This morning I read a fantastic article on the Smartist Career Blog about inspiration and how it’s not the ultimate requirement in an artist’s arsenol: Going Beyond Inspiration.
“The key to a successful art career isn’t manipulating your circumstances or yourself to increase your communication with the Muses.”
The key is to make sure you are building an art career in an area of creatvity that you love. If you focus on an area of the creative marketplace that requires you to draw vegatables all day, every day, yet you can’t stand to think of those vitamin packed munchies, it’s going to be difficult to create believable art. Buyers and clients can sense what’s behind the art. You need to believe in what you are creating. You don’t have to like it, but you do need to be able to stand behind it and genuinely believe in what you’ve created.
“People who build successful art careers aren’t more inspired than other artists; they’re more committed.”
Commitment is a big factor in any business, but especially so when it comes to being the actual creator of your product. As an artist, your product is art. If you wake up not “feeling the love” of the art universe, you need to create the love yourself – not wait for it to find you. Find a way to get those creative juices flowing – get into a routine that your brain will work with and become your own inspiration.
Some tips to helping your inspiration flow:
Browse through images of what others have done – not to mimic their ideas, but to surround yourself with the subject matter. I had a client that required me to create art for home gutter system. This is not a glamorous topic by any means. I browsed other gutter company websites and manuals, and realized how dull they were – this enabled me to come up with a better vision for what the industry had and where I could improve on the subject.
Take a break to doodle – nothing gets those creative engines turning like a good free-draw. Give yourself a short time limit to simply sit and scribble out whatever comes to mind.
Chat with an artist – stop to chat or email or read forum posts with other artists. Sometimes our own blocks can be easily removed when exchanging thoughts with another creative person. Ask what they are up to, and share your own project obstacles. If you aren’t currently connected to very many artist, you’re obviously online right now, get connected! There are literally hundreds of places to connect with other artist if you know where to look in the right places.
Invent a project – sometimes working on a non-purposeful project is a good way to break the stress and overwhelming pressure of a real deadline oriented project. Allow yourself a little time now and then to work on something that has no purpose other than to be created.
Reward yourself - we all need a pat on the back for a job well done and we all need goals to strive for. Set goals that include rewards so when you’ve finished a project you allow yourself to celebrate in your accomplishments. A payment for a job well done isn’t always the reward your creative side needs.
Plug your nose and dive in – If you are really stuck and you have a deadline, there’s no turning back if you really want your career to grow. You have to stick with your commitments, regardless of how unpleasant they may be. grab a snack, and prepare for the long haul. Nothing is more inspiring than finishing a job well done.
