re going to need at least a month to fully feel like you belong. Opting for a furnished apartment will help give you that home from home feeling that will peel away the last remnants of feeling like you don’t belong.
What Next?
You should spend some time checking out the art galleries. MOMA is always high on the list, the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art are all must see. From writer to photographer there is something in all of those to get your creative juices flowing in the right direction.
Watch a few sunsets, and sunrises. There is something very life-affirming when you watch a day start or end. The colors are phenomenal and can leave us with a lot of emotions.
Go to some speakeasy nights, some free live music evenings, some small plays and a lot of coffee shops. Getting a feel for the different culture in each area of New York.
Make an effort to meet people. Say hello to the cashiers in your local grocery store, try a few local classes of your interest, and find co-working spaces.
But above all, soak up every single minute while you can.
