[killingbunnies]

I know some of you out there... somewhere... are artists. And judging by the previous art threads I've seen, a lot of you are really, really good. So tell me, how do YOU find inspiration? I'm in a bit of a rut (have been for awhile) trying to find good ideas and I'm becoming afraid I'm losing my creativity. :sad:

Any ideas are welcome!

 

[Deathbagel]

I'm not really an artist, but I used to be into video game level design (ok so I was shit at that too but not the point) and what I found really helpful was just seeing new places. It doesn't have to be exciting exotic locales. Just... go to some places in your area you've never been. City-streets in more run-down neighborhoods, industrial areas, outer-city parks, quiet suburbs, just places outside of your daily routine, yet close to you. I find it eye-opening and inspiring just how much life goes on outside of our daily routines.

 

[qingdom]

Draw for the sake of fun, hobby and passion.

Do not draw for the sake of a job or a chore... you can get extremely burned out without an outlet.

Assuming you always carry a doodle pad, take 5 min break at random intervals and just sketch / doodle something. your photogenic memory will tie into how that sketch / doodle later in the evening when you get back to it. no additional significance if you wait any longer. you'll just forget due to the nature of selective short term memory.

that's all i have.

 

[baba yaga]

I get stuck often. New work is supposed to flow pretty naturally from older work. Maybe revisit work from a previous time when you were really inspired/excited, and try out some variations. See if that carries you over the stuck place to somewhere new. Variations---maybe think about extreme contrast, in terms of themes, media, design or subject. Go for hideous, then scale back. Let your worst fears about your work come true, then laugh at it all. Mostly, just make more work, because good work comes from work (lots of it). Good luck!

 

[TrailMix]

what kind of art... like writing or just visual art stuff...?

 

[killingbunnies]

what kind of art... like writing or just visual art stuff...?

I was thinking visual art, but I haven't written a single thing in months... how different are they, really, when you're thinking in terms of finding inspiration.

 

[TrailMix]

I was thinking visual art, but I haven't written a single thing in months... how different are they, really, when you're thinking in terms of finding inspiration.

I actually find it a lot more difficult to find inspiration for visual arts... but I think thats just because my skills are quite limited haha XD

 

[killingbunnies]

I actually find it a lot more difficult to find inspiration for visual arts... but I think thats just because my skills are quite limited haha XD

Both the arts are equally difficult for me. My skill set is limited to a pencil, and some digital art. Not much to work with either. xD

 

[crazyeddie]

I get stuck often. New work is supposed to flow pretty naturally from older work. Maybe revisit work from a previous time when you were really inspired/excited, and try out some variations. See if that carries you over the stuck place to somewhere new. Variations---maybe think about extreme contrast, in terms of themes, media, design or subject. Go for hideous, then scale back. Let your worst fears about your work come true, then laugh at it all. Mostly, just make more work, because good work comes from work (lots of it). Good luck!

Not an artist, but I know I can't do a philosophy piece in isolation. When I write philosophy, I'm always writing in reaction to another philosopher. So do something like this ^ Give your Ne something to react to.

 

[killingbunnies]

Not an artist, but I know I can't do a philosophy piece in isolation. When I write philosophy, I'm always writing in reaction to another philosopher. So do something like this ^ Give your Ne something to react to.

That makes sense. Writing or drawing something in a vacuum is really difficult. Another problem I have, even when I have a stroke of inspiration, is a sense of apprehension. I'm always worried that I have to draw it well, or I end up erasing the entire thing and giving up. I have terrible self-esteem as an artist. xD

 

[crazyeddie]

That makes sense. Writing or drawing something in a vacuum is really difficult. Another problem I have, even when I have a stroke of inspiration, is a sense of apprehension. I'm always worried that I have to draw it well, or I end up erasing the entire thing and giving up. I have terrible self-esteem as an artist. xD

One of the main rules of creativity: Trust your mistakes.

 

[Rift]

breakdowns are generally helpful...

mounting frustrations in other areas of life...

challenges and theories to exercise...

just a general need to inhale some toxic fumes... or for the digital crowd, overheating your laptop/desktop and grinding against it for some lovin' and warmth.

 

[Herrenvolk]

I’m not sure if this is relevant, because I’m a writer, but when I lack inspiration I take a step back from everything. I don’t write for a while and I let the creative juices mingle in my head until I literally have to write. Also, I find that when writing, if I’m working on something that I think is horrible, I leave it. Doing something I don’t like sometimes leads me to things I do like. Don’t fear that what you’re doing isn’t good enough. Every artists suffers from severe anxiety from time to time, you just have to go with it. You can’t fight it, it happens to everyone.

 

[nadjasix]

Get really into some art movement or something you don't know about yet- read a book about the historical significance of Greek pottery or something. Figure out how it works, why it works, whatever. Then forget all of that and look only at the formal elements. Think about how the formal elements relate to the other stuff you learned. Look for these elements in other movements and how they've been reshaped or appropriated. Then steal from the period or appropriate some of its elements until you come up with a better idea.

 

[Rift]

I was thinking visual art, but I haven't written a single thing in months... how different are they, really, when you're thinking in terms of finding inspiration.

with visual art... I'd suggest it's easier to implement and explore ideas, rotate it various angles, flip it, invert it, etc to recycle the piece and create something new...

to take apart a toaster and decide to use each piece as a guide... perhaps combining technical drawings with an artistic aesthetic or literally using each piece in the piece... science projects gone wild. mixed media is open to anything...

Alexander Henry Alexander Henry - Homecomes to mind, too, a lot of revamps and original work based on some classic and vintage fabrics/aesthetics...

'course one could just go touring of the blogs reviews, tumblr galleries, the consumer markets, the gallery and fashion trends, or skim down to the least popular sections, random searches... etc...

usually people have some idea of where they want to go -- even if it's just the thought of a colour they want to use, a concept they want to explore, a thought... feeling... sensation.... they want to express and bring into a tangible form.

I suppose inspiration for stories can be sought the same way, though it is generally easier to delve, dive into those early planning stages of an art piece... and don't get nearly as much flak for using/building upon a workshop piece as one would with a story.

 

[Minerva1]

I have not a clue what inspires me, aside from smoking pot but I won't suggest doing that. Recently I've started pieces with scribbles and have formulated them into objects, mainly the human figure and face. I often grow obsessed with a subject for months or years at a time and distort it in as many ways as I can come up with. Most of the subjects I grow obsessed with are merely things I see in my daily life that I wish to explore. I like warping commonly seen things into something almost physically impossible while still making it realistic.

I think trying to constantly draw new things is a good approach. Seek to find an object that somehow physically interests you, find a new medium to explore and try to make the two work. Once you find something you enjoy drawing you can continue to redraw it and alter your approach, which is inspiring in itself.

 

[nadjasix]

Another good thing to do is try to look at an "oldie but a goodie" and try to reinterpret it for contemporary viewers, by taking the formal elements and regrouping them or reshaping them into something that would be relevant or make sense or look fresh to people now.

Or make weird mashups of different eras. Try to make an image that looks like Joseph Beuys' interpretation of a Greek mural, but that tells a story out of contemporary mythology (something out of the headlines, say the tragic death of ____ public figure). It doesn't have to be good, but it's a good formal exercise and it might lead you somewhere cool.

If all else fails, like Rift says, get really formal with it. Just look at things as if they're shapes only, as if they have no significance whatsoever, and keep practicing that until your eye picks up on new aspects of things. Try drawing exactly what you see for a while. Let the stylistic stuff emerge over time.

I think trying to constantly draw new things is a good approach. Seek to find an object that somehow physically interests you, find a new medium to explore and try to make the two work. Once you find something you enjoy drawing you can continue to redraw it and alter your approach, which is inspiring in itself.

Georgia O'Keefe painted the same buildings over and over and over, for practice, and looking at the paintings you wouldn't guess that they're the same building because of the stylistic departures...

It's the artistic way of controlling for a variable. If you can't come up with the gestalt of a new idea, control the variable "subject" so you can manipulate style more easily. Or control the variable color (use all cools or blues, as in Picasso's blue period) and do n iterations of the same subject but with big stylistic differences. Creativity flows best when you're given some limitations to work within.

 

[Dart07]

maybe just go outside and draw what you see or just scribble on paper until you see something interesting...

 

[Rift]

oh and this one might be good too...

if inspiration is nowhere to be found...

how reproductions of other people's art can become cool

ascrittendenart

(sometimes you just need to create (with the all might phucket)... How often does it seem to come in cycles... got the motivation don't have the inspiration, have the inspiration but don't have the motivation, have the motivation and the inspiration but don't have the patience to wait for the permits or don't want to sell yourself just to get the materials. This art stuff gets expensive just for a hobby.)

 

[nadjasix]

(sometimes you just need to create (with the all might phucket)... How often does it seem to come in cycles... got the motivation don't have the inspiration, have the inspiration but don't have the motivation, have the motivation and the inspiration but don't have the patience to wait for the permits or don't want to sell yourself just to get the materials. This art stuff gets expensive just for a hobby.)

I know, I have so many ideas, but not enough S and F to push myself through hours of touching and feeling and putting together materials.

In my mind I'm Jean Claude and Christo, but in my body I'm lazy as fuck.