Where to find inspiration
30 Simple Things You Can Do To Get Inspired
We all feel uninspired at times. The good news is that it’s a natural part of the creative process and something everyone struggles with. It’s totally normal! The next time you’re stuck in a creative dead zone, read this list of 30 things you can do to get inspired.
30 Simple Things to Get You Inspired
1. Change Your Environment
Get out of the house and go somewhere new. A new environment can spark inspiration by giving you a new way of looking at things.
2. Learn Something New
Get outside the boundaries of your own knowledge to learn something new. Learn ten words in a foreign language, research the music of 17th century Europe or pick up a star chart and learn about our universe.
3. Create a Vision Board
Think about what you want for your life and start envisioning it. Collect pictures and words that depict this life and bring them together on a vision board.
Credit: cottonbro via Pexels4.
Take some time out in nature and appreciate its amazing beauty. Go for a hike through the bush, climb a mountain or simply have a picnic by the pond in your local park.
5. Visit Your Local Bookstore
Bookstores are full of creative inspiration. Spend some time browsing the shelves and get inspired by the beautiful images and interesting ideas.
Credit: Nathalie Stimpfl via Unsplash.com6. Try a New Creative Art Form
Push yourself outside the bounds of your creative specialty and try something new. If you’re a writer, try painting. If you’re a musician, write a poem.
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7. Keep a Notebook to Jot Down Ideas
Keep a notebook with you to jot down ideas whenever they strike. These ideas might not seem groundbreaking at the time but they might serve as inspiration at a later date.
8. Learn About the History of Your Craft
Learn about how your creative craft originated, who the pioneers and greats were and how it has progressed over time. In every craft’s history, there is much inspiration to be found.
9. Research What Others in Your Field Are Doing
Learn about what other people in your creative field are doing. A quick Google search can be a great source of inspiration when you are low on ideas.
10. Listen to a New Type of Music
Seek out music that is different from what you usually listen to and try it out. What about jazz, classical, or rap?
Credit: Laura Chouette via Unsplash.com11. Try Meditating
Take some time to sit, be still and breathe. Our busy lives can sometimes leave us so frantic that it can be difficult to get inspired. By taking the time out to meditate, you’ll give your brain a chance to refresh.
12. Follow Ten People Who Inspire You on Twitter
We’ve all got creative idols.
Go follow yours on Twitter and get inspired every day by their musings.
13. Give Yourself the Gift of Time
Don’t rush yourself. Give yourself a day to just be and do whatever comes to you. You might be surprised at the inspiration that strikes when you least expect it.
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Credit: Laura Chouette via Unsplash.com14. Read an Inspiring Blog Post
Visit your favorite bloggers and read an inspiring post. There’s nothing like a few powerful words to spark your inspiration. Insert Lifehack article.
15. Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone
It’s easy to get stuck in a routine. Try something you’ve never done before that pushes you out of your comfort zone. By breaking the routine of your daily life, you’ll encourage the flow of ideas and increase motivation.
16. Watch a Great Film
There’s something powerful about a great film that can really get you thinking.
Pick out a great film and absorb it fully.
17. Read an Autobiography of Someone You Admire
Reading about the life of someone you admire can be greatly inspiring. Hearing about their struggles and triumphs can inspire you in your own work.
18. Google Creativity Quotes Online
The words of others can be powerful and inspirational. Google creativity quotes and pick out ten that you find inspiring. Keep them in your journal and read them whenever you need a boost.
19. Journal Your Thoughts
Journaling can be a powerful release and spark creative inspiration both now and in the future. Your journal is your special space to be open and free with your words, letting what is within shine through.
Credit: Sixteen Miles Out via Unsplash.com20. Ask Someone Their Greatest Life Lessons
Seeking the wisdom of others can be incredibly inspiring. Ask someone you admire what the greatest lessons they have learned so far, you might just find a nugget of gold in there.
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21. Watch an Inspiring TED Talk
There are so many inspiring TED talks just waiting to be watched. From science to art, history to technology, whatever your creative thing is, there is a TED talk to inspire you.
22. Read One of the Classics
The classics are rightly named for a reason. Google ‘classic books’ and pick one to read this week.
Credit: Markus Spiske via Unsplash.com23. Experiment With Your Materials Without Pressure
Sit with your materials, experiment, and create whatever comes to mind without the pressure of deadlines or achieving a particular outcome. The process of experimentation is liberating and can spark some amazing ideas.
24. Ask Your Creative Friends About their Projects
Hearing about other people’s creative projects can be incredibly inspiring.
Ask your creative friends what they have been up to and get inspired by their enthusiasm and ideas.
25. Start Before the Inspiration Strikes
Sometimes to get inspired, you just need to start! Inspiration comes from doing, so get your materials out and start creating!
26. Give Yourself A Little Note
It can be as simple as you’re amazing. Put it somewhere visible where you can see it every day. Grab a whiteboard marker and write on your mirror. Add some doodles on the side to make it cute.
Credit: Howie R via Unsplash.com27. Talk A Stroll Down Memory Lane
Have you always wanted to visit your nursery school for some reason? Then, go ahead. It might be the inspiration you need.
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28. Volunteer
There’s nothing more inspiring than volunteering to help someone else or supporting a cause that benefits others.
You might not have the financial means to help someone out but when you volunteer, you give something invaluable, which is your time.
29. Travel
Travel by bus, train, plane, or whichever way you like. Being in transit gives you some headspace to ponder about life, and sometimes generate new ideas.
Credit: Redd via Unsplash.com30. Strike Up A Conversation With A Stranger
This one’s a hit or miss. But sometimes you get to talk to a random stranger and you instantly vibe with them and end up having a good conversation.
Final Thoughts
These are just some ideas to get you started. You don’t have to try much to get inspired. Just take a look around you, and learn to appreciate all the little things. Be creative; go out of your comfort zone; do something you’ve always wanted to do.
Featured photo credit: Marcelo Matarazzo via unsplash.com
17 Ways to Find Inspiration and Spark Creativity
No matter what your medium of creativity is, you have to draw on inspiration at least sometimes in order to grow as an artist.
Inspiration helps us generate new ideas and makes us excited to get out of bed in the morning and start working.
You may seek out inspiration without even realizing that’s what you’re doing; for example, if you follow artists you look up to, learning the ways they maintain inspiration could be a way you motivate yourself. Or maybe you have a friend who always leaves you feeling energized after you spend time with them. That’s finding inspiration at its finest!
But what is inspiration, exactly?
We all know what it feels like to be inspired, but we may have a harder time putting our finger on what exactly inspiration is. Psychologists have defined inspiration as motivation from an external source that causes a person to have an idea and/or produce something creatively. In simpler terms, you see or experience something—whether that’s a tree or a piece of work by someone else—that causes you to ultimately create something of your own.
Turn your inspiration into creation!How to Get Inspired? Check Out These 17 IdeasLuckily, if you’re in a rut, wondering where to find inspiration, or fear you may be suffering from some sort of artistic block, it’s not hard to find inspiration all around you.
Experiment with some of the following practices, and see what works for you.
Even something as familiar as the city you’ve lived in for a while has inspiration to offer if you explore it in a new way. Is there a different restaurant you can order from instead of your tried-and-true? Could you do things in a different order as you go about your day today?
2. Take a HikeBeing out in nature is good for you, and moving your body is a great way to stir up new ideas. If you’ve been puzzling over a specific creative question for a while, sometimes answers will arise naturally while you’re doing something unrelated, like walking or hiking. Look up hikes in your area, and get outside.
3. Make Time to RestThough it’s easy to forget this, rest is an essential part of the artistic cycle. We can’t always be creating; we also have to take time to recharge and let things simmer so new ideas can rise to the surface.
Rest doesn’t always have to mean doing nothing or napping, either. It can look like reading a book, baking, or tending to your garden—anything that makes you feel peaceful.
4. Spend Time Connecting With Other ArtistsPart of what’s so great about artistic communities is that artists can connect with other creatives they may not have met otherwise, and everyone is always finding inspiration from one another. Forging friendships and connections with new artists, whether in your industry or not, is a great way to start thinking in different ways and come up with new ideas.
Artist networking events and meetups are a great place to source inspiration. 5. Outsource or Streamline Things When You CanSometimes it’s not as obvious to us why we aren’t inspired. However, if you’re spending a lot of your time managing things that don’t allow you to be creative, that can be a potential block. Consider outsourcing tasks or look at ways you can streamline.
For example, if you’re spending time each day reviewing your business financials, can you instead set aside a block of time once a month or hire someone else to do it? This way, you aren’t pulling yourself away from creative work as much.
6. Try Free JournalingIf you’ve ever done The Artist’s Way 12-week program, one of the core practices within the book is called “Morning Pages,” in which you sit down and free-write three pages every day, first thing. If that feels like too much, what about sitting down to journal for a page a day, or a set amount of time each morning? Sometimes writing down what’s in our head can deliver surprising insights.
7. Just Get StartedIt’s easy to get lost in the details of what needs to happen before, during, and after a project in order for it to be successful—sometimes so much so that we lose sight of the simplest part, which is that we have to actually do the work! Once you’ve started a project, you may find you’re inspired simply by the progress you’re making and that’s all you need to keep going.
Look around you. Do your surroundings make you feel good? Look up basic feng shui principles and consider moving furniture or objects around. Add fresh flowers to your space. Think about what inspires you in a physical sense, and try to make sure it’s reflected in your living space. Especially with as much time as we’ve been spending at home lately, changing up your environment can help unearth some new thoughts.
Find inspiration by creating a floral arrangement to brighten your space.9. Listen to New Types of MusicVenture out from your usual genre of music this week. If you usually listen to classical music, what about switching it up for some jazz or an instrumental movie score? You could also check out binaural beats, which are reported to reduce anxiety and increase focus.
10. Visit a MuseumSpending time with other people’s finished art, viewing artifacts from other cultures, or learning new concepts can all spark new ideas, especially if you’re wondering how to get inspired to draw.
If you can’t actually go to the museum, try a virtual tour. Either way, viewing new-to-you pieces of art—or ones you already know and love—can put you in a different mindset.
Sometimes all you need is to just sit down and make time for the work, and the work will follow. You might surprise yourself with the skills you have! Use creative prompts to generate fresh ideas, or try something like a whimsical watercolor class if you’re not an experienced painter.
12. Learn About Someone Who Inspires YouLearning about other people’s creative processes or their lives can help guide you on where to find inspiration. Think about public figures or artists you admire. See if they have books or blogs you can read, TED talks you can watch, or podcast interviews you can listen to. You’ll likely learn something new you can apply to your own life.
13. Practice MindfulnessCertain types of consciousness can help us get into a creative state more easily.
Consider meditating for just a few minutes a day or, if that’s too intimidating, just spend a minute carefully observing something. You’d be surprised how in the moment you can feel after studying a flower for 60 seconds, and that awareness can help you bring fresh eyes to your work.
Start a collection of references to what inspires you. For example, if you’re a writer, you could start a document full of quotes and excerpts from your favorite stories. When you’re feeling low on original ideas, you could review some of these in order to get the wheels turning again.
15. Think About Your Childhood HobbiesWhat did you love to do when you were a kid? Oftentimes we put away our childhood hobbies for more “adult” pursuits as we get older, but connecting with your inner child can be a great way to get creative. There’s no reason to be embarrassed for wanting to break out the Play-doh or play around with watercolors, no matter your age.
Write press releases for the projects you see yourself completing or that you’re currently working on, and be as detailed as possible. What is the project? What was the reception like? Revisit these regularly to keep yourself excited about your work and remind yourself what you’re working toward.
17. Volunteer to Teach Something You KnowMany times, we don’t even know how much we know until we teach someone else. Can you offer to teach someone basic photography editing or show someone how you crafted your awesome artist’s statement? Talking through your process with someone else can not only build your confidence, but it can also help you think of new ways to approach your work.
In order to keep creating, we must make sure we stay in balance. Being creative is a constant negotiation between input and output, and staying inspired requires being attuned to the world around us and being thoughtful about the ways in which we feed our creativity.
We hope you’re more inspired than ever to try some of these tips!
Find Inspiration Through Science!
The Scientific Method for Artists: Find Inspiration, Get Motivated and Grow Your Creative Skills.
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10 ways to find inspiration for new ideas
Business and creativity are concepts that seem to initially contradict each other. Business is about money, creativity is about the soul. Of course, there are lucky people who, while doing creative work, also manage to earn a lot of money. And how do they do it? Where to look for inspiration for new projects and unique ideas?
Everyone is looking for inspiration now, not only representatives of the creative business. It's just the way a person works: over time, everything starts to bother. It is worth fulfilling a cherished dream, as after a few years it ceases to seem such a serious victory. And then the question arises: what to do next?
Nothing is permanent in life – everything changes.
And we have to change with it. In order for the eyes to burn and inspiration never leaves, it is enough to follow a few simple, at first glance, rules.
1. Feed on beauty
Art is always inspiring, from ballet to photography exhibition. Do not withdraw into yourself, think broader, be open to what is happening in the world. More often devote time to art, architecture, music. Walk alone through the halls of the museum, peering with curiosity at unusual paintings. What did the artist think about, in what conditions did he work, what idea did he want to capture on canvas? Take a closer look at the sculptures and just imagine: it all started with a huge shapeless stone! Listen to live music performed by a symphony orchestra - it's truly magical and powerful. Among fans of contemporary culture, exhibitions of a new format are now popular, where images, music and the latest technologies are combined. And a very important tip: read the classics. Despite the fact that now is the time of visuals, it is only through the written style that the words of the great classics penetrate our brains, but directly into our souls.
2. Travel
So that thoughts are not crowded, sometimes it is enough to get out of the four walls and change the situation. When this is not enough, leave for at least a few days in another city or country. This is a great experience, a source of vivid impressions and the best way to combine business with pleasure: take a break from the oppressive atmosphere and bad weather, as well as discover new horizons and get to know the culture of other peoples. What if we go to Venice for two days and go to an open-air museum? Visit Florence or Rome? Or maybe go to London? Inspiration will descend on you right on the Thames - tested and guaranteed. And for those who are charged with positive energy from adrenaline, there are also a lot of options: extreme excursions, walks over the abyss, diving with sharks, volcanic surfing, bungee jumping, rafting and much more. There is no way to drop everything and arrange an unscheduled vacation? Review photos and videos: for sure, the warmest memories of recent travels will come to life in your memory.
3. Take time to think
Inspiration loves silence. Many classics spent huge hours in solitude, sometimes even several months. Pushkin created his masterpieces away from noisy cities, in solitude - in Mikhailovsky, where no one and nothing distracted him.
4. Be out in nature more often
Unfortunately, we have become too isolated from nature, this is especially felt in large cities and metropolitan areas. However, we still need the noise of foliage, fog, invigorating air. We are complex creatures, and it can be difficult to understand what and how affects us. Nevertheless, it has been proven that nature helps to calm down, slow down the frantic rhythm of thoughts in the head, and pacify the restless mind. Moral overload and stress is what prevents you from creating.
5. Add bright emotions to your life
Inspiration is inextricably linked with emotions. This means that emotions are exactly what you need to fill every day you live.
Legendary works of art appeared to the world due to the fact that their authors were in joy, euphoria, deep sadness or depression. The main thing is not to chase the muse with the “I have to” mindset – quickly finish the picture, finish the article, urgently complete the design project, present the concept of the event in half an hour... Artificially created motivation has nothing to do with talent and creativity. If your lifestyle does not involve a series of successive events, then abstract from the routine and indulge in dreams, like a child. These rare minutes of dialogue with your "I" will help determine the vector of movement towards the intended goals
6. Communicate
Live communication is the key to new possibilities and thoughts. The inner world of each of us is unique. Through communication, we can sometimes get many times more useful and necessary than in any other known way. If you are inspired by a positive and kind atmosphere, spend time with loved ones or call old friends.
I want to plunge headlong into the rhythm of the metropolis - at least for a day, give up a comfortable car and switch to public transport in the morning. In this case, unforgettable dialogues, and, therefore, the ground for reflection and creativity are 100% guaranteed.
7. Learn to rest
Working 24 hours a day, don't expect the muse to come as a reward on the 25th. Fatigue is one of the worst enemies of inspiration. The body needs a reboot. Otherwise, your favorite business will sooner or later turn into a burdensome burden. Break the habit of working for quantity and realize that it is impossible to achieve a high result when the mind and body can hardly restrain themselves from screaming “SOS”. If you feel how discomfort and stress fill your every cell, it's time to pause. Take a break from the work process: pour a cup of fragrant tea, turn on pleasant music, go for a massage or SPA treatments, breathe fresh air or just sleep for a couple of extra hours.
8.
Be open to new ideas The ability to recognize what can be borrowed from the flow of limitless information is also an art. However, this is not about plagiarism and stamping the same concepts. Your goal is to find non-banal ideas and, based on them, generate something unique and not like what was before. Why reinvent the wheel when you can innovate and adapt it to your target audience?
9. Clean up
There is an opinion that creative people are prone to disorder. Look around - is everything in its place? They say that without order there will be no order in the head. It is possible that the cause of the creative decline is confusion in the papers on the desktop, scattered things and unsystematic storage of files on the computer. Alas, the world has lost many phenomenal ideas due to human laziness. Determine your place for each item, and with what has long lost its relevance, it may be worth saying goodbye once and for all. Many note that after a general cleaning, thoughts are ordered, sorted out, and creativity is in full swing.
10. Work with pleasure
To succeed, you need to work with a positive attitude. A bad mood and constant thoughts about how tired you are of working become an obstacle to achieving creative success. Try to enjoy not only the tasks solved, but also the process itself.
If you do not stop there, do what you love, believe in yourself, your ideas and confidently go towards your dream, then you can conquer any heights and overcome any obstacles - even a creative crisis.
All is lost: where to find inspiration?
Psychology
Once again, the boss says that your ideas are no longer relevant, and you yourself are not trying hard enough. You, in turn, get upset, go headlong into work, refuse sleep, read the necessary literature and study the work of competitors. However, you are still in a creative stupor and lose productivity, thinking about whether you have chosen the right profession. ELLE asks you to calm down, exhale and follow our advice to bring back inspiration.
Be alone
A creative block occurs when you are overwhelmed with information, even though your head seems empty. And instead of being alone, putting things aside for a while and figuring out if you really have a problem, you add new things to your schedule in order to make your brain work with more intensity. All you need to do is spend a day or two alone with yourself and understand that any crisis is just a new experience.
Put literature aside
Yes, it's never too late to learn, and even more so from competitors, but when you're in an idea crisis, all sources are useless. Put magazines, books and Google aside, abstract from work, do not try to find a way out here and now: inspiration lives elsewhere - this is our next point.
Take a look around
If you're having a creative block, we highly recommend taking a few days off and getting out into nature. If this is not possible, ask to work remotely - from the park or your favorite cafe.
As a rule, we are inspired by unusual surroundings and simple details: let it be the blossoming of apple trees, a walk along the promenade with a refreshing lemonade, watching strangers or everyday life outside your office.
Explore new places
These could be museums, gardens, coffee shops or libraries. Go to the exhibition, even if you think that you do not understand contemporary art, get out on the observation decks and look at open dance classes. It will not take much time, but it will fill you with new impressions.
Make new acquaintances
Nothing is more inspiring than meeting a musician, a writer or a person of any other profession who is in love with his work. In addition, he can also give a couple of tips on finding lost inspiration - love for a profession does not arise without loss.
Do what you're good at
The first thought that comes to us when we're in a collapse is, "I can't do anything else," which isn't true.
Start by doing simple tasks that do not require a special approach: cook dinner, shake the press, arrange things in the closet according to feng shui, start keeping a notebook with quotes from your favorite works. This will help to distract and understand that everything is easier than it seems.
Create a morning ritual
Small rituals that we repeat every day at the same time give us a guarantee that we can control our lives, which means that we are not afraid of any crisis. Even a glass of water with lemon, a 5-minute exercise, a run, or 10 pages of a book you read in the morning can make your day better and more productive.
Don't be a perfectionist
This seems unacceptable, but relax. No need to strive for greatness and originality in what you do. Often it is thoughts about one's own uniqueness and intolerance that can slow down the process of work. If you follow the plan every day, calmly following the points, then you will begin to do everything and even more, gradually moving towards self-improvement.
Go in for sports
One of the founders of the American company National Forest believes that ideas are hidden behind being overweight. “I go for a run, or I go for a bike ride, or I go for a walk with the dog — basically, do anything but work on a project. My theory is that good ideas are hidden in excess weight; if you burn it, they will be free!” Sport gives a boost of adrenaline and energy, besides, it gets rid of bad thoughts, so if all people on Earth adored sports, there would be only one point left in this material.
A new hobby
Our grandmothers' favorite proverb - "Knock out with fire" - will come in handy. To continue working on one thing you love, find another. Perhaps it is through a new hobby that you can understand in which direction you need to move. So take a course in jewelry, Chinese, or fashion illustration.
Start a journey
Where, if not on the other side of the world, open new horizons for yourself? Don't have the time or opportunity to get a one-way ticket to Bali? Well, then get on the "Sapsan" or in your own car and go to the northern capital, or maybe on a short trip to neighboring cities.
