by Rachel Nicholson
Bespoke sits on the corner of Princess and Second in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Every day, even on a Tuesday morning at 9:18 a.m., it’s busy with college students and remote-working professionals clacking away on laptops, jotting down thoughts in notebooks, and sipping smooth seasonal lattes. Shoes click on hardwood floors; white bricked walls hold menus and floating shelves. This is the place that motivates me, surrounded by others driving just as hard towards an end goal only they understand.
The coffee shop atmosphere has been a favorite of many for years, and it isn’t hard to understand why. They are aesthetically pleasing, have comfortable and work-friendly spaces, and the perfect amount of background noise to get the mental juices flowing. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that the noise level of cafés can help customers in tapping into what’s called “creative cognition:” a set of mental processes that fosters the production of new ideas.
Need more convincing? How about this: the caffeine isn’t just for the aesthetic. It actually has several helpful mental effects for work and study, including the improvement of alertness, memory, and problem-solving skills. And personally, the need to go somewhere, and thus get ready to do such, motivates me as well. Sitting at the kitchen table in my sweatpants never quite hits the same as putting on an outfit I love, tying up my hair in a chic bun, and heading off to buy an (albeit overpriced) latte and write an essay.
So, the next time you’re feeling stuck, unmotivated, or procrastinating that important deadline you know you can’t afford to miss, try out your local coffee shop. It’s not just for first dates and friendly catchups anymore. It’s a workplace, a study space, and, most importantly, a creative catalyst.