The joys and challenges of moving (back) to the countryside

Fresh, clean air, wide-open spaces and nature as far as the eye can see with the stark absence of town or city life everywhere you look.

This is what greeted my partner and I when we moved to the countryside just over one month ago and what a change it was compared to what we were used to, at least in recent years.

I have always been a country boy at heart, I grew up in the countryside and moved closer to our local town in my late teens and while we always lived on the outskirts of the towns it was never quite the peace and tranquility that I knew and loved while I was growing up.

Sure I had the "luxury" of having nearly everything on my doorstep, all the shops I could want and need, easy transport links to go wherever I wanted, virtually whenever I wanted, takeaways at my fingertips and photo opportunities everywhere I turned and yet... I always felt as though I was missing the inspiration I had an abundance of during my teenage years.

Fast forward to today and while I haven't had the opportunity to go out and take any photos as yet I now find myself feeling inspired everywhere I go, this quaint, little village in the heart of Devon has helped awaken that sleeping creative genius inside!

Or has it?

While, yes I do feel more at peace and more inspired, I do not know if it is the countryside itself that has done this or the simple fact that I feel more at home.

This leaves me then wondering where inspiration truly comes from, is it truly your external environment or what you feel and experience inside?

Example: I look out from my office window towards the roof and upstairs windows of the house opposite me, just a normal scene, not very inspirational at all right?

Normally, yes... Although this one is different, here in the UK it is currently coming into winter and our weather (famous for being unpredictable at best throughout the year) is taking a turn for the worst, however, this allows me the opportunity to sit here each morning as the rain clouds break apart a little to then be greeted with a rainbow (or two) nearly every morning and this always brings a smile to my face and warms my heart on these cold, wet days as I wake early in the morning to start work.

This... This is where I feel my inspiration, in the small detail amid an otherwise drab and dreary backdrop, there is always a little colour, always a little hope and always a little peace and in that peace is a moment of clarity, a moment where I can feel that creative spark building and glowing and this is where I come to realise, true inspiration is not where you are but what you feel in any given moment and no matter what your creative endeavor.

So while I personally love the countryside and feel like home here, it has also helped me realise something rather profound...

Home is where you make it, home is where you are at peace, where the rat race of the day and modern life falls away and the creative you inside is allowed to be heard.

Where you find this and where you make your home is entirely up to you, it is personal and unique to just you and as a photographer, this has helped me see that your inspiration comes from within first.

As for challenges?

The primary challenge is finding that inspiration, finding that peace to allow your inspiration to flow, second (especially here in the UK) is being able to get out there and just do it, for many this is related to work commitments, for others you can add in adverse weather conditions.

So I leave you with this.

It doesn't matter the time constraints that you have, it doesn't matter if you have poor weather or in an area where not much really happens...

What matters is if when it really comes down to it you have your inner peace, your inspiration or not...

Find your peace, let your creativity flow in whichever shape or form it takes and remember to be, completely, unapologetically you.