Written by Nicole Webb

We are six months into the year and life might be starting to feel a little exhausting (or perhaps a bit monotonous?). Now feels like the right time to do something that gets you ‘out of your head’.   

When you’re fully absorbed in an experience, your inner critic quietens and your perspective widens, offering a mental reset. 

Enter Dark Mofo. 

This month I had the privilege of going to Hobart for Dark Mofo – a winter solstice festival celebrating the darkness of the southern winter. Organised by the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) the festival features events like the Winter Feast, music, nude swims, and various art installations. 

At God’s Complex (aka rave), where a man dressed in a gimp mask encourages you to throw tomatoes at him or finding your way through a smoked-filled tunnel is disorienting, but it can be fuel for those working in a creative industry.  

Provocative art, brutal contrasts and sensory overload is a masterclass in creative courage — useful for people whose work is often diluted by client expectations, internal politics, or trend-chasing. It reminds creatives to take risks and trust their instincts. 

Dark Mofo isn’t just entertainment — it’s a creative reset. I left feeling lighter, more grounded and more connected. 

I had a little chat with my friend Chatty (ChatGPT) and it offered up some really great advice on other ways to reset.  

Here are some of their thoughts:

1. Change the medium

Switch tools, not just topics. 

• Writers: try sketching, voice memos, or photography 

• Designers: build with your hands (clay, wood, collage) 

• Marketers: write poetry, not pitch decks 

A new medium forces a new way of thinking. It’s like switching mental gears.

2. Walk without a destination (literally) 

Unstructured walking, especially in nature or urban chaos, promotes: 

• Default mode thinking (linked to creativity) 

• Emotional decompression 

• Reconnection with physical space 

Apparently, Steve Jobs and Charles Dickens both swore by long aimless walks.

3. Practice “creative fasting”

Just like intermittent fasting resets the body, creative fasting (avoiding input) resets the mind. 

• No podcasts, Pinterest, or social scrolling for 48 hours 

• Let boredom and emptiness make space for original ideas 

Creativity isn’t about more inspiration. It’s about deeper digestion.

4. Immerse in someone else’s world

• Go to a public lecture in a field you know nothing about (quantum computing, architecture, bird migration) 

• Interview someone with an opposite life to yours 

This interrupts creative echo chambers and builds cognitive diversity.

5. Be in awe (frequently)

Dark Mofo offers this, but so do: 

• Stargazing 

• Standing in front of a giant wave 

• Visiting a cathedral or ancient tree 

Awe expands your sense of time and self — both proven to boost creative capacity.