3 Ways To Get Inspired
Photo by Ryan Moulton on Unsplash
People often tell me that they don’t start working because they are not inspired, but this approach is like putting the cart before the horse. In reality there is one way to get inspired: Work.
Work itself is the tool by which creativity and inspiration can come on a regular basis. In fact, work is a prerequisite for inspiration. Some argue that miracles happen when slouching on the sofa, that might happen, of course. But achieving ongoing professional success requires a systematic approach.
Work is powerful and it’s in our control. It’s the only tool by which we can convert ideas from our imagination into real-world facts. While working, we can turn mediocre ideas into outstanding ones; question things; experiment; give up and start from scratch; cheer ourselves as opportunities emerge; solve problems; and/or change direction. But none of these things can happen if we don’t start working first, even if our direction isn’t initially clear.
Even if your initial idea is shaky and you feel it’s just not good enough — which happens to us all — start working with it anyway. Jump right in and start experimenting: better ideas will come. Yes, this will feel counterintuitive. Yes, this may even initially feel a like a waste of precious time. But in any product development role, you will have deadlines and tight roadmaps to follow — you can’t afford to sit around waiting for inspiration. Again, the vast majority of the time there will be no “eureka” moment, no bolt of lightning that will zap a huge idea into your mind; more often than not, finding your inspiration will be a hard-won battle. Commit to winning it. This is the first hurdle you must clear.
“Inspiration is for amateurs — the rest of us just show up and get to work. And the belief that things will grow out of the activity itself and that you will — through work — bump into other possibilities and kick open other doors that you would never have dreamt of if you were just sitting around looking for a great ‘art idea.’ And the belief that process, in a sense, is liberating and that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every day. Today, you know what you’ll do, you could be doing what you were doing yesterday, and tomorrow you are gonna do what you did today, and at least for a certain period of time you can just work. If you hang in there, you will get somewhere.”
— Chuck Close
Love Your Craft
Inspiration often comes when you demand it, and the way to demand it is work. You might not love your initial idea, but you can love the technical aspects of your craft. Ideally, your craft is a natural need, a type of expression that’s an extension of yourself. Embrace that need. Spread out your materials, then explore until you understand what your building blocks are. Search for a hook to draw you in. This is going to take discipline; you might be bored to tears, or even loathe your results, for several long hours before something piques your interest. Hang in there, keep going.
In fact, your inspiration may not come on day one at all. If that’s the case, day two is likely going to be another long day, because you have to sit yourself back down and try again. Fighting for inspiration demands action; if you don’t concentrate and get yourself ready to be inspired, then inspiration might forever elude you.
For me, traveling via air creates this concentration. When I’m flying, I’m free from a lot of the “noise” of the world: cell phones and Internet access are limited; I’m mostly unreachable; I’m divorced from daily demands. The flight itself creates a cocoon where I can direct more of my attention toward my work, feelings, and thoughts. Using my travel time productively is one way that I fight for my inspiration. Unfortunately, no one can hop on an airplane every time they’re seeking inspiration. But there are things you can do to summon inspiration faster.
3 Simple Things You Can Do To Get Inspired
Search your by-products: Iterating drafts is like sculpting. In the process of shaping your materials and highlighting their beauty, you will naturally discard both ideas and materials. Reexamine your old drafts, including those items you’ve already sent to the trash. An idea that wasn’t right for a previous project might just be the hook you need right now to get inspiration coming your way.
Zoom in and out: Shift your perspective between intense concentration and the bigger picture. Zoom in to focus yourself on micro-details, but after a while give up that control and zoom out to consider the overall project. Toggling between these two extremes will activate different areas of the brain. You will be able to feel how different types of thoughts occur in different states. Follow your thoughts wherever they may lead you, then toggle again. Pretend it’s a game; don’t be too serious about it, have fun with it.
Get into the WOW: The WOW is where your fascination and genuine interest in your work lives. To access it, use the physical aspects of your craft. Find those elements that most interest or fascinate you. If you’re a writer, you might find beauty in the shape of letters. If you’re an artist, maybe paint spatters are intriguing. If you’re a digital designer, pixels may be your thing. In all cases, play around with your materials, surrender to them. Let them enter your imagination and show you what they want to become.
Whatever method you choose, you must spend time with your work in progress, observe it, wrestle with it, and rework as needed. By and by, a level of excitement will likely emerge as a response to something you’ve stumbled upon — that’s inspiration.
The Other Ideas has topped Amazon’s bestseller charts in Creativity category.
The Book:
I wrote a book that on how to approach uncertainty as a desirable, even necessary, ingredient in the creative process. With this book you’ll also learn the time-tested secrets I used throughout my career for achieving breakthrough ideas and successfully implementing innovation projects.