We often think of inspiration as the Holy Grail of creativity. We imagine that it strikes a person like lightning and opens a new path for ideas, which then materialize into something amazing. Unfortunately, when you think about how to find inspiration in this way, it means it’s completely out of control. Obviously, it’s something that comes from the outside. And there’s nothing you can do but wait for that special state to come to you. But does it?
Asking the question, how do you get inspiration, can you answer that it will come if you just do nothing and wait? I don’t think so. And I’ve been convinced of that many times in my life. You see, you really can do something when you wait for that divine spark. Let’s talk about what can inspire a person and where to find sources of inspiration.
When the inspiration is gone
Stop waiting and do something.
Some people probably have a hard time accepting this because it’s easier to put the responsibility of where to get inspiration on someone else. It’s easier to say, “I can’t get started because I don’t have inspiration.” When in fact, the work itself will do it for you.
I love the following quote by the famous artist Pablo Picasso. In the context of how to get inspiration for work, he said:
Inspiration exists, but it has to find you in the work itself.
So where to find inspiration
It’s hard to compare yourself to the workflow of a creative person of this magnitude, so let me give you an easier example. Let’s say you want to impress someone special and decide to cook a three-course dinner worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant. You work, you study the ingredients, you think about the flavors, you try different options, but something is still wrong. Something is missing, but you can’t figure out what exactly. Then suddenly, on your morning walk, it comes to you completely out of the blue. That one ingredient that was missing will now transform your menu from ordinary to delightful.
Was it that it was unexpected? Or was it something that had been bothering you from the moment you started making the menu? You didn’t get an epiphany on how to paint impressionist paintings, did you? Because your mind wasn’t there, it was with your beautiful menu, even when you weren’t actively working on it. Note the word “actively” in this case. In that sense, your mind is awesome. It works for you even when you are not consciously thinking about something.
Nevertheless, you have to work at it first.
You have to go deep into your project, think about it, study it from different perspectives, draw, paint, take notes-anything to get you to a point where suddenly you can connect the dots and create something extraordinary. Once you realize this, it won’t take you long to find inspiration.
But how will you do it? Well, everyone will have a different style of working. Some people are more visual, others take a more scientific approach, etc. However, there are certain ways you can prepare for inspiration, no matter what you’re working on. Here are 5 tips on where to look for inspiration if you find yourself in a creative rut.
Tips on how to call for inspiration
Write ideas in a notebook
Ideas can come to mind at any moment, and while not all of your ideas will be the incredible inspiration you’ve been waiting for, they’re all worth writing down. Because ideas breed ideas. And who knows, maybe what seems silly today will turn out to be the point you were missing tomorrow.
Draw anything
Drawing is a great tool for developing creativity and finding new ideas. Simply drawing on a piece of paper has a huge impact on how your brain works. It helps you understand new concepts and come up with new ideas. And it’s a lot of fun.
Books
How do you get inspired with books? Of course, you can also find literature online, but surrounding yourself with paper books on a certain topic will help you find something inspiring. You don’t have to study books thoroughly; even just plain page-turning can often help. In addition, sometimes studying classics on your topic can also provide a much-needed change of perspective and inspire you.
Games and experiments
When you feel like you’ve done your work, but inspiration is still lacking, take the time to experiment with what you’ve already done. This way, you’ll get rid of the need to find a single solution or a magic idea. By getting away from the rules of the “real world,” you are more likely to come up with creative and unconventional ideas. Another option with the experiment, visit a new, unusual for you place, for example a casino, where you can get a new gaming experience, get new communication, emotions. By the way, in the age of the Internet, you can not even go out of the house and experience new emotions in an online casino, it can be a wonderful experiment for the evening.
Meditation
After working on a project for a while and still not finding the right idea, the volume of information in your brain can be overwhelming. If this happens, I suggest you shut down for a while. Try sitting in a comfortable position in a quiet room and focus on your breathing. Let go of any thought that may arise and just be in the moment. After 10 to 15 minutes, your mind will be clearer, and you’ll have fresh energy to assimilate new ideas.