Unusual “Creative” Places

At the beginning of the year I transferred to a different position within my company. My new position requires knowledge of a computer program that I had never used before. I’ve been able to get by, but today I had my first round of classes for this program. I was able to get out of the office and head to one of my places in St. Paul–the Science Museum of Minnesota. It may surprise some people that a Science Museum is one of my favorite places, but I have fond memories of visiting the museum with my family and friends throughout the years. The Science Museum also has two attractions that I absolutely love: the Omnitheater and the mummy.

The Omnitheater is an impressive domed theater that allows viewers to be transported into the movie that’s playing. Shortly after I returned home from Sénégal, my dad and I went to see an Omni film that showcased the Nile River. While the camera panned the massive river, I felt like I was flying over it and it brought tears to my eyes. One of the most impressive Omni films that I have seen took its viewers on a climb up Mt. Everest. I also went to see that movie with my dad… and with my nephew who was pretty little at the time. My dad and I were absolutely swept away by the film, so much so that we completely missed my nephews tears of fear until the movie had finished. We felt bad about that one. The museum was also gifted with a mummy in the early 1900’s. Ever since I was young I have had a fascination with ancient civilizations, including ancient Egypt. Being able to see a real mummy for the first time was a huge thing for me. It helped me feel more connected with a history and with stories that I had studied.

Aside from my two favorite attractions, I think of the Science Museum as a creativity retreat. When I was younger, I used to take a notebook and a pen and sit by the mummy to write. I think I hoped that through the close proximity to the mummy I would suddenly be hit with inspiration for a novel that takes place in Ancient Egypt. Sadly, it never happened. (My mom said that she thinks I was waiting for the mummy to rise up. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were somewhere in the back of mind. Maybe I watched The Mummy too much…) One year, my dad and I decided to spend the day at the Omnitheater during Omnifest. I was taking a drawing class at the time and I spent the breaks between films with my sketchbook on my lap.

The Science Museum wasn’t the only place that I viewed as a “creative” place for me (there was a partly fallen tree in the wooded area behind my house that I would climb up with a notebook before the mosquitoes were out in full force), but it was definitely the most unusual!

What about you? Do you or have you had any unusual creative places?