Why nature makes me more creative

   There is nothing more inspiring to me than sitting amongst nature and feeling part of it. I once liberated a load of trees from an office block that were earmarked for clearance. I had them arranged in a little copse on my terrace with lots of bird feeders. I used to love sitting there with the garden birds ignoring me as they chattered and fed.

   The cold concrete and glaring commercial sights of built up area’s fills me with a deep seated feeling of both revulsion and un-connectedness. I know, I know, nature is still there. Hiding in the crevices and nesting on the inner city ‘cliffs’ but for me it is depressing and ugly. I cannot see the beauty of the bright lights and billboards. Neither can I get excited by the bustle of hundreds of cars racing along an overpass looking out at the huge superstores and car showrooms. My life takes me past far too many of these and it always makes me cringe.

   I can however appreciate the architecture of a great old British city like London, Bath or Edinburgh and enjoy imagining what life must have been like there centuries ago. I love to wander around the ancient streets or stumble across an old gem, hidden amongst more modern buildings. In general though, unless a city has an old feeling to it I really get no enjoyment from being there. It inspires nothing in me other than an urge to leave.

 Life however insists on being modern, no matter how hard I try to fight it. Often this fake world takes over and for a while I lose my connection to the outdoors and the things that make me tick but then something happens to bring that all back and my creative juices start to flow again.

   Mountains inspire feelings of awe and deep joy, they move me in ways I cannot explain. Added the this is the chance of seeing rare birds and wildlife eeking out their living in the remote wilderness. A walk alone in woodland, where I can take the time to listen to everything around me and see wildlife that would be frightened away by chatter has always boosted my spirits.  It is wonderful to sit with your back against a tree and listen to what your heart wants to tell you.Whenever I am lucky enough to get out and visit beautiful places I take lots of photo’s so that I can go back through them when my creativity gets stuck and imagine the secret lives that are going on behind the scenes

   I don’t always look for the life we know is all around us; nature is also my biggest inspiration for fantasy. Beech woods especially to me are chock full of spirits and whenever I see ferns or ivy my mind sees faery homes, especially if there is water nearby. At home I spend lots of time sitting by my pond watching the water boatmen and waiting for a flash sighting of the elusive newts that have taken up residence. Month by month I add more plants and ornaments, gradually growing a place where nature and fantasy live hand in hand.  By my front window I have a wonderful wisteria that has decided this year to grow remarkably well. I can almost see the spirits living in the twisted stems, peering in the room at me and inspiring me to find magic in everything.

   I can see inspiration in the smallest seed, the weakest plant and the greatest tree. Where ever life exists there is the opportunity for magic to co exist too. Like most people, I can see faces in most things. I enjoy making friends with these faces, I see them in the knots in wood and the silhouettes of trees. They are like the guardians we all wish we had. Most people dismiss my imagination as mad fantasy but I do not care. I would far rather live in 'my world' than the one the majority of folks have decided is normal.

   What sparks your creativity? Share yours in the comments below, I look forward to hearing them.

For more about me, why not visit my fantasy world at www.nellyharper.co.uk