Travel & creativity: how life abroad can help spark ideas, innovation & inspiration
On my most recent trip to South America, I observed something pretty amazing happen. I was still settling into my space in my second months-long immersion to the vibrant, bustling city of Lima, Peru. In the process of creating my new routine, getting into a rhythm with my Spanish lessons, meeting new people and finding local spots to work, I began to feel a noticeably different energy emerge.
What had popped up inconsistently in the past — a desire to build something, to explore a new business venture and do work that felt deeply meaningful and aligned — was now surfacing with intensity and persistence. I felt excited in a way that I hadn’t in a long time. I began to research, to reflect on what this creation might be or where I might start. I allowed myself to dream a bit, and the more I dreamed, the more confident I felt that I was onto something.
I started writing and creating a new website. Ideas began sprouting throughout the day… as I was walking through the city, grabbing a coffee, shopping in the local market. But why? What was happening? What was prompting this surge in creative energy?
Well, I believe it was the very act of travel, of being in a new place, experiencing things out of my daily routine, being surrounded by different people and a different language, that spurred it all. And it turns out, there is some research to back this theory.
Adam Galinsky, professor at Columbia Business School, and William Maddux, professor at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, found through a series of research studies that there is indeed a connection between travel and creativity.
“Although it is said that travel broadens the mind, in the current studies, we found a robust relationship between living in and adapting to foreign countries and creativity,” they write in their article “Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Relationship Between Living Abroad and Creativity” in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Among their findings, they noted that “foreign living experiences contain many of the critical elements necessary to stimulate the creative process,” such as greater exposure to new ideas and concepts and opportunity to approach problems from different perspectives.
Beyond the research, I can speak to these factors personally. As I’ve traveled, I’ve noticed a few things that I think directly impact my creative flow:
Giving myself time and space to think
Unlike being at home in my usual routine, inundated by people and responsibilities all incessantly vying for my time and attention, when I travel, I naturally allow myself more downtime to explore, walk around, sit and people-watch. And in doing this, I give myself and my brain much needed time to think, explore, dream and make new connections.
Being more present and curious
When in a new place, I tend to be more aware of my surroundings and how those surroundings are impacting me. This means I’m more connected with my internal and external experiences in any given moment, like what I’m observing, sensing and feeling. I’m honed in on the present moment, with less time to worry or ruminate on things out of my control. I believe this shift in focus allows me to be more curious about what’s happening around and within me. And curiosity breeds creativity.
Experiencing new things
There is no shortage of new stimuli when I travel – the people, culture, language, food, music, environment, etc. This means that my mind is taking in new information all the time, which means it’s also able to make new connections and see things in new ways. I’m constantly observing people who engage with the world differently, thereby learning how I might be able to engage with the world differently. This opens up endless possibilities for creating new pathways in my mind and solving problems more creatively.
More confidence, more courage
As I navigate new situations and deal with new challenges in my travels, I develop a sense of being able to handle whatever comes up. I have found that this sense of confidence gives me courage to try new things. In essence, it instills a “why not?” mindset. If I can manage to travel alone and thrive in different settings, what can’t I do, really? So why not take the risk, try something different, create something new, even if it doesn’t work out how I think it will? There will be learning in the process, regardless of the outcome, and this learning will spark new ideas and possibilities.
One final note… while travel can inspire creativity, Maddux and Galinsky noted that it’s not just any travel that tends to do this.
“There is some sort of psychological transformation that needs to occur when people are living in a foreign country in order to enhance creativity,” said Galinsky. “This may happen when people work to adapt themselves to a new culture.”
In other words, just going to a new place won’t necessarily spark creativity. Rather, it’s the process of immersing, adapting and being intentional about your time and presence in a place that is going to most impact creative energy.
Interested in exploring how intentional travel can help your creative flow? Let’s talk!
Until next week…
Happy traveling!
~Tiffany