Inspiration at Work

Inspiration is all around us every day. It may be something as simple as a pattern we see or something more complex and integrated. Inspiration can strike at any time, and we don’t often realize how it is affecting our work. How do you keep your creative juices flowing? Lets take a look at a few things that can help.

I know when I first heard people tell me this; I had no idea what they were talking about. Once I understood that designing in a vacuum was like designing in the dark, it all made sense. Designing without inspiration (or vision) IS designing in a vacuum.

Writer’s Block

We’ve all been there. Your project is due by the end of the day, and the right direction just isn’t coming to you. Writer’s block always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times. Here are a few tips to get those creative juices flowing again.

• Take a step back

Take a short break, take a walk, or go do something else for a few minutes to take your mind of the project. Sometimes our best ideas come to us after we’ve taken a break from the project we’re working on.

• Look at other projects

You can find inspiration from Pintrest.com, Behance.com, or Designspiration.net, for example.

Have you tried looking at examples of projects you like? What worked for those projects? What didn’t? Once you start taking a look at what does and doesn’t work for other projects, your creative juices are flowing. Once your creative juices are flowing again, its time to get back to your own project.

If you keep looking to the same things over and over and can’t seem to get inspired, then maybe you’re going at it the wrong way. Have a quick conversation with another person or two about the project. See if their answers can offer different perspectives for you to consider. Be careful not to “design by committee”; you’re just looking for a fresh eye and the opinions that go with it.

• Pull it apart

Let’s imagine that you are working on a project related to music. You want this project to stand out from the competition. Try pulling apart what makes up the category “music.” There are the obvious things we all think of when we hear music such as musical notes, instruments and sounds. But, what if we dissect it further? We also have sound waves, pitch, frequency, the clef (bass and treble), the different kinds of instruments (percussion, woodwinds, brass, etc.) and the list goes on and on. Instead of just 3 things to use as elements of your design, you double your possibilities.

Inspiration is everywhere

Inspiration can be found anywhere. It can be something simple or something incredibly complex. Take the time to look around your world and get inspired every day. Take note of the things that inspire you so that you know what to think about when you just don’t feel inspired for the day. Inspiration can strike at any time of the day so make sure not to ignore it. Instead, make a note in your phone or sketchbook so that you can reference it at a better time, when it can be useful to you.

Final thoughts on staying inspired

If you’re suffering from an exceptionally large writer’s block, take a step back, take a look at other work or have a conversation with someone about what your goal is with the project. Have you tried pulling it apart? At the very least, your own change in direction will clear your mind so that you can get back into the real  groove of making great work..

Don’t try and be creative in a vacuum. Do your research and look for inspiration. Research may sound boring, but the nuggets you find during that process will help you designs overall. It could be the difference between average work and great work with an edge. Keep your eyes and ears open wherever you go. You’ll be amazed by the flood of ideas headed your way.