Why Some Surroundings Inspire Us & Why Others Don’t

I spent this weekend out and about with my husband walking around the town where we live. We went to check out the local library as we wanted to go somewhere local to get inspired by beauty, space and be somewhere intellectual. The experience was so underwhelming that it made me quite sad. It made me question why I needed beautiful spaces to inspire me and the people in there were quite happily reading away and doing their thing.

Why wasn’t I inspired just by walking into a library? I used to be. The books I picked up were great with good content and I wanted to spend time reading them, except the smell was not of nice old books or timber, it was of old carpet and musty mould which felt unhealthy. So instead of feeling inspired, I wanted to run a million miles.

I kept asking myself over and over again. Why wasn’t I inspired in that place? Am I the only one who needs beautiful surroundings to be inspired? What is wrong with me?

Also, why was it important to be inspired? Why did we go out searching for somewhere beautiful in the first place? Well firstly, we work really long hours, so it is rare for us to get out and when we do, we want to make the most of it. So we want to go somewhere “nice”. Secondly, because it gives me ideas, refreshes my mind and also keeps me creative and happy. Being somewhere pretty motivates me to do things and also is a pleasurable way to spend the small amount of time we have together.

I see many friends eating out and I love food, but I much prefer cooking at home than I do eating out, so I don’t often go to restaurants to get inspired. The same goes for cafes, I really love coffee, but I prefer to make it my way, at my temperature in my mug and sit in the sun in the place of my choice (not the one left near the dude smoking something exotic).

I like to undertake many inspiring creative exercises in my kitchen and that is why it is such a critical place for me. But what about where I live? I need mountains but I also need beautiful intricate cared for and designed buildings, structures, monuments, I need meaning. I need the depth that comes with history that spurs my imagination to questions things, open my mind, enrich my soul and keep me interested in living life, finding out about people, events and learn more about the world we live in.

So I am a creative soul, but I need inspiration to be motivated. That is my driving force, it is my energy. When I see something beautiful I get beautiful energy. When I smell a gorgeous smell I receive its gorgeous energy. When I feel creative energy by being in a creative space, I feel the energy and passion of a designer, whose passion reaches me through their details.

So what do I do now to inspire myself if I can’t get somewhere beautiful? I grab my coffee and drive down the streets of gorgeous villages on google 😉