I love a good mini-escape from my everyday routine. I find I become more clear-headed and open to new ideas and inspiration. It doesn't matter if it is a 1/2 hour ponder on the beach, a hardcore hike to the top of a mountain or a couple of days based in a run-down hotel room in a small country town. Getting out makes me happy.
Last weekend, three of my Creative Lady Tribe (CLT) and I escaped to a quaint little mud brick home set among the trees of Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains. We had a mission - use the time to be creative. No pressure.
What actually happened was a whole lot of chitchat, eating cheese, drinking wine, napping, listening to records, a little bit of photo taking and a short hike. I tried to take a bunch of Polaroids, but I felt this was done with not much success... My shutter wasn't opening, film was faulty, the light wasn't right, colours weren't working (all usual kinds of things that happen with Polaroid...) BUT the kicker was when I dropped my poor little Polaroid Reporter in the parking lot at Leura. It didn't survive in one piece. I bought myself some sparkly sunglasses to feel better. It kind of worked.
So, after two days away, I came home. I kind of felt like I hadn't used my dedicated creative time well. I had grand plans to shoot amazing photos, sketch new designs and come up with big ideas. I hadn't achieved any of that.
But here's the thing - I started to look at what I had captured - and there was beauty in the faults. I considered the conversations I had with my CLT and realised I had been chipping away at mental blocks. I had eaten well, got fresh air, had seeds of ideas and had helped my CLT with their creative pursuits.
I just needed to to adjust my expectations. Or drop the expectations completely.