How do you find your artistic inspiration?
- on 08.19.08
- inspiration
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For those of you who are artists and authors, how do you find your inspiration and drive? What keeps your ideas coming and flowing, and what motivates you to bring them to completion?
And finally, do you have any tips to re-motivate and re-inspire a rather disillusioned artist/author I know? Thanks!
What a wonderful question. I know this is true because I drift in and out of disillusionment and inspiration on nearly a daily basis. I think after all these years I have discovered what works for me and apparently, from reading about the struggles of others with similar difficulties works for them as well. Ready? Wait for it! It's the WORK! Yes that's right, it's the work. It is not some muse which guides me here and there within my artistic self and then abandons me. It is the understanding that if I do the work within my own heart and soul, and head and actually produce product based upon that effort, then whatever I am artistically gets seen by me and others thereby my art is produced. And often when I am so blocked by all those named and unnamed things which I consider to be in my way, and they number in the thousands, which can stop me writing, or photographing or doing whatever it is I can do artistically at that moment, I know that If I just DO IT, write word upon word, nonsensically if necessary, or photograph a bug, or a flower or whatever, anything, my ability will all of a sudden reemerge. I know HOW to take pictures. I KNOW how to write. When I feel blocked and unable to create I have a thousand excuses why I can not create. I can set a thousand barriers in front of me to disallow progress. And I have gone years using those impediments as excuse. But the truth is that no one cares if I write or take pictures. I mean they say they do but in the scheme of things, in comparison to world hunger, war, planetary defilement, my artistic output is of little import. It is only in the RESULT of whatever art I can actually produce that people can find something to feel about my work. I can talk about my art. I can boast about it and promise it and lament its incompleteness. But only if I actually produce something can it be called art. And even then it may be bad art and I may find eventually and sooner rather then later that I suck as an artist. But if I don’t produce something, anything, if I only remain one of those who TALKS art, well then I am just another sap who let the barriers and blockages get in the way of that which I must do to be an artist. Actually make art. So with all that said, my suggestion to you is just do the work. Put word to paper, pen to ink, brush to canvas. Eventually the blocks will fall and the breaks will unsieze. If you are really an artist, your art will get you going again. Good luck.
get a muse!
References :
Inspiration
When inspiration pours forth art
like a flood of waters upon the ground,
The artist arises, shaken.
For he knows that he and the muse
have shared a heart-to-heart conversation.
He stands back in awe
that by his hand was art procreated.
From whence the inspiration came,
he once more seeks the muse
and finds he is gone.
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I have several artist friends and am currently dating one. I notice that a lot of inspiration comes from pain & strife that they experience in their lives. It is unfortunate that this inspires creativity, but perhaps this is an outlet. Theraputic, if you will…
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Sometimes if you are working on something, it is best to not think about it…. put it aside and do something else. The more you think about the fact that you can't write, the more you can't write… it turns into a vicious cycle. Allow your mind to wander, rest or just focus on other things in your life. You will be surprised at how the most mundane thing become fodder for a story! My best ideas come, believe it or not, first thing after I wake up or in the shower. Write when you get an idea and just put it aside for a while and go back to it when you are ready. Be gentle with yourself. It will come.
Good luck!
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Surround youself with creative people, that really helps.
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just look around about yourself …..every person that passes you by on the street has his or her autobiography written on them. the way the talk the way they carry themselves what they wear etc. casual observation my friend..that is a key
look at thuings from a wider angle….turn to nature its just waiting for you woth hidden mysteries ………a journal is an ideal begginiing..u can learn a lot from yourself
write about what u see ur opinions etc best of luck
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When the well runs dry, I ask myself, what have I been filling the well with? I need a constant flow of putting in what I want to come out. Going to a gallery ALWAYS inspires me, gives me new ideas to springboard from. Reading books that make me really THINK deeply. Even going to a movie that is highly creative and outside the box can spark my creative juices. If I am feeding on negative thoughts or around people who are not encouraging, I dry up.
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I think seeing new things when you are in a funk really helps. change things up a bit, get fresh ideas. I like to travel. Also good to read, get into new ideas, look at new art, research old art/or authors.
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I am an artist also. I change my surroundings, look at things from many angles and try to look at all things very openminded. Perhaps, a song……I think wow those are wonderful lyrics……I wonder how the person was feeling when they wrote it? I wonder what kinda life that person came from and what they are going through in their lives. We all get writers block, sometimes i visulize things in my life, sometimes I try to peek into other lives and other viewpoints. I have written pieces before about watching a squirrel in the park, but when I finished the piece you had no idea I was describing watching a squirrel in the park. Also the more you try to think of things seems to more it does not come to you. Sometimes meditaion on a total different subject, or simply letting your thoughts rest and just "Let go, Let be" attitude helps. I hope this helps. Good Luck
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when you are sensitive to everything
the tips is learn how to express yourself in visual manner.
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I'm a ceramist…..and i only start to work with the clay, without nothing inside my head……..and after some time, i can see something coming out from it. It seems to me that the clay has its own life, and i only have to help it to go out.
it's a great feeling when i can see several pieces finished and some pple buying them bcoz they liked them.
I cant rebuilt any of the pieces………….each ot them are unique………and cant be repeated.
And i like it that way
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I am an artist and for inspiration I look to my soul for the answer. It doesn't matter if I'm highly depress or high on life I will paint whatever I feel and some how that always makes me feel balanced. But if I'm feeling disillusioned about painting…it is time to step back and reexamine my career and life and get to the bottom of what is really the problem.
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What a wonderful question. I know this is true because I drift in and out of disillusionment and inspiration on nearly a daily basis. I think after all these years I have discovered what works for me and apparently, from reading about the struggles of others with similar difficulties works for them as well. Ready? Wait for it! It's the WORK! Yes that's right, it's the work. It is not some muse which guides me here and there within my artistic self and then abandons me. It is the understanding that if I do the work within my own heart and soul, and head and actually produce product based upon that effort, then whatever I am artistically gets seen by me and others thereby my art is produced. And often when I am so blocked by all those named and unnamed things which I consider to be in my way, and they number in the thousands, which can stop me writing, or photographing or doing whatever it is I can do artistically at that moment, I know that If I just DO IT, write word upon word, nonsensically if necessary, or photograph a bug, or a flower or whatever, anything, my ability will all of a sudden reemerge. I know HOW to take pictures. I KNOW how to write. When I feel blocked and unable to create I have a thousand excuses why I can not create. I can set a thousand barriers in front of me to disallow progress. And I have gone years using those impediments as excuse. But the truth is that no one cares if I write or take pictures. I mean they say they do but in the scheme of things, in comparison to world hunger, war, planetary defilement, my artistic output is of little import. It is only in the RESULT of whatever art I can actually produce that people can find something to feel about my work. I can talk about my art. I can boast about it and promise it and lament its incompleteness. But only if I actually produce something can it be called art. And even then it may be bad art and I may find eventually and sooner rather then later that I suck as an artist. But if I don’t produce something, anything, if I only remain one of those who TALKS art, well then I am just another sap who let the barriers and blockages get in the way of that which I must do to be an artist. Actually make art. So with all that said, my suggestion to you is just do the work. Put word to paper, pen to ink, brush to canvas. Eventually the blocks will fall and the breaks will unsieze. If you are really an artist, your art will get you going again. Good luck.
References :
Personal Experience
Read, watch, surf the net, notice, be curious and reflective.
Change your perspective, meaning go someplace you've never been before (it doesn't need to be a different city; it could be just under your kitchen table).
Re-motivating someone else is tough. SELF-expression has to come from the need to express oneself. How do you "re-foster" that need? One way is to demand that the person NOT even attempt to be creative for a week or a month or however long it takes. In other words, restrict the output completely until there is enough stimuli stored up so that the person is at the breaking point with the need to re-channel all that stimulus into an artistic expression.
Go back! Remember all the things that turned you on when you were more gung ho: the artists, the authors, the creative forces. Study them again. Also, learn about something completely new (the history of an area; strange insects; Indian gambling industry; the nature of freon; film noir, etc.)
My personal favorite jolt of inspiration and motivation comes from the author Tom Robbins, specifically his "Still Life with Woodpecker" or "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues."
So, basically, experience the ideas, inspiration and creativity of others, and it will inevitably manifest itself in your own ideas, inspiration and creativity.
Good luck!
References :
Many, many years in creative professions.
Talk to your observer. We all have one, the power to see and tell your story is motivation enough. Take a small sight first this is powerful stuff. Take the big vision and your dream may seem unattainable. You know pick your Battle. Do not close your eyes and if you happen to be blind then it is whatever senses you have to receive the story that only you can tell. All the experiences you have had need that observer. Report any way you can.
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Get your chi flowing again by shaking your hands. This is something simple and sometimes helps me.
Something else I have found that renews my inspiration and drive is Tai-Chi. Tai-Chi helps you focus and redirect your energy in a way nothing else can. Plus it's enjoyable and relaxing.
I've also heard that yoga helps( i wouldn't know about this as I've only tried the Tai-Chi exercises)
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When I see delicious food on the table
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where i get my inspiration from?…ok..from songs, personal events, things happened to my closest ppl..landscapes, colors, movies! i write stories and songs…most of the time, i write about myself..or my dreams…
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I don't believe in artistic inspiration. It's a job and I get paid for what I do. I do it daily without trying to glorify my work. I'm a script writer.
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Inspired by Love
Pick up your tool of choice & just go at it, If you are a real artist you will feel where the tools want to take you.
Or you know …absinthe, it contains 100mg of the psychoactive thujone adored by some of the world’s most notorious artists and writers. Van Gogh, Picasso, Hemingway…Bob Dylan, Marilyn Manson and Eminem are just a few who used and drew inspiration from this original Absinthe and its effects.
References :
http://www.absinthesupply.net/absinthe/history-of-absinthe.html
…by tuning in to beauty, that can be music or just paintings done by other artists..or a model, who is sitting for you…..
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i find my inspiration by what i know is around me…… since i am a designer and everytime i start a new project at skool i have the bad habit of (which in my case is good) of coming up with colors and stuff. being an artist causes u to observe everything……. i found inspiration in something so simple like a snapple bottle label….. love the colors or try things that u like…….fashion, movies, stuff like that when u find it …. ull no
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experience
I'm an aspiring author myself, and my drive to bring my work to completion is this little picture I have in my head of what my life could be like if I do it. I can't really explain it… I just have to tell these stories. It'd be such a waste not to finish it. It's almost like depriving the world of what could be a really great novel if I continue to work at it.
As for where my ideas come from, I'm not quite sure. I get a lot of moments where I'm really stuck on how to make something work or what to add in next, but then everything suddenly comes together. I had one just last night, as a matter of fact. I was writing to tell someone about the plot line for my newest idea and as I was explaining it, a bunch of new things came to mind and all fit together.
In the opinion of one Tom Monteleone, the subconscious, for most people, works through the day at cooking up some bizarre and detailed dreams, but for the writer, it's working at solving the problems you have with your writing. I suppose the same would be true for the artist and their art.
Re-motivation, eh? Hm… I'm not so sure about that. I write because I feel that I simply HAVE to. I love writing. It's my passion. A friend of mine has a passion for art. If this "disillusioned artist/author" doesn't love art/writing, I don't think I can help him/her.
As for re-inspiration, I'd say (s)he should just leave it alone for now. The mind works in mysterious ways, and at some point it'll just click. If a deadline's coming into play, I can give you some tips for an author, but I don't know about an artist.
1. Look up some interesting topics on the Internet that you can base a short story on.
2. Write fanfictions or other short stories about characters from a TV series or a movie or something.
3. Dig around in the Philosophy section right here on Answers; those questions will usually get your creative juices flowing and make you think.
4. Ask yourself "What if [fill in blank here] were to happen?" and try to answer.
I hope that helps. Always willing to assist a fellow author or artist.
References :
Personal experience, and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing a Novel" by Tom Monteleone.
I actually do dream about my inspiration.
What I often do to re-energize my creativity is to read poetry or something that is verbally creative and illustrate an interpretation of the words. Sometimes it's as simple as looking at old art history books or fantasy art or pixelated video game art.
When you are lost in thought of "what next", look for something you've never done before and make it your own, what would you do different, what elements do you like in each piece, etc.
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