How Summertime Inspires My Creativity

I love all four seasons for their own unique qualities. Winter has a crisp, cool charm about it. Spring is healing and rejuvenating. Autumn is filled with lush colors and smells reminiscent of cozy weather. And summer? Summer makes me feel reborn—alive once more after being wrapped up in layers and indoors for months.

There’s something wholly unique about summer that really gets my creativity buzzing. I finally get to strip away the last of my winter wardrobe and emerge into the welcome brightness. I finally feel the heat on my bare skin and the days begin to stretch well into the night. 

For me, summer feels like a time when anything might happen or, perhaps more accurately, when I can make anything happen. Summer is a time of endless possibility, for your creativity and mine, too.

Summer is a time of endless possibility.

More Hours of Daylight

In winter, I become sloth-like. I slow down. Winter is the season for hibernation for a reason, and I fully embrace this. Yet, as soon as summer begins, it ebbs into extended hours of daylight, and I feel more awake. All the extra sunshine sparks something in me, and I find myself overrun with creative ideas. 

All the extra sunshine sparks something in me, and I find myself overrun with creative ideas. 

Whether it’s creating a playlist on Spotify of motivating summer jams, grabbing my guitar to sit in the garden or taking my notebook outside to journal and jot ideas, the longer days inspire me to stay awake and let all my ideas ooze out!

Increased Levels of Vitamin D

When I was younger, my parents would insist on getting outside for a Vitamin D “top up,” which at the time I thought was ridiculous. Now, I know exactly what they’re talking about. Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. 

After spending (appropriately sunscreen-protected) time in the summer sun, I feel energized and motivated. I totally get why Superman drew his power from the sun! When I feel this way, I engage in behaviors that are physically and emotionally beneficial, like swimming, hiking and running. These help me to manage anxiety and stress, and as a result, make room for more creativity.

Connecting With Nature

Summer provides me with the best opportunities to get out and embrace nature, which has long been associated with creative pursuits. It’s no secret that artists and creatives have been singing nature’s praises and using it as a muse for centuries. 

I’m lucky to live in a place where I’m quite literally surrounded by mountains, nature trails, beaches and natural lakes. Some of my best ideas for writing have come to me while out hiking in the woods and swimming in the ocean. Nature promotes a state of calm. I get a chance to disconnect from my digitally-driven life and tune in to what’s stirring inside me.

I get a chance to disconnect from my digitally-driven life and tune in to what’s stirring inside me.

Mealtimes Outside

I love to people-watch. It’s honestly one of my favorite things to do. I don’t do it in a “judgey” way, just in a curious-about-other-people way. 

Summer provides me with ample opportunities to soak up the world buzzing around me while I sit street-side in glorious weather, enjoying an iced coffee and some delicious bite. As a fiction writer, observing people—seeing how they react and interact and overhearing snippets of conversations—is a fantastic way to get my creative ideas flowing. I always come away with a story or two.

Exploring New Places

Summer is also the time for travel. Growing up in England, Europe was just a short flight or train journey away. It was always guaranteed to be hotter, have better beaches and tastier food in the summer months.

Exploring new places and pursuing new experiences is key for creativity. When I travel, I love to immerse myself in the culture as much as I can, through the food, chatting with locals and reading up on the history of the place. Travel introduces me to ways of thinking that I would never be exposed to at home. As a result, it sparks creative flames, which I simply need to fan a little when I get home to encourage my next creative outpouring.

There is an abundance of freedom to be found in summer, something that the other seasons just don’t quite offer. Summer is made for time spent outdoors, alone or together, soaking up the beauty of nature and the creativity that it inspires.

It’s the best inspiration for creativity I’ve come across yet.

Do you feel more creative during summer or does you brain need a rest from thinking? What is the most awe-inspiring aspect of summer?

Image via Margaret Stokman