The Most Inspiring UK Cities For Creatives

While I do many different jobs, my absolute favourite is being an author, and I love to travel around and write in different places. While I’ve taken my stories and ideas to lots of different places over the years, I have always found that the best place to write is in a new city.

I love the energy of being in a city, new sights, sounds, and smells, being surrounded by new people all living their lives, and with new experiences happening all around me. It inspires me to write new stories and to see the world in a new way,  sparking my creativity and fueling ideas for my writing. Plus, when I travel to a new city, I’m away from home and all the responsibilities, chores, and jobs of everyday life that take up so much of my time and energy. This allows me to focus on my writing and to get more done. Some of my best writing has been done away from home.

As my new book, Gracemarch, is coming out soon, I’d love to find somewhere new to start getting ideas down for my next book. To help me out, the printing experts at Aura Print sent over their research into the UK’s most creative and artistic cities. They ranked different UK cities for creative inspiration based on factors from the density of art galleries and museums, theatres, comedy clubs, the street art scene, TikTok hashtag popularity, to the availability of creative job opportunities and the number of art and design universities.

The Most Inspiring UK Cities For Creatives

Manchester

Crowned the UK’s most inspiring city, Manchester earned a remarkable 8.33/10 for its inspirational score.

Having the highest number of comedy clubs outside London (2.13 per 100,000 people), the North West city not only fuels creativity with a bustling street art scene which garnered an impressive 60,782 Instagram hashtags, but also had over 13 billion admiring the city on TikTok. The city’s crown jewel, The Royal Exchange, adds to its allure being the UK’s biggest theatre in the round, making it a must-visit for theatre aficionados.

Brighton

Brighton appears as another strong contender scoring a remarkable 7.69/10.

Boasting the highest number of art galleries and museums per head (16.24 per 100,000 people), the coastal city offers a wealth of artistic activities to pursue. Around 72 creative job roles are currently available in the city which is almost 70% higher than its fellow seaside town, Bournemouth in 14th, with a mere 23 creative job openings.

Bristol

Following closely behind in third is Bristol (7/10).

As the birthplace of the legendary Banksy and the host of the Europe’s largest graffiti festival, Upfest, it’s no surprise that Bristol came on top in regard to street art, with over 153K Instagram posts documenting the colourful streets of the city. Beyond the vibrant streets are 27 art galleries, 15 theatres and 8 comedy clubs to immerse yourself in.

London

Next in line is London, the British capital holding its ground at fourth place, receiving an inspirational score of 6.94/10.

With its TikTok views towering over the rest at 90 billion, the capital doesn’t fall short of cultural activities for an artistic escape with a staggering 263 art galleries, 56 museums, and 218 theatres to visit and get inspired.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh sits in fifth place scoring a respectable 6.60/10.

Known for its artistic flair and well-preserved architecture, the city has allegedly inspired J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. A visit to the Scottish capital will provide you with 64 diverse art galleries and museums, 23 theatres and a huge annual art festival. Besides, The University of Edinburgh ranks 8th in the UK art and design league tables, drawing creative talent from across the globe.

Conclusion

I’d love to go to Edinburgh and write stories, channel my inner J.K Rowling, and see what ideas I can channel.

What about you? Where inspires you the most and what do you love about it?