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For most people, a holiday is synonymous with taking a break from everyday life, leaving the stress at the workplace behind, and relaxing — possibly enjoying the sun on a sandy beach, as it’s difficult to imagine anything more relaxing. However appealing this kind of holiday sounds, it may not be the right thing if you’re a creative individual. Creative professionals — or talented amateurs who would love to get noticed for their art — need to recharge their batteries, just like you and me. But they also need to make the most of their holidays so that they come back with the mind full of inspiring images, flavours, smells and cultures. A creative mind needs an inspiring holiday, a holiday that marks the beginning of a new wave of ideas or a new artistic direction. If they can’t find the time to develop their bond with their creative muse — whether this muse is a person, a landscape, of a memory —, then the holiday has been a waste of time. If you have a creative friend, or if you are yourself an enthusiastic artist — whether you write stories, compose music, build inspiring websites, design engaging logos, or even capture unforgettable moments — it’s time for a well-deserved inspirational break from your everyday life. It’s time to leave the dullness of the routine behind and embrace for a week or more the culturally enriching and mind-opening lifestyle around the Mediterranean, the cradle of our modern civilisation.
Why the Med, now?
At a time where everyone is already planning for their next winter break in the Alps or a dream-worthy Christmas holiday in the snow, taking the first plane direction the Med might seem like an odd idea. But don’t get fooled by the fact that the summer is over. You might have missed the sandy beaches of Saint-Tropez in August, but the Mediterranean regions continue to enjoy a warm and sunny weather even when the rain has long reached the British island. In fact, places like Majorca and Sardinia are still a hotspot for tourists well into September — however, be careful about your booking in Sardinia as the holiday season is based on the Italian tradition of taking a break in July and August; the prices drop significantly once the summer is over and some hotels even shut, so remember to look for villas to rent or Airbnb offers too. In October, the Turkish and the Portuguese coasts continue to enjoy long and sunny days, and you can even enjoy a dip in the sea!
Kickstart your inspiration to create
If you want to start a creative career and are quite new to it, the best choice for your holiday is to pick a place that will make you forget everything about your everyday routine. Immerse yourself in a new culture for the duration of an inspiring break. There are plenty of wonderful places around the Med, but for starters, I can only recommend Crete for your create-ative break! What Crete offers is an island that is too picturesque for word, where every inch of space is magnificent, combined with a culinary culture that is just heavenly. For someone who is considering living a dull 9 to 5 job to create something new and exciting, there’s nothing better than a wander into this Greek paradise to kick the dullness of an office job away. In Crete, you can create a new lifestyle and more importantly build a new pace into your life. And if that wasn’t even, Crete is said to be the birthday of Zeus, the god of all gods. You can even visit the Cave of Zeus at Mount Ida. Can there be any better start to your creative career than taking over from the one who is said to be responsible for creating the Greek divinities as we know them?
A break for the creative architect
For all those who want to refresh a career in the interior design and decoration, forget everything you’ve read in the home magazines and book a flight to Barcelona, the capital of Gaudi’s most iconic architecture. Gaudi did what no other architect thought was possible at the time: he pushed the limits of the acceptable shapes and colours of buildings and created something organic and almost alive. It’s bold, brash and colourful; and more importantly, it’s full disharmoniously elegant. Every element seems to have a life of its own, and this helps to give Barcelona its famous sociable atmosphere. Why not let this imaginative mismatch of shapes and colours redefine your take on home decor?
Give yourself a luxury of contemporary art break
If you want to create something new and avant-gardist, you might want to forget about the Tate Museum and head to Portugal where you can meet some of the most inspiring contemporary artists. Joana Vasconcelos is undoubtedly the most famous modern artist of our age, and you might have seen pictures of her Lilicoptère, which she designed as a pink helicopter covered in ostrich feathers and crystals and that would have been Marie-Antoinette’s favourite mean of transport. You can organise a tour of contemporary exhibitions to discover each original piece in its natural surroundings. If you want to immerse yourself into their creative universe, you might want to search available holiday villas in Portugal for the duration of your break. You’ll find Vasconcelos’s art mostly in the region of Lisbon.
A divine sense of Renaissance and art
If you prefer the classic tradition of painting and sculpting and are not a fan of modern art, you love to indulge in an Italian tour of the artistic tradition and the Renaissance creations. For the arts aficionados, Italy is a life-size museum of amazing works and places to visit. Whether you’re a religious person or not, it’s impossible not to admire the stunning beauty of Michelangelo’s and Da Vinci’s creations, and the fantastic harmony of lights, colours and shapes. Renaissance marks the era of perfection, and it’s easy to understand why a genius like Da Vinci thrived at a time where proportions, light angles and focus points were at the centre of all creations. Start your tour of Italy in Florence, the birthplace of Renaissance, and then move to Rome, the Vatican and Venice!
Not an artist? How about food creations?
If you work in a restaurant, there’s no denying that the Mediterranean food culture is one of the best in the world. If you are looking for explosive culinary innovation, head to the Osteria Francescana in Modena in Italy, where Massimo Bottura has revolutionised the Italian cuisine with creations such as “Oops I dropped the lemon tart”! Bottura has introduced art as the centrepiece of his culinary journey. If you prefer a cook who is modernising traditional cooking at a more accessible level, you might want to pay a visit to Haviv Moshe’s restaurant in Tel Aviv. Moshe combines the exoticism of a spice-based cuisine to the sunny Mediterranean products, creating a variety of tastes and flavours that would make your taste buds beg for more.
Pen down brilliant ideas under the eyes of famous writers
What if you’ve got a story to tell and don’t know where to start. Let the legendary Provencal writers share their secrets with you. It’s the union of a rich landscape with a regional dialect that has made the Provence one of the most creative regions around the Med. From Marcel Pagnol, who described the surroundings of his natal Marseilles with nostalgy, to the famous windmill of Alphonse Daudet, there’s a lot that you could learn from the way these writers turned the simplicity of a decor into a majestuous and emotional journey.
Open-up your mind for new ideas and dive into a Mediterranean journey to a creative you. The Med has so much more to offer than just stunning and warm weather!