I decided a while ago that I wouldn’t get any word tattoos, only images. There’s one phrase that tempts me though, one I have tacked up above my desk.

DEMONS HATE FRESH AIR

Linn Ullmann, relaying something her father Ingmar Bergman told her. I found it via Austin Kleon’s book, Keep Going

The idea is that movement and the outside and walking in particular get rid of the demons in your head. ‘Go for a walk and then work, he’d say, because the demons hate it when you get out of bed, demons hate fresh air.’

A lot of writers and artists took long walks and I’ve often found them incredibly helpful as ways to get out of my head, and to find sparks of ideas.

Here are two excellent things that I’ve seen on walks recently.

I walked home at midnight the other night after a concert. It was so foggy that all the streetlights left streamers of light through the gumtrees. It was beautiful and calming and I know I’m going to use it in a story or drawing soon.

The second came on a very bad day when I was feeling miserable. My best friend and I went on a walk to talk everything through and saw lambs in a paddock near the creek.

Seeing something small and new wobble around on their fluffy little legs was a delight, but it also made me feel much better. I felt wobbly too, but I’d be okay.

All this to say: take a walk. Make a plan that travels.