How to Find Inspiration in Nature
Even with our vast differences, there probably isn’t a person on Earth who hasn’t been captivated by some aspect of nature. Whether it’s the beauty of a sunset, the smell of a warm Summer rain shower, the feel of the warmth of the sun our the relief of a cool breeze off the water, most of us have at least one memory of a time when we were in awe of simply witnessing the beauty of our planet.
Social media is filled with pictures of beautiful sunrises and divers swimming with the giants of the deep.
Why are we so captivated and so inspired by nature? Why are artists and craftsmen from every discipline so drawn to and motivated by crashing ocean waves, the songs of birds, and the vastness of a place like the Grand Canyon?
## Sensory Overload is Sensational
Upon close examination, we’ll observe and agree that it isn’t just the beauty of nature that’s inspiring. In fact, man-made structures can be just add inspiring. Just look at the pyramids, a laser light show or viewing a panoramic city skyline and you’ll find something inspiring and nearly overwhelming.
That’s a clue.
When we can’t quite take in the intricacies and details of something extraordinarily large, our minds basically reframe our awareness of just how small we are in comparison to the vastness of the universe and we start to realize an infinite number of possibilities in the world.
##A Science Behind Beauty
The reverence we feel towards breathtaking views isn’t limited to humans. Research has proven that some animals feel this as well. It’s a feeling that promotes community and compels people to perform altruistic acts. These feelings are commonly referred to as **Peak Experiences.**
### Connecting Beauty to Inspiration
Peak experiences are derived from the enormity of the stimulus combined with its uniqueness. When we try to, **take it all in,** various areas of our brains light up like a laser show, triggering a simultaneous influx of ideas and memories at the conscious level. In the meantime, those beautiful landscapes and amazing compositions trigger a rapid firing of neurotransmitters that creates a sense of both calmness and exhilaration.
This sets the perfect stage to encourage new ideas, creative thought, and the motivation to attempt experimentation.
##Encouraging the Peak Experience Phenomena
The easiest way to have more peak experiences is to do what you probably want to do anyway; get outside!
Go for a walk and really pay attention to the details of the world around you.
**Mindfulness** plays a big role here.
Travel and put your phone away. Really allow the beauty of a field or the majesty of a mountain envelop your attention and then let your thoughts drift into unfamiliar territory.
Another much less expensive technique is to focus on the seemingly mundane events in our everyday lives.
Notice the intricate details of a spider’s web or gaze into the quiet society found in an aquarium and see these things not as a nuisance or room decor but instead, recognize their significance as amazing connections to our universe.
When you begin to see every petal as perfection, you open your mind to endless possibilities. New ideas will stream into your conscious mind and your lack of judgement will allow these ideas to be nurtured.
From there, your journey of discovery is boundless.
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Most of us would admit to finding a sunset somewhat moving and possibly inspirational. Few of us can walk past a beautifully red and purple sky without stopping to take a look and probably upload a picture to Instagram. The same can be said of star-filled skies and crashing waves.
But what is it about nature that we find so beautiful and so inspirational? Why are poets, artists, and musicians drawn to these scenes? And how can you use this to encourage more creativity in your own life?
Why We Find Nature Beautiful
It’s a mistake to say that we find nature beautiful in particular. In fact, we can just as easily experience a sense of awe looking at man-made things. Try climbing to the top of a high building and looking out over the skyline of a city, and see how you feel. Likewise, many of us would express a sense of awe looking at the pyramids.
We feel awe, reverence, and wonder when we see things that we find hard to fathom and that we can’t quite take in all at once. Things incredibly intricate, incredibly beautiful, or incredibly vast all create a sense of being small in a university full of incredible possibilities. Research shows that this is a universal feeling, even shared by some animals, and that it appears to be beneficial for any species as a whole as it encourages altruism and community. Researchers often call these moments ‘peak experiences’.
Where the Inspiration Comes In
So why does this lead to inspiration?
The key thing to recognize is that peak experiences involve novelty and scale. They light up lots of areas of our brain as we struggle to comprehend the entirety of what we’re seeing. This lighting up of the brain results in lots of memories, ideas, and thoughts flowing all at once and this is often said to be the perfect condition for ideas to emerge.
At the same time, beautiful scenes and majestic sights trigger the release of neurotransmitters that make us feel relaxed and exhilarated at the same time. Again, this puts us in a state that is conducive to creative thought and mental experimentation.
How to Harness Peak Experiences
So how do you harness these peak experiences to trigger more innovation and creativity in your life? One way to do this is to subject yourself to more beauty. Go on walks, travel the world, even just spend some time on Google images! Another is to try and appreciate the majesty in even your smallest moments. When you see a flower bloom for the first time, or when you see a swarm of bees, stop to think of all that it represents and of the intricate beauty therein. The greatest poets are those who can see inspiration in all they survey.
