by Stephanie Konu

The Pandemic has created many changes in the way we live day to day. In the old days, I would go on long walks downtown and take in the eclectic sights and sounds contained therein. These walks would always result in great exercise, but also to widen my experiences. I always learn something new each day, and the best way for me to accomplish this learning is by exploring.

Exploring a new neighborhood can help you to expand your creativity. When your creativity is expanded, your artistic pursuits will benefit.

Here are my…

3 Reasons Why Visiting a New Neighborhood will Spark Your Creativity

Mental Connections

When you visit a new neighborhood, you are allowing your mind to take inventory of the unfamiliar imagery it is absorbing. During the long walks I would take (in unfamiliar neighborhoods in Hamilton), I would always find myself interested in the architectural features of historical buildings. (Corbels fascinated me particularly, and seemed to be present atop every building in the downtown area). These mental connections would result in inspiration for blog posts, areas of study, and topics of conversation.

New Restaurants

New foods are well known to help form connections in the brain. I love trying new things, especially food! A new restaurant has an ambiance that is fresh and exciting. The waitstaff is new and their performance is almost improvisational. The overall experience is one that will turn the neighborhood that you are exploring into a familiar haunt by the end of the season.

New Scenery

One of the easily overlooked aspects of exploring a new neighborhood is the way in which this new scenery can help you as an artist. As a storyteller, I am well versed in the fact that the best stories come from a mixture of real experience and uncovered desires. In order to weave a believable tale, it is of great value to use settings that are real, and that you have personally visited. The memorization of new environments will help you to easily retrace the physical aspects of a location. Your storytelling will benefit from these ideas, as it adds layers of believe-ability to your work. The same is also true for creating sketches and drawings: a real setting to base your work on will result in work that has a more authentic feel to it.

Try it out on your lunch break. If it's raining, grab an umbrella. Take advantage of opportunities to see more of the world around you so that you can spark new ideas and boost your creativity.

Stephanie