Stop Looking for Inspiration. It’s Sucking You Dry.

**Photo from David Mikula (no I didn’t make this).**

I really like this quote from creative director David Mikula on his post at Medium:

Well, that’s convicting. I do this all the time. I read and create links and curate.

I think I’ve turned a corner, but for awhile, it left me feeling really defeated. I was jealous and bitter about what other people were doing–so much so that I became really discouraged at what I was able to do.

Practice writing, not just clicking.

It’s good to have influences, but like everything–in moderation.

Eventually, it may be become a stumbling block to your own goals and ideas and your own work at hand.

He goes on to say:

It’s easy to do your job and escape into other people’s creativity. It’s comfortable being a fan. It’s why making something without a blueprint is so scary.

I use a lot of curation, I’ve copied people’s style while trying to figure out my own (am I there yet?). But going at it alone is scary. But we’ve got to try.

Sure, our ideas will reflect others…but it should also be uniquely our own.

How do you balance intake versus creation?