How do I find inspiration?

Finding inspiration for your art practice when you run out of ideas.

For creatives

2 easy tips to find inspiration that you can do today

Being creative is so rewarding, bringing an idea to life in the colours and themes that you absolutely love and then sharing it with others can bring so much joy. However, sometimes the well of ideas can run dry, so when or if this happens, for whatever reason this article will provide you with 2 easy tips that have worked for me.

Tip 1. Taking a walk in your local area

Sounds too simple right, but stay with me. This strategy stops me from heading straight on to the internet or social media and gets me in front of inspiration that is going to be more authentic to me without other people’s style or idea’s seeping through to my own.

 I know that nature has been an inspiration in the past so taking a walk through a botanical garden or on a local trail generally sparks an idea. You may want to have your phone camera ready at hand to take a quick snap-shot (which is my preference) or you may prefer a small sketch pad and pencil.

Gather any ideas and keep them in a spot that is easy to find, maybe you have a folder in your phone titled ‘Inspo’ that holds all of your pictures taken on walks.

This is how my collection of prints that includes birds and local fauna came about. Here is one of the inspiration photos alongside the final illustration.

I was able to take a close photo of this Kookaburra on a walk which became one of the featured birds in the small series of print and patterns.

Tip 2. Participate in a Drawing Challenge

Yes, I confess sometimes completing a drawing a day for 30 days is just not possible due to the time it can take and of course life can get in the way. But there are things you can take away from the experience, such as:

Each challenge does provide a number of prompts that can spark an idea or get you interested.

• The theme set can give you more focus and stops the paralysis that can come from staring at a blank page.

• By committing to drawing regularly, this consistent action can support a habit of regular drawing. The momentum from completing one drawing or artwork can also naturally flow into ideas for the next.

How do I Find a Challenge? October is definitely a busy time for art challenges with many creatives promoting their own monthly or seasonal challenges on various social media platforms throughout the year. You can follow certain hashtags to see participant’s  work and find new challenges. Remember, search for challenges that really match your interests, such as #portraitchallenge. Here are some challenges that I follow on instagram:

• #patternprintober

• #doodleween

• #Sweetemberdays

• #patternchallengebymel

• #psablenderbonanza

• #mabletansartchallenge

Here’s a few fun drawing prompts to get you on your way.

These can be mixed and matched, eg; just imagine a koala in a leopard print cozy sweater eating fairy floss!

Seasonal Themes

Spring flowers, autumn leaves, cozy sweaters, summer, sunny weather, blossoms, garland, snow, and palm trees.

Food Themes

Ice cream, fairy floss, noodles, pasta, donuts, coffee, waffles, cherries, oranges, juice, chocolate, banna’s, tomatoes and lemonade.

Animal Themes

Leopard print, koala, bears, swans, butterflies, bees, cat, sloth, toucan, penguin and zebra.

Please have fun with it and don’t feel that you need to finish every prompt. It’s ok to step in and out missing a day or more, when you need to.

Happy creating!

If you’d like to check out some of my current work head over to portfolio

Pattern design of Australian Banksia flowers by Kirsten Anne Design