6 Ways to Surround Yourself With Creative Inspiration
You’re not washed up if you’re feeling blocked.
There’s going to come a time in your creative life when inspiration alludes you. The words aren’t coming. The photos aren’t turning out right. The canvas isn’t cooperating. The drive just isn’t there.
When your soul feeds on your creativity, moments like these can make the walls feel like they’re closing in. Your life’s purpose loses meaning. You may even wonder if you’ve passed your peak and it’s all downhill from here.
Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.
Inspiration surrounds us, and most of the time we’re not even aware. Miraculous things are happening every single day, and we take it all for granted. The world around us is growing, thriving, living, dying, breathing, adapting, and creating. The people next to us are mourning, laughing, celebrating, fuming, hoping, hiding, loving, hating, and being. Everything is separate. And everything is connected.
Your job, as an artist is to A) be still enough to notice these things around you, and B) find that connection, and then share it through your art.
Easy, right?
Wrong.
When you’re stuck in a rut, discovering inspiration is as easy as running a marathon. It’s not impossible, but it’s going to take some practice and hard work to break through your creative blocks.
To chase these blocks away, here are six ways to surround yourself with inspiration.
1. Hang around creative people
While it’s tempting to retreat to your cave of creativity and go it alone, we humans are pack animals. We do okay on our own, but we thrive when we have a community. Find other artists you can relate with, and form your own community. If you’re not sure how, look up local Meetup groups or clubs that fit with your form of art. Take a community class to hone in on your skills and meet other students trying to do the same.
Shelter in Place (SIP) Note: Many groups have formed online communities. Just because you can’t leave your home doesn’t mean you can’t still connect!
Once you’ve found your group, get connected. Find ways to help out in a club, or host a group get-together. Don’t just show up. You have to contribute to be a part of it. For me, this was to volunteer as the newsletter editor of my writing club. Before I did that, I didn’t know anyone and was on the verge of quitting. But once I started to volunteer, I suddenly felt united with the club. It’s allowed me to form deeper relationships with many of the members, and draw from their artistic abilities and wisdom.
A word of caution on volunteering: it’s important to remember your boundaries. Offering your services to a cause you believe in is a good thing. But be wary of burnout. Allow for downtime, and definitely make sure you still have time for your craft.
2. Visit places that inspire you
Another way to find inspiration is to visit places of beauty. Go to an art gallery and study the paintings and photographs. Try to imagine what the artist was feeling as they created the art you are now viewing.
Attend a poetry reading, and immerse yourself in the words you hear. Let the words carry you as the poet’s voice whispers and shouts, delivers in an almost singing cadence, and places emphasis on certain passages. Search for the hidden meanings, and let the descriptions paint a mental picture.
SIP Note: Look for events that are offering online alternatives, be it poetry, a concert, live theater, or some other form of art.
Put on a pair of headphones and listen to your favourite album, start to finish. Listen with new ears, paying attention to notes you may not have heard before. Hear each verse that’s being sung, and capture what the musician is trying to say. Seek out tones that inflict strong reactions within you. Let the music grab you in ways you’ve never experienced before.
Or go out into the original arena of creativity — nature. Visit the ocean and ponder the waves as they roll in and out. Take a hike into the woods and see the beauty within the trees. Become rejuvenated by the colours around you, allowing the natural world to replenish your energy and stimulate your creative soul. After all, the earth around us inspired everything that we humans have created. So, return to the original source of art to find your muse.
3. Step away from your art
There are times when inspiration is nowhere to be found, no matter what you do to conjure it up. Moments like these might be a sign that you need to step away from your art and do something else. You might be too close to the project, or you’re spending so much time with it that it feels mundane. When this happens, set your art down for a day or two and focus on something else. Take a mini-vacation and be a tourist in your own town. Make a list of things you’ve always wanted to learn, like learning a new language, how to do a handstand, how to draw henna tattoos, or how to grow a garden, and then try your hand at one of them.
The most important thing you can do during this time away from your art is to just be and to stop worrying. The muse hasn’t left forever. This is only temporary. Take advantage of this time and refuel on life. Your lack of inspiration may just be the best thing that can happen to your creative life.
4. Move outside your comfort zone
Nothing can kickstart your inspiration like leaving the comforts of your ordinary life and doing something that makes you nervous. I’m not talking about anything dangerous or life-threatening here. I’m talking about public speaking, having a hard conversation with your boss, telling someone about the book you’re writing, singing in front of a crowd, asking someone out on a date, initiating intimacy with your spouse, applying for a job, and saying what you really mean. And for you thrill seekers, yes, you can go bungee jumping or skydiving, if that’s what you want. But really, I’m talking about making yourself vulnerable and taking a risk. I’m talking about making your heart beat a little bit faster and doing the thing you’ve only fantasized about, but never thought you were brave enough to do.
SIP Note: While we’re in quarantine, take this moment to turn on your Facebook or Instagram Live and share your talent with all your followers. Yes, it will be scary. Yes, it will be awesome.
Why does this work? Because it forces you to get out of your head as you try something totally different than what you’re used to. Suddenly, you’re at the mercy of the moment. It not only gets you to look at things a new way, but it will also set the stage for new moments when you put yourself out there.
Try it today.
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Mary Schmich
5. Be uninhibited with your art
Do you remember when you were a kid and you used to do things that made no sense at all? Maybe you sang songs in a made-up language, or you created worlds out of colourful play dough.
If being serious about your art isn’t working, take a day to NOT be serious about your art. Go back to being a kid and have fun with your art. Do something crazy. Try finger painting or colouring outside the lines. Try your hand at an artistic medium that’s outside your expertise, like learning to play the guitar or writing a poem.
The reason this works is that it’s just for you. This “just for fun” art is not meant to be shown to the public, so it takes the pressure off you to be perfect. It also reminds you about why you’re an artist — because this is something that feeds your soul and gives you an outlet for your emotions.
So let go of the rules. Today, there are none.
6. Take a break from everything
If you’re struggling with inspiration, you may just need to put a stop to every part of your life for one day and come back to the center. Set down your art, hand off all your duties, and plan for a day when you can escape from the responsibilities of your life. Enjoy a day of solitude, and just breathe. Notice the world around you without any expectations at all. Be open to inspiration, but don’t force the issue.
There will be times when you feel uninspired. However, when inspiration is lacking, it only means you’re not paying attention. Inspiration is all around us. You just need to change your view — be it your mindset, or your surroundings. If you find yourself in a rut, this is your cue to make a change. You are stronger than any creative block that gets in your way. If you find that the path toward creativity is obstructed, find a new path and keep going.
I don’t just write articles for Medium, I also write novels. My latest novel is Numbered, a dystopian romance set in 2050.
Find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, website at crissilangwell.com.