Inspired by silence, or surrounded by people?

Two months ago, I was knocked off my bike by a car and fractured my pelvis. Violins away, it’s not sympathy I’m after. Sadly, as a cyclist in a big city it seems that you’re odds-on to get hit at some point; there’s barely a two-wheeler left at Forum who doesn’t have a story, of varying levels of gravity, to tell.

On the one hand, it’s been a great exercise in remote working, reigniting the debate for me of exactly why I – or anyone – need to commute from home to work on a daily basis. There aren’t many tasks I can’t do remotely, and for everything else there’s a quick Skype call to someone in the office who can help me out.

But here’s the rub: I’m bored of my own company now, and sorely missing the creative stimulants I’d been taking for granted.

Ideas often come to people when they least expect it: I’ve heard many a person say that the loo is a particularly creative place for them. Let’s not go into that one now though. For me, thoughts have a tendency to pop into my head as I’m pedalling around London: on my own, yet surrounded by the hustle and bustle of a city I love.

Then there are the times when you seek people out to bounce ideas off. As a naturally sociable person, I couldn’t agree more with Adam Oxford, in his recent article for Green Futures, when he says, “for really creative thinking there’s nothing better than putting an eclectic mix of people together in a room.” [See “The power of connected minds”.] It’s what we at Forum for the Future do best through our Network: convening groups of businesses to think creatively about sustainability. We’ll be doing more of that at our final Network event of the year tomorrow, for which I’ll be braving the chaos of London pre-Christmas.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering: will all this stop me getting back on my bike in the new year? Not a chance, the thought of the Northern Line at rush hour is too horrific for that.