How to build healthy relationships with inspiration
Seemingly gone are the days where we seek creative inspiration outside of a device or screen with an internet connection. Today, seeking our muse often takes the form of scrolling, pinning or google searching to find inspiration - which can be an incredible resource, trust me, I'm there with you. The problem here is that sometimes instead of feeling more connected to ourselves and what inspires us we can fall into a bottomless comparison trap or “compulsive project pinning” that leaves us feeling more overwhelmed, underachieved and less motivated than when we started looking. Whether you are a Sunday painter to part-time or full-time professional creative, maintaining a healthy relationship with inspiration is key to staying motivated, brave, and in harmony with our creative process and ideas.
No one gets this perfectly - I certainly don’t and won’t claim to but the idea and hope are to strive towards our healthiest, confident creative selves as best we can.
So how do we avoid that big cloud we know as “overwhelm” and why does inspiration sometimes feel more like dropping an anchor than raising a sail?
Inspiration can be actionable or overwhelming. It has the potential to overwhelm us when we find it difficult to “bring it down” from the realm of thoughts and feelings. Inspiration needs to be grounded into some kind of workable space so that it can turn into something tangible. Without the grounding of working it into something we’ve done or created, it can bring the looming feeling of stockpiled ideas with no roots making us feel disconnected and overwhelmed.
Oftentimes the very experience of feeling overwhelmed or engulfed by ideas prevents us from finding a clear path to ground, root or action the things that inspire us. Despite this yucky feeling, our minds don’t want to let go of inspirations that our hearts know to be important to us.
So how do we, in a way organise our inspiration so that it stays as a point of excitement, motivation and creativity fuel instead of overwhelm and disappointment? Here are my favourite tips and strategies in three spaces: Digital, Books & Outdoor spaces
#1 Healthy boundaries with digital inspiration and the comparison trap
Between Pinterest and Instagram, we could keep scrolling for daaays. But that scroll comes with a catch when we fall into the comparison trap of comparing our work or progress to the projects of others. We can also get stuck in places with trying to replicate an exact stroke/technique or style instead of moving forward with the piece or project as a whole.
My top tip here is to look outside your field! As an illustrator/designer I love to get inspired by the work of florists who create stunning organic floral compositions or dreamy architecture and peaceful landscape photography. By this, I’m not making a comparison to the work of what other illustrators have done but finding new ideas in other creative professional areas that genuinely leave me feeling like I want to interpret them in my own way. Set yourself some inspiration-seeking boundaries: a time limit and a goal when online to help keep those ideas moving into action e.g find a colour palette and subject in 30 min and get it on paper.
#2 Getting off the grid - finding inspiration in books
Good old fashioned paper brings us off the screen and into the moment. I’ve loved collecting modern illustration books but my journey started with some of the oldest how to paint and how to draw books given to my grandmother when she was a girl. In fact, one of my favourite books for inspiration is an A5 A-Z of flowers that I picked up at a thrift store 5 years ago. Sometimes I pick a colour palette and flip the book open to pick 1-3 flowers to make a bouquet from and get painting! The process can be really spontaneous and fun.
Books that may fuel actionable inspiration:
1. A Project book - 30 days of painting, photographer or embroidery something that takes you step-by-step on a learning journey with projects already carved out for you.
2. Second hand/thrift store books - Floral, botanical, gardening, food photography or travel books all available for a bargain.
3. Mindset & creative confidence books - maybe you need help getting those ideas into action with unlearning some habits or healing some mindsets that aren’t serving you.
Here are some on a quick list:
Books with projects in them:
• Modern Florals by Alli Koch
• Art starts with a line by Erin McManness
• The Joy of Watercolor by Emma Block
Mindset books on creativity & confidence:
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by David Kelley
• Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown
#3 Inspiration out the door
This one is so big on my heart as being surrounded by life makes us feel alive - there’s a vibrant energy that comes from things that grow and things that flow.
1. Take a walk or a hike with a notebook to sketch or your cellphone to snap pictures.
2. If you live in a city take a visit to your local plant nursery - see how colour palettes naturally change through seasons and offer different moods and compositions.
3. Visit a farmers market, thrift store or interesting shops/cafe in your area to get inspiration on food, decor and interesting objects that might just spark a fantastic idea for your next project!
So there we have it! Some simple but actionable steps to being more intentional in where we seek inspiration so we can turn it into a healthier, positive and more constructive practice that gets us making or creating!
"You don't need all the things you think you need - to do all the things you feel called to do. You have all you need, right now, right here - now go make life beautiful." - Tess Guinery