One of the best activities you can plan during the warm summer months is undoubtedly camping, whether it’s an epic trip with a group of buddies or a romantic weekend with a significant other. The weather’s nice, it stays light out much longer, and, most importantly, you get to be outside nonstop, taking in all that Mother Nature has to offer. While it’s important to make sure you’ve got all the necessary gear accumulated and packed up for a weekend in the woods, you’ll also want to make sure you’ve got the right cannabis strain on the hand. Whether hiking is on the agenda or you’re planning on spending the entire time chilling out in a tranquil setting, you’ll need the proper weed handy at all times. To make the most out of your great outdoor adventure, check out these camping-friendly strains at your nearest cannabis dispensary.
Green Crack If your trip involves hours of hiking, foraging, or something even more physically-demanding, like kayaking or river rafting, you’re going to need a strain that keeps you energized. Look for a tried-and-true sativa strain like Green Crack that will keep you motivated during all of your activities.
Chemdawg 91 If you’re in charge of cooking, you’ll want something to put you in an ideal mood to socialize, while also motivating you to gas up the grill or start the campfire. Try the sativa-leaning hybrid Chemdawg 91 for a euphoric high that will bring you just enough energy for a stellar (and delicious!) evening cookout.
Blueberry Muffins More often than not, the whole point of a camping trip is just to relax, and you don’t necessarily need to go hiking through the woods to enjoy being surrounded by nature. Sitting on a campground and enjoying a stunning, candy-colored sunset can make you appreciate the earth’s beauty just as much. A strain like Blueberry Muffins is perfect for extremely chill activities.
Lavender One of the best things about camping is that you’re allowed—in fact, you’re encouraged—to embrace the munchies monster within. As you’re packing up all of the snacks (and s’mores ingredients) you’re going to need, don’t forget to throw in an appetite-inducing strain like Lavender.
Girl Scout Cookies Time to star-gaze. Want a strain that will be the perfect companion to tripping out on the night sky while having a long, deep conversation with your camping buddies? Make sure to have some Girl Scout Cookies on hand.
Grandaddy Purple Let’s be real: It’s a little tough being so far away from the comfort of your Casper mattress. Some nights you need more than just a sleeping bag or inflatable mattress between you and the ground. If you require a little assistance catching zzz’s, why not turn to a potent indica strain? Grandaddy Purple will help you melt away while getting you a good night’s sleep.
Creatives come in all shapes and sizes, but there is certainly one universal feeling and struggle that crosses every artist’s path numerous times throughout their career: the loss of inspiration, mental block, and seemingly impossible quest to finish without an air of self-doubt. It’s what happens when you assume your creativity has run out. Spoiler alert: that’s not something that can actually happen.
Cannabis and Creativity
Whether you are a writer, painter, animator, storyteller, director, designer, or any of the countless other types of creatives that bring new ideas into the world in their own unique way, artistic expression is a product of a creative spark that is simultaneously indefinable and uncontrollable.
But let’s be clear: we aren’t diving into the opinion-filled discussion of what actually constitutes creativity; we are here to talk about one of the tools that can, in fact, boost your creative prowess—cannabis.
The process of creation and the entire concept of creativity is actually quite tricky to define. How are we to actually capture and measure creativity? What are the parameters? It’s a highly unique, personal, and intangible concept. But one thing we can agree upon is the way in which cannabis can push the creative senses in a multitude of ways.
Maybe you’ve experienced it yourself. You’re smoking your favorite marijuana strain and suddenly it hits you: the ideas that flow in, images that take shape, words that flow on the page after a particular strain comes your way. Cannabis’ ability to enhance creativity is touted across products, but it’s also a highly individualized experience. There’s no promise that an edible here or a vape pen there will grant you the power of creative genius, but the science of it all certainly makes for a strong case.
Effects of Weed to Boost Creativity
Let’s get to the science first. Just like many of the other effects of cannabis, it all comes down to the interaction that’s occurring in the brain. When THC makes its way to the brain, it binds to cannabinoid receptors and causes changes in the levels of neurotransmitters, particularly those of dopamine and norepinephrine; it’s this type of interaction that leads to a boost in mood, reduced anxiety, relaxed mindsets, and so forth. More importantly, however, is weed’s power to shift your perceptions, enhance introspection and senses, and, of course, creativity.
But what’s really going on beyond those neurotransmitters? Let’s take a step back and look at the classified forms of the creative process. We’ve got divergent thinking and convergent thinking. Both divergent and convergent thinking are imperative for creative thinking, but their end results differ. Whereas divergent thinking is a process that yields numerous solutions to a somewhat broad problem—much like brainstorming—convergent thinking is when you seek out and find the sole solution to a well-defined problem.
Divergent thinking is the sweet spot for creative thinkers—it’s what makes creatives creative. It’s when those crazy concepts populate your mind and possibilities seem endless; when the world looks different; when the unexpected arises; and it’s the type of thinking that gets a boost whilst under the influence of cannabis. Divergent thinking blooms when dopamine levels are high and, as we pointed out earlier, THC is the cannabis component that has been shown to increase dopamine in the brain.
The increase in dopamine brings forth a feeling of euphoria that has the ability to turn off your usual hesitations and blockages in terms of thinking and creating. If writer’s block is stressing you out or the sight of a paintbrush makes you frustrated about the next project, a little boost in dopamine might be the trick to get you back in it. Think about it: the happier you are, the easier it is to turn off those negative thoughts of self-doubt that plague every artist. It’s a freeing form of creation. Makes sense, right?
Studies have also shown that one of the wonders of weed is its ability to increase your ability to form connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, topics, and moments. Also known as hyper-priming, this ability to form connections is what leads many creatives to their breakthrough moments of ideation and inspiration. One minute you can be sitting on your couch watching an episode of television and suddenly the image on the screen prompts a self-reflective truth or concept that had never occurred to you before.
It is important to note, however, that not all strains are created equal when it comes to creative power. It’s actually a fairly flexible scale for individuals—some may prefer a hybrid while others might go for a sativa or indica. It depends on what may be blocking your source of creativity.
Too tired to sit down and bang out another few pages of your novel? A sativa strain seems like the answer for you to give your imagination a boost of power that will keep you motivated and inspired.
For those creatives who perhaps need to wind down a bit before tapping into their process, an indica strain is a good move. Whether it’s the effects of a stressful day, a bout of anxiety, an injury that won’t go away, or the looming thoughts surrounding the endless to-do list, indica works to relax and bypass the daily forces that may inhibit the focus and fun behind creation.
From indica, sativa, and hybrids to vapes, edibles, and pre-rolls, there’s a whole lot to explore when it comes to cannabis and creativity. And here’s the great news: at MedMen, we have countless products that can ignite your creative spark, open up your imagination, and tap into the meditative state of dreaming up stories, images, and ideas like never before.
So whether you’re trying to beat your artistic block or simply want to try a new way of creating, head on over to nearest cannabis store. Your next artistic idea is waiting.
Spending a Friday night at home with your vape, favorite snacks, and a Lush bath bomb sounds about as good as it could get — the only thing that could get in the way of your downtime is having to choose from the array of options at your fingertips. Sure, there are a plethora of snacks and bath bombs out there to consider, but we’re talking about the wide variety of cannabis strains and products that could possibly accompany your preferred form of self-care. Whether you like to wind down with a trip to the nail salon, a comfy cat nap, or a full cryotherapy session, there’s a cannabis product that pairs perfectly with your go-to R&R move. Thomas Winstanley, Director of Marketing at Massachusetts-based cannabis brand Theory Wellness, shared his recommendations for adding cannabis to your favorite self-care activity.
The Ultimate Guide to Self-Care with Cannabis
Meditation If you’re settling into a state of deep reflection and thought, you’re going to want a strain that will “provide deep focus and bring a bit of uplift without feeling too racy,” like Banana Split or Jilly Bean, Winstanley says.
Massage Thanks to the wide variety of topical, CBD-infused products on the market now, integrating cannabis into your next massage has never been easier. Winstanley suggests dabbling with a CBD-addled oil for your next rubdown. (Theory makes its own version; a budtender at your local MedMen can also guide you toward some CBD oils well-suited for a tension-taming, knot-untangling session.) “Many users find relief and feel a tingling or a gradual lightening of their symptoms within 30 minutes,” he says.
Bubble Bath Winstanley notes that a soothing bubble bath can be deeply relaxing, both physically and mentally, which leads him to recommend a hybrid strain, such as Wedding Cake, for your next long soak. He says users can expect “calm, euphoric, and slightly sedative effects” from this strain, adding that “it will help you wind down without putting you down completely.”
Nap If “self-care” to you means simply catching up on your beauty rest, your choice is clear. “We’d definitely lean toward the indica side of things,” Winstanley says, pointing to Purple Punch, with its fruity taste and heavy indica profile, as the perfect pre-nap strain. “Just make sure you have enough time to wake up afterward before moving on with your day,” he adds.
Mani-Pedi If you’re taking the most luxurious route possible with your mani-pedi, you’re more than likely going to a salon for an appointment with a nail technician — meaning you’ll be in public, so you’ll “definitely want to be discrete and find a product that’s going to keep you enlivened and social,” Winstanley says. His pick is vaping Blue Dream or Black Raspberry, either of which will “help you relax and enjoy yourself without leaving you disengaged.”
Sound Bath When looking for the right cannabis strain to elevate a sound bath, which requires you to lay quietly and allow yourself to be immersed in (usually live) sounds and music, you should look for one that will “balance the physical relaxation with mental acuity,” Winstanley says. Specifically, he recommends a strain like Sunshine Daydream, either smoked or vaped.
Cryotherapy Does standing in a chamber cooled to temperatures as frigid as -220 degrees sounds pretty, well, chill? Winstanley suggests “going the sublingual route” and using a tincture or eating an edible before hopping in. “It’ll be in your system longer and have a more sustained presence before, during, and after the treatment,” he says.
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