Rewind a year. If a future, slightly more creative version of myself, remarkably warped back in time from the nearby year of 2022, and told me that I would begin to take ‘daily early morning strolls’, I’d have told him that he’s out of his mind. Furthermore, if they’d then told me that I would go even further, to then be writing about these walks, I’d have told him that he’s on crack. Ironically, I do now take early morning strolls, and yes, I am writing a blog post about it. Thankfully however, I am not on crack.

Back to the present. After starting at SCA, and more specifically, getting absolutely battered by a schedule that even a kid on a sugar rush would struggle to keep up with, I realised something needed to change. Especially after that first one-week brief, where my sleep schedule was sent right to the bottom of my priorities like a neglected middle child, I really started to feel how the intensity of the work was affecting me, my energy, my creative capacity to come up with ideas, and even my cat (Sorry Casper (I forgot to feed him because I was so tired)). 

Accompanied by some sensational herbs and spices from mother nature herself, one habit that really helped me navigate my way out of my creative-rut ball-pit was simply going for morning walks. Surely making my grandmother proud, I’ve recently tried my best to wake up slightly earlier and wander about before my day really begins. For me, this has been super beneficial. For everyone else in my house noticing me leaving at ungodly hours, suspicious and strange. Regardless, walking for me has become a healthy habit that allows me to clear my mind, calm my nerves, and start the day properly. 

Rather than bore you with the usual ‘health-related facts and statistics’ and make you want to fly kick me through the screen, I thought I’d share the stuff that actually inspired me to implement walking into my routine. On the very wonderful world wide web, I found that some of the world’s greatest minds have preached the power of walking and what it can do for the mind. In fact, some of the most impactful ideas that our species has ever produced were formed or developed during walks. For example, it has been thought that the initial ideas and concepts for electricity were developed by Nikola Tesla whilst on his routine walk through Budapest in 1882. Imagine he decided to never go on that walk.

Another well-known person who was definitely getting their steps in was none other than Ludwig Van Beethoven. In his time, Beethoven was actually quite well known to have an obsession for walking. In fact, some sources state that he used to spend at least 4 hours each day on the stroll, rain, hail, or shine. On one of Beethoven’s cheekier walks, where he was venturing through the woods of Vienna, he actually managed to compose his ‘Symphony No. 6’ (a banger, by the way). I guess the 4-hour walks did in fact pay off.

Although walking through Wandsworth isn’t quite the same as Vienna, I will say walking has helped me, especially in a creative capacity. Whilst I’m not entirely sure if it has directly ‘boosted’ my creativity directly, I’ve found that it definitely helps me find a frame of mind and headspace to more comfortably develop creative ideas and concepts. Again, this is also only the start, so I am really excited to see how walking each day over time will work even more in my favour. (12-year-old Travis just read the last sentence and violently threw up). Ultimately, as long as it isn’t pissing it down with rain, I think a little morning stroll, where you’re not necessarily stressing about the day (yet), is a great way to brighten your mood and start as freshly as possible. So what are you waiting for? Get your steps in!

@Travistravis67