‘You breathe differently here.’
‘You breathe differently here.’
That’s what my Dutch friend Martijn said to me over coffee. We were sitting in the courtyard of the Dylan hotel in Amsterdam. Over the years Martijn and I had hung out together in both London and Amsterdam. And he noticed something different about how I appeared in the Netherlands.
That encounter with Martijn was ten years ago, and yet it remains true: if there’s one place that consistently fuels me, it’s Amsterdam.
I was back there at the weekend. Here I am at Café De Pels, one of my favourite spots in the city for a coffee and creative noodle.
For many of us, the idea of working from a single location is obsolete. We have multiple spaces where we are productive, whether that’s an office, at home, a cafe or train carriage. We work best when we select the right space for the task in hand.
And it’s why I’ve returned to Amsterdam so many times over the last fifteen years. Luckily for me, it’s a handy 35 minute Easyjet flight away (or a leisurely Eurostar train when I have the time).
What is it about Amsterdam? It’s a city that feels active and on the move. Everyone’s always out and about. Sitting on the stoops of their canalside apartments, cruising on small boats down the waterways and of course weaving in and out on their bikes. Then there’s the majestic architecture that flanks the canals; the trees and flowers that adorn the steps and the great big windows providing a view on the world going by. I love to wander, slow down and notice and this is a great place to do just that. To me, after so many times, it feels like home.
I’ve long known that to shift our mindset, we need to shift our location. But of course that doesn’t always mean we need to jump on a plane. Often it’s as simple as taking our laptop to a corner cafe or moving from one chair in our office or home to another. Making small changes in where we are, can be so helpful when we need to get a different perspective on a project or an idea.
But when I really need reinvigorating, I go to the place that fuels me. And that’s Amsterdam. It was great to return with a full notebook ;)
What are the trips - whether in your office building, on your doorstep, or further afield - you can take to feed you creatively?