January 27th, 2010
On Finding (And Keeping) Your Inspiration
For the observant bunch, you’ve probably noticed that I stopped participating in NaBloPoMo. I know I’d vowed to post every day for the month of January, but the forced posts became too taxing on me. I loathed the task of writing a blog entry knowing that I had to do it. Two weeks later after having “quit” and am no longer required post daily, all I want to do is compile blog posts.
Funny how inspiration works. It’s not something that can be forced and task produced. Sure, you can whip things out one after another, but in time, when your heart really isn’t feeling your creative process, your output becomes stale. You’re uninspired.
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to run off of “To Do” lists and deadlines. But that’s a fact of reality. For those of us pursuing (or who currently have) a career in the arts, forcing a masterpiece will be a common occurrence. Inspiration isn’t something we all automatically possess and channel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It comes and goes like appetite. And like the body, similarly, we have to fuel our inspiration and feed it properly. Though there’s no fail safe way to prevent the inspiration well going dry, here are a few things I’ve learned over the yearsi that have helped me rediscover my missing inspiration.
Do not saturate yourself. I know I can (and sometimes do) spend hours upon hours perusing blogs, We Heart It, Tumblr, and Flickr. But there’s a point when it becomes too much. If all you’re doing is absorbing idea after idea after idea from others, you won’t have room for your own unique thoughts. Shut everything down and give yourself room to breathe.
Explore different media. If you’re a painter, go see a ballet. If you’re a photographer, go read a book. Musician? Watch a movie. Go to the opera. Play a board game. Study an encyclopedia. Whatever it is you’re doing, switch it up and explore something you normally wouldn’t. Inspiration comes from the strangest of places.
Do not designate a time to “be creative”. Let the creativity come to you. If you tell yourself, “Tomorrow at 10 o’clock, I will sit down and come up with x number of ideas”, you’re going to find yourself completely frustrated and discouraged with yourself when that isn’t accomplished. To an extent, scheduling brainstorming must be done to meet project deadlines, but work in loose time frames. Instead of the above example, try “Tomorrow I will brainstorm ideas. By the next day, I will narrow down and select the best from what I came up with.”
Know when to walk away. Not every idea will be your best. And most likely, your best won’t be your first idea either. Know when an idea is uninspired or too lofty to realize. Especially when you’re on a time line. It’s natural to want to go above and beyond, but be realistic with your expectations. Trying to push yourself further than you can go can instantly zap away your motivation and will to complete your task.
Keep an ideas journal. Carry it with you at all times. You could be struck by an idea at any time of the day. Make sure no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can record this idea. When you’re feeling uninspired, go back through your journal. Something you’d previously recorded may strike you as genius.
Get an outsider’s opinion. Pick the brain of someone completely re-moved from your project. Talking an idea out with someone who has no idea what you’re doing will force you to lay out the guidelines in extreme detail and may bring you to a “Eureka!” moment.
Shut yourself down. Sit in the dark and clear your mind of any thought or feeling. Put in a mediation tape. (Or if you’re without, ambient/chill-out music works well. I recommend Heather Woods Broderick and Mazzy Star.) Focus on thinking about nothing. Perhaps that sounds crazy, but eventually you go into a trance-like state and your mind begins to wonder off on very strange tangents.
Do something with the other half of your brain. I’m sure everyone’s heard the left brain, right brain theory: your left brain controls your analytical thought process, and right, your creative thought process. Give your right brain a break and do something devoid of much creativity. Do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle, watch Jeopardy!, challenge yourself to a game of Solitaire.
Be silly. Act silly. Twirl around and around and around until you’re so dizzy you topple over. Play Mad Libs. Draw a hopscotch game on your driveway and give it a whirl. Make shadow puppets and narrate their actions. Go about all your household chores while sitting on the floor. Finger paint with your eyes closed.
Experiment, experiment, experiment! Yes, you’re feeling wiped clean and like every idea that comes to you is the worst possible thought in the entire history of creative thinking. Trust me, it’s not. A seemingly bad idea is better than no idea at all. A bad idea may lead you in the path of something brilliant; you just don’t know it yet. So experiment! And without fear of failure.
And most of all…
Be positive. It’s mind over matter, folks. When you think it, you start to believe it. Trust yourself and your abilities. Maybe there’s a small snag in the leotards of your inspiration, but apply a little nail polish, and once it fills that temporary void, you’ll be on your way again as good as new.
- through my experiences as a graphic design, piano, and interior architecture and design student (»)
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Category: Inspiration |
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Glad to find another Mazzy Star fan! I love them. :D
And thank you – I’ve never had anyone call me wise before!
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