Inspiration in the natural world
What’s not inspiring about the natural world? The vast skyline, the sound of birds in the morning, the quiet call of the mountains. There is something about these spaces that invites us to pause long enough to notice what is already there.
Creating doesn’t always happen in a specific place, and it certainly can’t be turned on and off like a tap. Sometimes an idea arrives quickly, but more often creativity takes time. The spark might come from a conversation, a moment in nature, a feeling we can’t quite name yet, or an experience that shaped us in some way. What follows after that spark is a process of shaping it, reflecting on it, and slowly bringing it to life.
Often ideas arrive when we least expect them. Does anyone else have magical thought bubbles come to them while in the shower?
Creativity in shared spaces
Creativity can also evolve through shared spaces. Gathering with friends or spending time with a community of like-minded people can bring quiet moments of reflection alongside the energy that naturally builds when people exchange ideas. Sometimes inspiration grows simply from being around others who are exploring, wondering and creating in their own ways.
Rethinking creativity
If you don’t feel “creative”, or think you’re not “arty” enough, I’d offer this thought. What if creating wasn’t about being good at art? What if creativity was simply a way of expressing new ideas or making sense of something you’ve experienced?
Sometimes creativity asks us to take small risks. It invites us to explore a thought that feels unfinished or to sit with the uncomfortable feeling of “I’m not creative enough”. But perhaps creativity is less about producing something impressive and more about meaning-making.
Creativity can take many forms, and often it appears in the simplest ways. It might be collaging images that catch your eye, doodling shapes in the margins of a notebook, or creating a nature mandala from leaves and stones found on a walk. It could be photographing a moment simply because the light caught your attention, not for the gram but for the joy of noticing. Some people enjoy junk journalling, layering textures, colours and memories onto a page. Others might paint, sketch, weave with fibres or grasses, shape something with clay, or quietly arrange objects in a way that feels meaningful.
These small acts of creativity aren’t about perfection or outcome. They’re simply invitations to observe, explore and express what’s moving through you.
Creativity and mindfulness
Creativity can be a way of understanding ourselves and the world around us. In many ways this connects closely with mindfulness, the ability to pause, observe and experience the present moment with curiosity.
When we slow down, step away from constant doing and allow space for observation, something interesting happens. We begin to notice more. We notice thought patterns, feelings and ideas that may have always been there but were buried beneath the noise of everyday life.
I often wonder how slowing down influences creativity. Do moments of stillness allow new ideas to surface? And what happens when creativity is shared, when ideas move between people rather than staying inside one mind?
A space to explore creativity
These are some of the ideas behind our Creative Retreat offering, which we’ll be relaunching in January 2027. It’s a two-night art and mindfulness escape designed to create space to slow down, notice and explore what lights you up.
Creativity also finds its way into many of our other retreats — from breaking the ice with an improv game at Inner Joy, to soul collaging during our Women’s Full Moon Retreat.
Because creativity doesn’t belong only to artists. Sometimes it begins with something much simpler: a quiet moment, a new environment and a group of people willing to explore alongside you.
