Creativity is partially innate, but a lot of it is the result of behaviors and the conditions you create for yourself. Practice good creativity hygiene.
- Collect interesting images
- It sounds simple, but I've found it's a great way to keep images and ideas for later reference and use. You might find an artist with an appealing style, or a particularly well-composed photograph. Keep these so that if you can incorporate the interesting elements of the image into your own work
- Label images so that you can find more in the same vein later. It's very frustrating having a work by an artist without the artist's name.
- Essentially you must become an "inspiration hoarder"
- When you don't feel inspired, copy
- Inspiration is finicky business. It's much harder to come up with your own ideas and compositions than it is to imitate another's work. Here are some reasons copying is great for "inspiration down time"
- By copying work of other artists, you are building your artistic repertoire.
- You are essentially "taking apart" their work by forcing yourself to imitate it. It's no different from taking apart a toaster to understand how it works. If you copy enough of another artists work, you will find yourself "fluent" in elements of their style, and be able to incorporate it into your work.
- You may become inspired as you are copying another artists's
- Halfway through copying the image, inspiration might strike, and you might then decide to take the image a new direction. This happens to me a lot.
- You are flexing new muscle
- What's great about copying another artist's style is that it forces you into new territories. Not only is it good practice, but you have to deal with new media, forms, colors and compositions. All of this is refreshing for your uninspired brain.
- Go for a run (or get some exercise)
- Sometimes a lack of inspiration is a result of physical inactivity. While the idea of the depressed artist as being exceptionally creative has some basis, by in large I've found that I'm often most creative (and productive) when I'm happy and I have energy.
- Exercise will clear your head and wear out your body's restless agitation and natural desire to move about, allowing your brain to focus calmly on making new work.
- Happy body -> Happy mind -> Productivity & creativity
- Look through previous work
- Dig through your portfolio of old work until you're looking at drawings and work you haven't seen in a long time. You will likely see things that surprise you--maybe you find new potential in an old composition--or a theme that you will want to pick up again.
- Looking at old work is also a good way of appraising your progress developing as an artist, which might give you a boost and spark your creativity.
- Check out some more ways here
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