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As a creative writer, one of the most valuable lessons I learnt was appreciating the importance of your own creative headspace. Amongst other important factors, your own headspace, for me, is up there as one of the essentials to being an immersive, innovative creator. Some of you may read this and think “It’s your job – surely you should be creative wherever you are” others may resonate with this immediately and instantly have an ‘I’ve definitely been there moment’. Wherever you stand, I hope this helps, and possibly inspires, if you find yourself in a similar position to where I used to be.

Having the title ‘Content Creator’ or ‘Creative Writer’ potentially places you in a vulnerable position, especially if an employer, or even yourself, don’t allow the room and space to actually be creative. What I mean by this, is that we’re expected to be creative, think creatively, write creatively – by allowing our minds to run free and be inspired by new and bold ideas. If this is the expectation, which is rightly insinuated through our title, we should also allow ourselves to be in a position to feel inspired and use this to our advantage. Whether that be in the fresh surroundings of the outdoors, the busy but comforting feel of a small cafe, or simply in front of a window.  There’s nothing more challenging than being stuck to the same desk, looking at the same four walls, and pulling yourself away from your current project to grasp a breath of fresh air from the nearest window.

My passion for writing began as a hobby – something I used to do to relax and as a pass-time. It didn’t take long before it spanned into my full-time degree, and then, luckily enough, my career. I can say from experience that there’s nothing more disheartening than when your hobby slowly becomes a chore, because you’re dreading that forced, the on-the-spot feeling of creating something innovative and inspired, whilst being slumped in the same-old chair looking at the same view you see every day. This shouldn’t be the case, and it may just be as simple as a change in scenery to get your creative sparks flying again.

Having spent the best half of my 2018 travelling Asia and working as a freelance writer, I was lucky enough to work in some extremely inspiring places; a hammock on South Goa’s coastline, a beach hut in Lombok, a reggae bar in Sri Lanka and in the trendy cafe’s of Bali. I mean, I’m not suggesting we all need to be laid in hammocks sipping our morning coffee to feel creative, but the constant change in scenery made a huge difference to my writing and my willingness to write. My passion for creating content returned and I truly believe that this was reflected in the copy that I wrote. I discovered my own creative headspace, how to get into that space and how to feel inspired all over again.

Upon my return, finding a company that shared this same ethos, or appreciated the valuable difference a little bit of free movement can make, was pretty high on my list. I was extremely lucky to find Brilliant. They not only understand this mindset but encourage it too. They have created a physical space full of various seating options and space and packed it full of inspiring objects and many a green plant, also encouraging us to spend time out of the office and get into the visionary city of Leeds.

A creative’s mind is never still, you shouldn’t expect your physical-self to be either.