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Where to Draw Inspiration: Ways to Keep Yourself Motivated
Where does one draw inspiration? Or, better yet, how does one keep themselves inspired and motivated?
Inspiration strikes; it doesnโt attack, and chasing it down is tiring. As comforting as that might sound, hitting roadblocks is a standard part of the creative thought process. More often than not, it ruins motivation by making you feel as though you will never see new ideas.
While you canโt demand that inspiration strike, you can foster creativity and put yourself in situations where ideas come to you, excitement strikes and you are helped to think outside the box.
Whether youโre looking for inspiration for work, an aspect of your personal life, or simply seeking a positive boost, hereโs how to get inspired.
15 effective ways to get inspired
The eccentricities of creative people in their ways of evoking inspiration are famous. Poet Friedrich Schiller kept some rotten apples in his desk drawer and smelled them when he needed ideas. Colette used to start her workday by plucking fleas off her cat. Writer Dame Edith Sitwell liked to lie inside an open coffin before getting down to work.
Inspiration is notoriously flighty, so no surprise here; people pursue it in kooky ways. But you really donโt have to go that far. Here are 15 things you can try out when those creative juices have run dry.
1. Keep an idea book or maintain an inspiration board
It may not all come as one big blow. You get tiny flashes, and over time, they grow into something bigger. Using an idea book or a vision board will let you track these pieces of a puzzle so that later on, youโll find purpose and inspiration in them.
If you love to play with language, make an idea book where youโll jot down your ideas the moment they come into your head. The childrenโs author Roald Dahl was famous for his idea books: he wrote down his ideas and then put a check mark through them when he fashioned them into stories.
If you are more visually oriented, take pictures, quotes, and objects that inspire you and glue them onto a board to make a vision board. Later on, it can serveโฆ
