I want to talk about finding inspiration. Just because I am an artist, doesn’t mean I spend all day blissing out in front of an easel listening to Jimi Hendrix. Sure sometimes that’s how I operate, but more often than I’d like to admit, I have just as much of a hard time finding inspiration as you.
Whether you’re an artist or just trying to get through your day in a cubicle, inspiration will not always be there and eventually you may forget that you have a duty to yourself and the world to bring new ideas into being and push boundaries to see what’s possible.
So here’s a tip that I suggest… Start to sling your creative web. My kids are super into Spider-man, so bear with me here.
If you work on routinely building a web like a Spider would eventually some idea will show up and stick. The trick is learning to be patient and being ok with whatever you catch.
I am just as guilty as anyone with forgetting this. I catch myself saying how I can’t work on a new painting because I have to get my new plugin on my website configured (I do this a lot) and I’ll set up my creative web tomorrow but I’m too busy today to just sit around and wait for ideas. I can’t start a new freelance project now because I have emails to do. I can’t work on writing because my desk is messy and needs to be cleaned up right now and anyway whatever I write will probably suck.
Sometimes we need distraction, we can’t shoot our creative webs all the time. So I suggest being more disciplined with routines to stay creative.
Routines? I know that doesn’t sound very free-spirited and bohemian artist-like does it? I used to paint when inspiration hit at 2 in the morning or drop everything I was doing to draw a new idea in my sketchbook in the middle of the day…Then I had kids.
Nowadays, I need discipline to let go or else I forget to make time. Sometimes I forget that I even like art enough to make the time in the first place. It sounds counterproductive to be disciplined to make art, I know. but without a routine, nothing gets done.
This is something I’m working too. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been meeting all of my freelance deadlines and doing new artwork. I feel super inspired when I’m creating art, but sometimes it takes me a while to find that happy place and it often requires a lot more planning than it used to. The key for me is to not lose sight of the magic that I have an ability to connect with, just as you do. What I do differently than some, is that I am willing to wait as long as it takes and am fully committed.
So now , I schedule time to shoot my creative wed. And while I am preparing to catch inspiration I remember to find pleasure and gratitude in the creative web building too.
I still catch myself losing patience and feeling insecure when I schedule time and nothing shows up. It feels like a waste of time, like I lost my super-power. But when I just let go and breathe and have fun with the process, the ideas always show up. Maybe not right away, maybe not tomorrow, but I have confidence that my creative web slinging will pay off. It always does.
If you’re feeling in a rut try to create a routine to regularly shoot your creative web and see what you catch!
Much love,
Jay
