Tips to Get Inspired by Your Surroundings

Posted by Cheryl Smith on June 17th, 2015

In every art form there seems to be a creative wall that occasional stops all creation and brings an artist to an existential crisis. There is no difference between a writer’s block or a painter’s block. The struggle is still the same.

The main thing to do is keep moving forward and practice your craft. As Pablo Picasso said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working”.

The easiest thing to do it to take inspiration from your surroundings and paint that. However, no one wants to complete still lifes like they’re in a High School Painting 101 class. Here’s a couple of way to make what’s around you into art.

A different perspective can really help. See how turning one element can change the whole scene of a painting. Time, space, distance, color, and orientation can all be played with to create a visually interesting painting. Any mundane still life can be altered to add some interest in this way.

Another method is to take a walk. Contemporary landscape paintings are best when a brisk walk takes you somewhere beautiful. Many great geniuses throughout the ages have taken strolls to spark creativity. Recent research has even shown that intensive exercise (both physical and mental) will improve creativity. Get moving and think very hard about tackling the next problem.

Taking a second look at the boring things in life can prove to be interesting. There are things that we take for granted and never look at twice. Take a moment to question why things are they way they are. Analyze the boring things and something inspirational may present itself.

Finally, remind yourself what matters to you. Perhaps you haven’t taken the time to do something fun or meaningful. If the creative block has brought everything to a halt, spend some time with family. Even if this doesn’t spark new ideas, this is still time well spent. A great way to get back into a creative groove is to remember why you started creating art. Whatever drive was originally strong enough to motivate you into art can perhaps motivate you again.

Art, creativity, and positive productivity is a huge task. It is one of the greatest challenges that humanity seeks out. Don’t take it too hard if you’ve hit a wall. Just keep moving forward and the wall will fall.

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Cheryl Smith

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Cheryl Smith
Joined: June 17th, 2015
Articles Posted: 11

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