Ways To Get Inspired for Your Art

Part of being an artist is occasionally dealing with artist's block or lack of inspiration. When this happens, it's easy to give up; however, if you have a list of ways to get your passion back, you might just be able to unblock your creative channels in record time. Not every method will work each time you feel stymied, so create a grab bag of techniques and keep after it until something clicks into place. 

Leave to a New Place

One of the best ways to get your brain unstuck is to stimulate it with something completely new. Traveling is the perfect way to see sights, sounds and experience new foods from around the world. Even a quick weekend road trip to a nearby town can spark ideas. If you can't travel for whatever reason, choose cultural sights from your area that you may not have visited such as a house of worship from a different religion or a museum with a focused specialty.

Another great way to "travel" without leaving home is to eat at a different ethnic food restaurant each week. The decorations alone in the various locales might just be enough to get you thinking outside the box. 

Meditate

On the opposite end of the spectrum of leaving home is to stay home and meditate. Meditation has many benefits including bringing emotional balance into your life and increasing your focus. You may not be able to sit still for very long the first time you try, but that's okay. There are plenty of apps such as Headspace or Calm that talk you through the process. Generally, you start with just a few minutes of mindful repose and work your way up to longer sessions. Meditation gives you a way to put some distance between yourself and your anxieties or negative thoughts. It can potentially leave you open to increased creativity.

Take a Nature Walk

It may sound like a cliche but communing with nature is a great way to clear your mind. If possible, find a nearby park with a walking trail, preferably one without too many joggers. If there is nothing like that nearby, just take a walk around your neighborhood concentrating on the birds, squirrels, trees and flowers. Take time to notice what's chirping, blooming or barking. Focus your energy on the life-giving forces of nature and see if you can draw inspiration from them. 

Change the Medium 

Creative people aren't all creative in the same way. An accomplished singer might not be able to paint, and a talented musician might not be able to construct an interesting sentence to save his life. Just because you're not good at something doesn't mean that can't use that medium to get your creative juices flowing. For example, if the brush strokes aren't adding up to the masterpiece you've envisioned, try writing a poem about what you want to express instead. If your musical composition is falling flat, bring it to life with watercolors. In other words, step out of your comfort zone and find inspiration in the process of creating whether you're good at that particular medium or not. 

Watch Children Do Art 

Children are amazingly unselfconscious about their art. They can throw color on the paper and it becomes whatever they see in their mind. They don't worry if the brush strokes are visible or the perspective is off. They paint and draw for the sheer joy of it. Adults can learn a lesson from this by spending time with children and watching them create art. Volunteer at a local after-school program for underserved children for a few weeks. Teach a few simple techniques, and then let the children teach you what it really means to be unencumbered by artistic worries or doubt. 

There is no magic formula for getting inspired. For artists, sometimes it's about letting go of what you should be doing and instead embrace the process rather than the product.