By Flavia Ventura

With ‘Big Smoke’ being its nickname, how can one not picture London as some sort of grey, sad bubble full of smoke?

Annoyingly I am one of those people. Well, I was. Ten days of checking it out were enough to change my opinion from ‘big metropolitan city’ to ‘trendy hub of cultures’. You may think that’s obvious but let me tell you: it’s not. Of course, this wasn’t my first time visiting the English capital, but when you only do touristy things does it even count? From walking the London Bridge to taking photos of the infamous Big Ben — or as I like to call it ‘Uncle Ben’ — the essence of this vibrant city gets lost. I realized this last trip that it’s only by having a true Brit show you around that one can say to have seen London. It was an overwhelming feeling to sense neighborhoods with nothing in common come together in a thrilling mashup. Every corner of the city screams street culture, hip trends and ageless fashion.

When seeking a career in advertising, everything and anything become a source of inspiration. The world itself IS one’s creativity fuel. This trip had me happily surprised; thinking I will be living in such an inspiring environment makes me even more eager to catch a plane and move to ‘The City of a Thousand Facets’.

The thought of fighting a creative block by walking the streets of London is much more appealing than trying to desperately come up with something by starring at the shitty colorless wall of your shitty university library.