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Why Traveling to New Places Helps Grow Your Creativity
By Andrea Slusarski, Far Out Creative Director, Artist, Educator, and Froth Monster
"Traveling to a completely new place acts like rocket fuel to creative connections." — Andrea Slusarski, Far Out Creative Director
The Science of Novelty and Creativity
Novelty, by its definition, is new, original, unusual, and overall exciting. It’s no wonder then that it plays a critical role in Creativity, as originality is a key (measurable) ingredient in creative acts. It’s the uniqueness and originality creators bring to their practice, and what I also feel is necessary for fueling my own curiosity and attention to my experiences through visual journaling.
Creativity researcher and psychologist Dean Keith Simonton of the University of California-Davis would agree. He wrote in his History of Creativity Research, “Psychologists usually define creativity as the capacity to produce ideas that are both original and adaptive. In other words, the ideas must be both new and workable or functional. Thus, creativity enables a person to adjust to novel circumstances and to solve problems that unexpectedly arise.”
How Novel Experiences Spark Creative Thinking
“Novel circumstances” could look like taking a new class for the first time, an unusual connection that makes you excited in your creative process, and traveling to new places. These all provide a spark or connection to curiosity, heightened by the greater novelty of your surroundings. Traveling to a completely new place acts like rocket fuel to creative connections.
Novel Circumstances That Fuel Creativity:
- Taking a new class for the first time
- Making an unusual connection in your creative process
- Traveling to a new place — the greatest novelty booster of all!
Plein Air Sketching: Capturing Creativity in the Wild
When I’m traveling, plein air sketching is my way of capturing that novelty. With landscapes always changing, the time/place/experience adds the newness or plein air look to my lines and colors. Best of all, with my visual journal in my pocket at all times, “traveling” can be as special as going to my local coffee shop with a friend.
Hot Tip: You don't need to fly across the world to access novelty. A new coffee shop, a neighborhood you've never explored, or a local trail you've never hiked — all of these can ignite your creativity.
Everyday Creative Habits: The Power of Visual Journaling
While I’ll always argue your daily "little c" creative acts in your everyday life can be just as novel and important, those same daily habits of visual journaling while traveling or being in those novel experiences help me pay even more attention to the world around me. This is why I cannot stress enough how valuable my visual journal is for me in seeing and reflecting on my creative connections. That’s something we all have the ability to connect with.
Why Visual Journaling Works for Creative Growth:
- Keeps you present and attentive to new surroundings
- Creates a reflective record of your creative connections
- Pairs perfectly with outdoor adventures and travel
- Accessible to anyone — no special skills required
Try It Out for Yourself
At home: Create a conscious contour drawing of a corner of your office or home. Draw for 10 minutes. What was something new or novel you discovered about this everyday space when drawing?
Traveling: Travel by Map! Make a visual drawing or map out your travels. Where are you starting? Where are you going too? Reflect on what you are excited for and enjoy visualizing your travels.
Ready to Unlock Your Creativity Outdoors?
At Far Out, we believe that the outdoors is one of the most powerful creative retreats available to us. Whether you're sketching on a trail, journaling at a summit, or painting a plein air landscape, the combination of movement, nature, and art is transformative.
Explore Far Out's creative adventures, outdoor art retreats, and visual journaling workshops, designed for artists, adventurers, and anyone ready to grow their creativity in the wild. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about our 2027 creative and outdoor experiences!