How travelling makes you a better designer

As we all know, travelling has tons of well-known benefits, like making new friends, gaining new experiences and creating new memories. But there's a lesser known benefit of travelling… it can make you more creative. Yes! I couldn't agree more on the fact that travel helps creativity! There is some kind of connection between travel and creativity, and it turns out, travel does wonders for the creative mind.

I am a graphic designer who believes and has experienced that travel stimulates the mind and boosts your thinking. With travel comes new sounds, smells, languages, tastes, sensations and sights and all these have the power to change our minds and kickstart creativity. The farther you travel from your home, the more creative you become!

Without new experiences one cannot create new things for the world. Without breaking down the walls of your reality, and coming out of your comfort zone how will you design and create new possibilities for others in your work? This makes sense, right? But now you will be wondering how exactly does this happen? Here's how:

1. A change in perspective
   When I started traveling, I noticed that different cultures would tend to solve problems in different ways. The interior of rooms and toilets, windows, modes of transportation, advertisements and the style of designs were different from place to place. For example, the design of an auto-rickshaw or a taxi is completely different across various parts of India. I have also come across many design solutions which I might have not even thought of. As I continued to collect these experiences, I noticed that the way I thought about design was changing.
    
2. Creativity and innovation
   Traveling has enhanced my creativity in a number of ways. Experiencing how people do things in other parts makes me come out from my comfort zone and think out of the box. The street signs, for example, are not only in different languages but are designed with different colors, typefaces, and icons.
   
   We are often stuck with a particular style which gives us a block. Once you start seeing the world from all the angles, you open up various possibilities. But you need to really immerse yourself into the culture and place you are visiting. Going somewhere for the weekend will not help you. You need to really get into the culture and place you are visiting. Talk to the locals and ask them questions, the more you interact the stronger creative and innovative ideas you receive. So, the next time you visit a new place, carry your diary and make sure you write down every little detail about the place and culture.
    
3. Self confidence
   Apart from boosting your creativity, travelling also helps strengthen your sense of self. I was a very shy person earlier and had the fear of putting up my thoughts. I would prefer to be in my own space, talk less and absolutely zero interest in socializing. Things changed after my 1st trek. I made new friends and we are still in touch. Talking to new people and making friends then became the most important part of travelling. This strengthened sense of self, provides you with the self-confidence required to go out of your comfort zone when trying to solve problems. Allowing you to bring to the table more creative solutions and ideas.

Travel is good for many things. Through immersing yourself in an unfamiliar environment, you are helping to strengthen the neurons that like to make connections, solve problems, and embrace new ideas. This will feed into your work, with your new surroundings offering inspiration.

Be sure to really explore the area for a bigger boost to your creativity, and you'll be more likely to experience that exciting, productivity-filled, fluid state when you work. Excited? So, pack your bags and head off to the next travel adventure (post the lockdown of course), it won't only nourish your soul, but your mind too!