Life Happens. So life has a way of getting busy all the freakin’ time. Everyone needs a creative outlet. Whether its, painting, drawing, taking pictures, designing, cooking, crafting, being active, writing, shooting videos, playing music etc everyone has their own way of being creative. (Mine is painting.) Believe me I know how hard is to get inspired and start creating something, anything. That’s why I wanted to share my method of how to get inspired.
How to get Inspired
Between your day job, to your side hustle, to taking care of your kids (or if you’re like me you have fur babies), you need that time to spark those creative juices flowing within you. Einstein said it best:
“Creativity is just intelligence having fun.”
Which is so completely true, so have fun with it! If you’re not having fun than what’s the point of creating at all? Enjoy what you do.
To get in a the mood to create I like to have some level of a deep focal state. To help me to achieve this focus I like to do the following 9 things, sparking my creativity:
1. Tidy Room, Tidy Mind
Having a designated creative area clean a might not seem like much but I think it is the most important. If there’s a mess on my desk with dirty paper towels, yesterdays mail, day old coffee… there is no way I’m going to want to create anything or do anything productive. Having minimal to nothing on my desk helps me to get in that mindset which means more room for all the artsy activities!
2. Good Tunes
Maybe you’re not a music fanatic like me but 99.9% of the time when I’m doing anything creative I definitely have the tunes bumpin’! I tend to lean towards psychedelic rock, the more guitar rifts the better. Lately I’ve into the more classical, instrumental kind of music with no lyrics. There’s a fluidity to it so I lose myself onto the canvas through the melodies. You might find my post about the Best Tnstrumental Songs to Create to very helpful, to get you in the mood!
3. Quench Your Thirst
Call me lazy, but I don’t like having to get up, go to the kitchen, and grab or make whatever to quench my thirst. I like having something to sip on while I’m doing my thing! Coffee and tea are perfect for a cold day or to just comfort you if you’re having a hard time jumping into things. By night time I’m switching to a beer or glass of wine. (They make excellent confidence boosters too!) Alway have that H20 though, gotta stay hydrated which is always good for a healthy creative mind!
4. Don’t Be Hangry
Nothing is worse for me than being so immersed in my painting, then the next thing I know, my stomach starts growling. Ugh. Now I gotta go make something, and let’s face it I’m a struggling artist so I don’t even have anything to cook. My stomach is getting angry at this point. So I put down my brush and handle my hanger-ness. By the time I’m done with my meal break my creativity has vanished. Poof. Just trust me, never create on an empty stomach.
5. Get Lit
Not that kind of lit. Although I don’t appose it either. tehehe…
The more light you have the better. I tend to open my windows wide during the day and to let that Vitamin D in. At night be sure to light up your desk lamp. There’s something about well lit rooms that give off a positive energy. Positive energies help to creating a positive mind. Which is why it makes the perfection addition to my how to get inspired list!
6. References Are a Plus
“Once I’ve decided on a good subject, I find as many references I can find that applies to my subject. I’m not just talking one or two. You should see my Artboard file in Illustrator theres a few here, there, everywhere! You honestly can’t ever have enough!” – This tidbit is a section of part of another blog article I wrote for The Paint Sesh on Deciding What to Paint: Art Instructor Struggle.
7. Nature Fix
Probably one of my favorite methods on how to get inspired: Go outside. I’m a huge nature lover. I live in sunny Southern California so I have more to glance around at. Everything outdoors inspires me the most. Stop and smell the roses every once in awhile. Sometimes we all just need a breath of fresh air and a fresh clear mind.
8. No Distractions
I’ll say again, NO DISTRACTIONS! In this day and age it’s so easy fall into the social media black hole. Granite, I totally understand when you need to market your process in your Instagram stories, etc, but if you have A.D.D. like I do, you’ll end being on your phone for awhile. When the creativity strikes you When you’re looking to be creative make sure you are closed out of Facebook on your laptop, and please for the sake of God lose the phone, (or if you have no self control have your significant other hide your phone like I do.) I promise, you’ll thank me in the long run.
9. Just Do It
This sums up my 9 steps on how to get inspired that I find to spark my creativity. But my biggest advice… just do the dang thing! It’s true what they say: You’re creativity only works when you do. The more you keep creating no matter how good or bad. If you finish or not. The more more you are challenging your creative muscles. –(That’s what I call them anyhow.) The more you challenge those muscles the more ideas you’ll start having, becoming more inspired!
So get to it!
-xoxo, Chelz
