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How do you find your inspiration?

How do you find your artistic inspiration?

  • 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!

  • Answer:

    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.

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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

Sneaky

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.

WildMind

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.

Rei-chan

Surround youself with creative people, that really helps.

cool_in_07

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!

Maria G. G

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.

Len Anders

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...

sleepingliv

get a muse!

Lek

...by tuning in to beauty, that can be music or just paintings done by other artists..or a model, who is sitting for you.....

Tannu

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