There is a general societal misconception out there about inspiration. In TV and movies, we see depressed creatives drinking and drugging because they suffer from a creative block of some kind. Some writers, painters, etc., go months or even years without creating anything because they feel “blocked”. Although this is a real issue for many creatives, there are sound solutions to this problem and they can be applied to any creative project. They aren’t just for creatives. Everyday life and most professions/jobs require you to employ some form of creativity along the way.
The key is not to sit around and wait for a wave of inspiration to wash over you out of nowhere as if it came from some unknown source or all-knowing being. If a creative is waiting for that, it may never happen.
I’m not sure how other people do it, but I can explain how I do it, and this process can work for any creative project. It can also help you to simply lead a more inspired life. I have used it to write papers in graduate school, put together business proposals and prepare for painting a large series of paintings for a show. I have used it for household creative projects, creating lesson plans for my college students, and event planning.
*Just to be clear, I never really knew I had this process of getting and maintaining inspiration until I was asked many times about it and needed to learn to define exactly where the “magic” happens.
#1 Understand What Inspiration Is
Inspiration is a key component to almost everything we do as human beings. Problem-solving of all kinds, science, math, engineering, and a plethora of creative fields all require the ‘spark’ in order to make things happen. Yes, these fields also require education, experience, and logical thinking and applications but most great ideas start with a ‘spark’ or sudden brilliant creative idea…..or do they?
What is inspiration? Before we can talk about how to get inspiration and keep it coming, it’s important to understand what it is. In order to do that, I’d like to point out what it isn’t. Pablo Picasso said, “Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working”. Inspiration is not the bolt of lightning from the sky you sit and wait around for so you can finally create something great or solve a difficult problem. Getting inspired comes from working. It’s the spark you feel, the exciting push that occurs when all the things you’ve been working on come together in just the right way. In order for that to happen, you need to be working on some things.
#2 Fill Up the Tank
When I’m in the process of formulating the concept for a new series, I make it a point to seek out all kinds of new information. During this part of the process, I’m filling my brain with all kinds of visual and textual images. I take photos of things I find interesting, read articles of different kinds, look at other artists’ work, take in visual images in nature I find interesting. If you aren’t already, you’ll need to turn yourself into a very curious person. Also, make note of all the things you found interesting so you can revisit them later.
An important part of this process is focusing on the minute images and concepts, which fascinate you and figuring out why, so you’ll need to ask yourself a lot of questions. As you do this, certain themes you are more interested in focusing on will start to emerge. This is where you need to make notes and start separating those ideas and images from others. A clear vision of a project is extremely important to its outcome and there will be a time in this ‘Fill Up the Tank’ phase where you will feel uncomfortable, overwhelmed, and confused, but hang in there. Once you get those ideas in front of you and start focusing in on themes, your vision will become clearer.
#3 You Are Not a One-Person Show
This is sort of a ‘part 2’ to Filling Up the Tank. If you haven’t already figured this out, nothing is truly original. Everything we do is built from someone else’s work. So after you’ve filled up your tank with images and ideas you find interesting and asked yourself plenty of soul searching questions about why these are interesting to you, be sure to look at others in and out of your field and beyond who also had great ideas (the not so great ones are important too). Other people’s ideas matter, not because they are better than yours but because you can’t be the only person who has ever thought of what you are thinking of and if that’s the case, you can save yourself some work by investigating what other people have written and done along the same lines as your idea.
People before us lay the foundation for what we believe is possible now and studying this foundation can help us. This is done in many fields. Scientists move forward with research by assessing the failures, limitations, and triumphs of previous scientists. Don’t make the assumption that this means following the steadfast rules and ideas of those who came before you. The trick is to create a mind full of images and information to work with. Abraham Loeb of The Scientific American calls this the ‘pregnant mind’. He believes that truly great ideas come from filling the mind then moving away from the conventional ideas about that information. Draw good things from others and investigate ideas contrary to yours. This will give you a good balance of information and, if anything, help you to either reexamine what you are thinking or solidify your position with even more specificity.
When I was thinking about writing this blog, I had some clear ideas already in my head. I’d reexamined all the questions I’d had from collectors during shows about what inspires my abstract paintings. I also watched different documentaries on Netflix. Abstract is a fantastic series where you can see how some of the greatest creative minds bring ideas to fruition. The Creative Brain is also an excellent documentary. After all that, I still felt I needed to read some articles about what other people were saying regarding the elusive ‘inspiration’.
#4 Get A New Perspective
That was when I came across Abraham Loeb’s article about where ideas come from. I was reminded by reading it that it isn’t just about filling your brain with plenty of visual and textual images and information. Getting inspired also requires taking yourself out of conventional thinking to look at the information you’ve gathered with new eyes.
There are two parts to this. The first is getting a new perspective. In order to that, you have to look at the opposite side of what was presented to you (if we are talking about ideas and information). If there are no sides, try to think of turning the text or images around. Look at them from all angles. I have many photos I’ve taken of beautiful natural landscapes and there are many nature photographers I admire. I’m not trying to do what they do but I want to start with where they are and turn it into something else. The key is to take what you are passionate or curious about and turn it on its end, looking at it through a different, more uncomfortable perspective. This is what I’ve done with the collage work. I take the photos and magazine clippings and reimagine them into something completely different than how they were originally presented. The information and images presented are interesting to me but if I want to make truly inspired work, I need to get outside of myself. I need to be uncomfortable so I can find my own thing.
#5 Physically Remove Yourself From Your Ordinary, Conventional Routine
The second part of removing yourself from the conventional situation is to remove yourself physically from your studio, office, whatever conventional physical space is used for working, so you can be physically removed from the information you’ve gathered and simply let it cook in your brain. In 2018, I did a series of works on paper entitled ‘Trying Not to Think’. When I created the series, I was deep in my process of preparing for The Other Art Fair Brooklyn and wanted to detox myself from that process by doing some work without a plan. I was reluctant to start so I went out for a walk, took a shower, changed my cloths and freshened up again. During that time, it came to me that a way to start would be to limit my materials. I decided on a certain number of artist markers, magazine clippings, and paint colors left over from the large series on canvas I’d been working on. After I finished my outing, I went back into the studio and worked, with no plan other than to make 10 abstract paintings on paper using only those materials. I finished them all in 2 days. The result was stunning and it received the most positive commentary from collectors I’d ever experienced prior to that. Removing yourself from the routine can be as simple as walking the dog outside or as elaborate as traveling to another country. It’s up to you. Some of my best ideas come during my morning workout and I come back to my studio and take notes on what I thought about. Search for an activity which removes you from the conventional situation of your project, where you feel mental clarity, so you can be outside of it with your thoughts for a while.
Now Get to Work
By now, you’ve probably figured out that I don’t believe in the conventional idea of what inspiration is. There’s no lightning bolt of artistic genius about to strike me. There is no guidance or great ideas being put into my head by some intangible all-powerful being. It is simply all about the work. I believe our responsibility as human beings is to inspire each other and ourselves through our actions. Focus on what makes you feel curious. Fill up your mental tank with that good stuff and maybe some bad stuff too. Get a new perspective by turning all that good stuff on its end and make yourself uncomfortable. Then walk away for a bit by taking yourself outside the process. Go on….get to work….get inspired.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
Cat