Get Inspired
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No matter what you’re doing in life -- whether you’re a creative professional, freelancer, business owner, or between projects, you need inspiration.
Inspiration is the step before motivation -- motivation gets you moving, inspiration gives you ideas and sparks your creativity.
Inspiration is fundamental to success, and you can never stop being inspired.
You can find inspiration literally anywhere -- from nature, people, words, emotions, tastes, colours, sounds, music, art, books, movies… whatever works for you.
You are responsible for making sure that you have a steady stream of inspiration flowing to your creative outlets.
No-one else will provide your inspiration for you, you need to look for it.
Then, it’s also up to you to use that inspiration to create.
There are so many places to look for inspiration, but it can be hard to keep track of it all, so we’ve compiled a list of our various sources of inspiration, and other creatives’, plus how you can get the most out of them with a few simple tweaks:
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Books
It’s no lie that we at NSC love to read -- on basically any subject.
Books are a huge source of inspiration for us, there’s rarely a book that we’ll say no to, fiction or non-fiction.
But how do you get the most out of the inspiration from books?
Out solution: nudenotes.
You might be familiar with nudenotes -- a form of sketchnoting created by our very own Dean O’Callaghan -- but may not be sure about how you can use them to evoke inspiration.
Don’t be afraid of starting your own nudenotes, the point is that they are raw and unedited, not made to look pretty for Instagram.
The purpose they serve is to help you to absorb and recall what you’re reading, listening to, or researching.
If you’re not sure how to start out with nudenotes, check out Dean’s in-depth guide here, where he breaks down exactly what nudenotes are, and how you can create your own.
If nudenotes aren’t your thing, you can always get more inspiration from your books by highlighting and annotating them.
I know, I know, it sounds like sacrilege -- I hear you, I’m a book lover, too, and even typing the words makes me cringe a little.
But so many great creators have annotated books: Sylvia Plath annotated her copy of The Great Gatsby, Mark Twain was a book-scribbler, Jack Kerouac would write in the margins...
We shouldn’t be afraid of writing notes in books.
After all, someday, someone might come across your notes and find inspiration in the margins.
Image courtesy of @trojantry via Unsplash.
I love Pinterest.
I find it so useful to keep track of things that inspire me, from articles, guides and quotes to illustrations, tattoos, make-up and outfits.
And, of course, pictures of cats.
I think that every creative should be using Pinterest as a source of inspiration -- not necessarily as a marketing tool, because it can be hard to keep track and report its efficacy, but simply as a place to pin whatever piques your interest.
If you don’t have a Pinterest account, I implore you to set one up now.
There’s a whole host of inspiration there, just waiting for you.
Just make sure to split your inspirational boards into different categories, in whatever way that works well for you, so you can easily find what you’re looking for when you need to create.
Image courtesy of @eaterscollective via Unsplash.
Food
I think food is an underrated source of inspiration.
Just think about the feeling when you have a hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day, or bite into a crisp apple in the autumn, and feel the juice dripping down your chin.
Evocative, right?
This is why I try every new food I can -- if I’m someplace new, find a new recipe, or there’s something I’ve never seen on a menu before, I have to try it, to see how it makes me feel, and how it inspires me.
Don’t underestimate the inspirational importance of food -- it’s not just for sustenance, it’s for life!
Image courtesy of @sur_le_misanthrope via Unsplash.
Art
I’m not an artist in the sense of drawing, at all -- if you ever saw a drawing of mine, you’d wonder whether I had any eyes at all.
However, I do find real inspiration in art.
Illustrations, paintings, photographs, sketches, tattoos, make-up… it’s all art, and it’s all so inspirational.
So how can you make the most of art as a source of inspiration?
Simple: view more art.
There are lots of art galleries and shops in the world, most of them are free to get in.
So next time you have free time, pop into a gallery and wander around, to see what inspires you to create.
Instagram is also a brilliant way of finding art and supporting artists.
Even if you can’t actually buy all the art you find on Instagram, or other forms of social media, leave the artist a ‘like’, a comment, and share it.
If it inspires you, let them know. It’s the least you can do if their art is inspiring you for free!
Image courtesy of @marius via Unsplash.
Music
I probably have too many playlists on Spotify.
I create a new one depending on different emotions, and the kind of work I’m creating.
I have playlists for motivation, love, sadness, anger, empowerment, for poetry, writing stories, writing blogs… anything and everything!
I love how Spotify suggests songs based on what you’ve added, too -- it inspires me even more when I find a new song that fits my mood perfectly.
We even have our own NSC playlist, with songs that help us to focus and write our blogs -- check it out here if you want to have a listen -- we keep it updated with new songs regularly, too, so if you have any songs you’d like to suggest, let us know!
Image courtesy of @mischievous_penguins via Unsplash.
Nature
It’s easy to get trapped in work, and forget to go outside -- believe me, I know!
Especially when you’re working on a project or creating something, you’re often indoors, usually in front of a screen.
Schedule time to get outside.
There’s not really any excuse, and nature is one of the best sources of inspiration -- and best of all, it’s free!
So spend more time outside, and take photos of what inspires you.
That way, even when you’re cooped up in the office, you can look back on your pictures to reinvigorate your inspiration.
Image courtesy of @priscilladupreez via Unsplash.
People
People are easily, by far and away, the best source of inspiration.
Every person has their own story, and their own take on the world.
Even people who you don’t agree with are fantastic sources of inspiration -- just remember to practice empathy, and try to understand why they have their opinions or feelings.
To get the most out of people as a source of inspiration, speak with them and reach out to them -- even if it’s online.
I know it can be hard, especially as an introvert, to speak with people, but don’t let your anxieties stop you.
If you’re still building up the confidence to speak with more people, then I thoroughly recommend Medium to find out other people’s stories and takes on the world.
I don’t mean to plug Medium simply because I also write on there, but because I genuinely find it to be my biggest and more effective source of inspiration.
Other people’s stories are fascinating, and really help open my eyes to their world.
If you’ve not heard of Medium (I hadn’t until earlier this year), it’s a writing platform, like a massive blog, with thousands of writers, writing on all manner of topics -- life, science, relationships, business, culture… everything!
I honestly can’t recommend it enough -- and while you’re there, feel free to check me out (sorry/not sorry for the shameless plug!).
Image courtesy of @tomminseteli via Unsplash.
Nothing
Sometimes doing nothing is inspirational.
Amazing things can come from boredom.
We’ve all been there: you’re about to start a project, but you pick up a pen, stylus, paintbrush, laptop… and nothing comes.
Your mind is blank, and you feel like your well of inspiration has dried up.
I’m here to tell you that’s bullshit.
Inspiration is not something that runs out, it’s not like a fuel gauge where you have a finite supply, then when it hits zero, you are incapable of creating.
Just do it.
Just type, write, paint, draw, create.
It doesn’t have to be good, it just has to be something, and you’d be surprised at what you can create when you have ‘no inspiration’.
Those are my top ways you can get the most out of your sources of inspiration.
I’d love to hear from you, too: what are your favourite sources of inspiration, and how do you get the most out of them?
Feel free to leave a comment below, or get in touch with me on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter -- I genuinely want to hear about what inspires you.