It surprises people sometimes when I say this, but Disney parks can be an amazingly refreshing place for creative souls.
Where others may simply see rides, crowds, and spectacle, creatives see places like Disneyland and Walt Disney World differently. A trip to a Disney park is an invitation to another world. It’s an opportunity to forget the battering distractions of day to day life and just dream. It’s a place where we’re free to get lost, let our minds drift, to contemplate stories and worlds and ideas difficult to pin down on an average day. Speaking for myself, it’s such a stimulating environment for creativity that I rarely leave a Disney park without some sort of inspiration, new creative concept, or idea to solve a longstanding problem. It’s a place where everyone is invited to think outside of the box a little bit.
There are so many ways to use a trip to Disney parks to hack your creativity. Here are a few of the best tips we found…
1. Get lost in the stories
Theming and storytelling is one of the most significant areas that sets Disney parks apart from their competition. It’s not enough to just make a ride—at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, everywhere you look, stories are being told.
Some tales at Disney parks are familiar, like those told in Fantasyland. Others are hybrids of new tales in known worlds, like those surrounding Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or the World of Pandora. Others are entirely original, like the mystery of the Yeti on Expedition: Everest. Creatives practice many mediums, but we all share a common thread of storytelling in one way or another, and we can glean inspiration from stories told around us.
On your next Disney parks visit, really pay close attention to the stories around you. Disney imagineers don’t put hardly anything in the parks by accident. Lands and rides are both filled with clues hinting at the larger story taking place. Beyond even just taking in these stories, fill in the gaps in the world in your mind. What other tales might have taken place here? Use rides and Disney’s vivid environments to flex your imagination and cultivate new ideas.
2. Make believe again
You don’t have to be a child or a LARPer to make believe—indeed, you don’t even have to make a fuss to do it. As you’re taking in the stories in Disney parks, give yourself permission to make believe again.
If you were a character in these stories, what would you do? Who would you be? What is your part in this adventure? Your imaginary tale can remain entirely in your head in most cases (many creative introverts tend to trend towards this kind of quiet dreaming), but there are some opportunities where you can even try your hands at a little role-play if you like.
Role-play is an intimidating word, but it’s really just storytelling on an improvised level—actors do it all the time. The best place to try it is definitely Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge due to the ultra-immersive nature of the land. Cast members at The Black Spire Outpost actually keep things pretty subtle, which is great for those who want to pretend to be “in world” without things being too weird. When cast members or characters converse with you, just respond like you’re a visitor on Batuu from another planet and see where the conversation goes.
You can even take things a step further and try out “Batuu-bounding”—basically, guests visiting The Black Spire Outpost are allowed to dress up a little bit like you belong in the world (see our article on the practice for Disney’s rules). It’s a quiet hint to cast members that you’re game to play a little pretend, and we’ve had some great encounters with cast members in Dok Ondar’s, Docking Bay 7, Oga’s Cantina, and even with characters like stormtroopers and Vi Moradi while doing this. We always leave with new ideas, and it can make for some serious extra fun during your Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge visit.
3. Pay attention to people, cast, and characters
Some of the greatest inspiration comes from observation. We’re so busy most of the time, we fail to stop and really see those around us. If there’s ever a place that offers great opportunities to observe people, it’s Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
On your next trip, lift up your eyes to observe how people act. How are they different from each other? How do they respond differently to rides, environments, even to challenges like a little one having a meltdown or getting scared? How are kids reacting in contrast to adults? Obviously don’t stare at people like a lurking creeper, but there are plenty of ways to do a little people watching as you travel through the parks without making things weird.
Even beyond seeing how guests interact with each other and the environment, observe characters and cast members. For example, pay attention to how masked characters like Mickey or Minnie manage to get emotion and expression across without their faces being revealed. Sit back and watch Gaston troll guests for a school on comic narcissism in characters or observe Mary Poppins for a lesson on class and decorum. It doesn’t even have to be full characters. If you aren’t shy, strike up some conversations with cast members, especially those in World Showcase. Learn a little bit about their stories.
4. Embrace creativity boosting attractions
While most Disney attractions can provide a creativity boost, some really stand heads and tails above the others. Dark rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, the Navi River Journey, and Spaceship Earth are great for letting your imagination wander. High speed thrills like the Indiana Jones Adventure and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (if you can get on it) are great for energized thinking and devising tales of your own. Soarin’ Around the World and Soarin’ Through California are great examples of rides that inspire creativity by massaging your senses with sights, smells, and the feeling of flight.
Hands on experiences are another great way to hack your creativity. A good example is Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts. Throughout the festival guests are encouraged to exercise creativity through painting, clever photography, and by engaging with artists throughout Epcot. For an extreme hands-on experience, considering trying one of the hyper-reality experiences at The Void in Disney Springs or Downtown Disney, like Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire or Ralph Breaks VR. Guests are made into characters in a high-stakes adventure via the use of complex VR rigs that integrate with a maze—you can actually interact with objects in the digital world hands on! Our experience there was one of the most fun times we’ve ever had at Walt Disney World.
Finally, don’t forget the power of nature to inspire creativity. There are so many places in Walt Disney World, in particular, to appreciate animals and the natural world. The easiest one is certainly Disney’s Animal Kingdom, especially its beautiful walking trails like The Maharajah Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, but you can also just enjoy Florida’s natural environment throughout the resort. You don’t have to look far in Florida to find all manner of birds, fish, reptiles, and bugs to give some inspiration.
5. Make it easy to record ideas as you go
While it’s great to exercise creativity in our heads, if you want to make the most of the Disney parks environment, you’ll need an easy way to keep track of ideas while you’re exploring the parks. Hauling around a laptop or tablet isn’t ideal in the hustle of a theme park, and typing notes on smartphones can be tedious when you’re on the go.
I used to carry a small journal with me while visiting Disney parks, but these days, I’ve simplified the process down to taking voice notes (artists may still need a small book or the means to be able to draw on your phone as an alternative). Often, these notes have to do with ideas for Theme Park Tourist articles, but I’ve had all sorts of random ideas for projects and stories while touring Disney parks. While a simple voice recorder app can do the trick, if you want to be able to search notes easily, a database app like Evernote or OneNote is a great choice, especially since you can use Speech-to-Text for your notes.
My personal system involves using the IFTTT app to create a bridge between Evernote and Google Assistant. I have my phone set to record voice notes easily to Evernote using an applet like this one in IFTTT—all I have to say is, “Okay, Google. Save a note to Evernote that says ______.” Just like that, the note is saved and synced to the cloud where I can search for it later. However you choose to do it, just make sure you make saving your ideas easy and accessible so you don’t miss that moment when inspiration strikes!
6. Start a mini-project
If your Disney parks vacation isn’t too packed with activity, you may want to consider starting a mini-project related to your trip as a creative exercise. For writers, this may involve setting aside some time for free writing every day. You could take time to do this at your resort or even sneak away to a quiet place in the parks like Tom Sawyer Island or the World Showcase gardens for a little writing time. Artists can utilize the same concept for free drawing or making art with another portable medium.
For fans of photography, a photo collection is another great mini-project to take on. I’ve done a few of these for my @mykingdomforamouse Instagram (the latest one I’ve been working on is a series of pictures of Lego Darth Revan throughout Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge—we geeks like the simple things). You can either pick a specific theme for your collection or run with a broader approach. The goal is simply to practice creativity, whether you choose to share your collection or not.
7. Explore unique spaces that cultivate creativity
Just like you can hack your creativity by embracing immersive rides and experiences, you can also do so simply by taking some time during your trip to explore unique spaces that promote creativity.
In most cases, the best places to do this will be either immersive areas of Disney parks like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or The World of Pandora (these are both great particularly you write science fiction or fantasy or do art in those categories) or places where you can slow down and just take in the environment. While Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom has a few gardens that could work, our hands down favorite place to getaway and imagine is Tom Sawyer Island (this goes for Disneyland as well). Without fail, it’s usually the quietest part of the park, and there are so many places to just explore or even sit back and think (or immerse yourself in the heebie-jeebies inside of Injun Joe’s Cave). In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the aforementioned walking trails are a good choice. World Showcase at Epcot is a treasure trove for these spaces—a few that come to mind are the winding streets of Morocco or the serene gardens of China, Japan, and Canada.
Disney’s resorts are also great places to wander and flex your creativity, particularly those with strong theming like Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian, or even The Grand Californian at Disneyland Resort. The main goal is just take your time—give yourself room to think and dream. Even better, you don’t need a park admission to visit resorts!
8. Set apart time on your vacation to be creative
Every Disney parks vacation is different, as is every creative soul. For some, you may just need a full week off without pouring into any projects. If you’re more the type who likes to utilize creativity on a vacation, make sure you set apart some quiet time during your trip to practice your art.
For solo travelers or couples, this may be as simple as setting aside a little time in your resort room to practice your medium. For those travelling with families, you may need to do a little exploring to find a calm space to get away for a bit. Many resorts—even those not owned by Disney—have great lobby spaces, coffee shops, or even dedicated work cubbies that guests can use to get a little privacy.
At the same time, don’t underestimate the power of rest—studies have shown that quality rest is crucial to creativity. Especially if a creative field is your career, don’t fall into the trap of missing your vacation by working all the way through it. Whatever your situation, make sure you have time to express your creativity without necessarily losing the benefits of vacation rest.
9. Be present
If you’re looking to maximize the creative boost that comes with a Disney parks vacation, one of the best things you can do is just be present in the moment.
I do realize I just spent an entire article talking about letting your mind wander—however, even that can be connected to remaining mindful and present. What I specifically mean is don’t let all of your creative energy be consumed by worries and distractions of the past and future. On a vacation, it is okay to just be in the moment and enjoy yourself and your loved ones. Just like our bodies need rest, so do our brains, and making a point to keep an attitude settled in the moment can help do that.
Some may take that a step further and practice meditation, mindfulness, or prayer during your vacation—go for it! The Tomorrowland PeopleMover is probably my favorite space for just letting my mind get settled. A tired mind will have difficulty being creative, but one that has been well-grounded won’t have quite so much trouble. Don’t feel like you have to pack your vacation with activity either. Enjoy the moment.
Do Disney parks help inspire your creativity? How so?
