Inspiration is the air and water of every artist. It’s the essential ingredient that painters, writers,and musicians need to give life, shape, and uniqueness to their work.
Artists usually go through cycles of high and low inspiration. These cycles may not always follow a regular pattern and long periods of low artistic inspiration can be particularly stressful and excruciating.
While inspiration and creativity can’t be planned the same way you plan routine activities in your life, there are things you can do throughout your day that increase the chances of that coveted, artistic “aha moment” happening.
Here are some of the best tips for finding artistic inspiration in your daily life.
- Trust Your Intuitive Powers
Structure and logic are important qualities for an artist when it comes to turning ideas into actual pieces of art. Yet being too rational can hinder our creative spirit when it comes to generating artistic ideas.
At this stage, trusting your instincts and following your intuition can help you explore unique and engaging concepts.
- Try New Activities
A monotonous life can be a major inspiration killer for an artist.
Experiencing new things, meeting new people, feeling new emotions, and developing different perspectives are all crucial for finding artistic inspiration.
3. Take Photos of Unusual Moments
Technological advance means that everybody can take pictures of everything at any time. All you need is a smartphone or digital camera. (You can read our short blog about taking the best reference photos with your smartphone by clicking here)
Don’t be shy and don’t hesitate to take pictures of unusual things and events you encounter in your daily life. This will allow you to keep them vivid in your memory.
Sometimes, inspiration is found in the most unexpected places.
4. Expose Yourself to Other Artists’ Work
Art is often inspired by other art. That’s why it’s crucial that you constantly expose yourself to the work of other artists, whether they are famous or not.
This doesn’t just refer to your specific form of art. A movie may very well inspire a painter and a book may easily inspire a song.
5. Keep Basic Tools with You All the Time
Whether it’s a digital camera to take pictures or a drawing notebook with a pencil, make sure you keep the basic tools you need to start creating any time artistic inspiration knocks at your door.
This often happens out of the blue, like when you’re having coffee or shopping in a mall.
6. Wander and Relax in Natural Settings
Spending hours surrounded by trees, fields, flowers, rivers, lakes, and beaches can boost your creativity and inspiration in different ways.
It can both clear your head from stress and worries and provide countless beautiful and interesting sights to stimulate your artistic instincts.
Perigord Retreats offers artists a full immersion in the idyllic scenery of the French countryside and rural villages, the ideal setting for artists willing to let nature provide them with those unique views and feelings that generate art inspiration.
Check out this plein air watercolour demonstration on our YouTube channel
