Inspiration doesn’t have to come from tools per se. It can come from waterfalls and mountaintops and from trekking through the forest. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be pretty where you are. I once felt inspired in a bar with my husband watching football.
If you’ve got inspiration covered and are enjoying the free flow of content coming through your fingers, feel free to share your techniques below.
If you’re like me and you occasionally get stuck, you may need additional ideas to keep the ideas coming. I’m always on the lookout for new ways to delve into that unlimited ink pot and recently got a few fresh ideas to do so.
- Pinterest. I know. I know. It’s all over the place these days. And for a lot of you Pinterest is just another social media outlet that no one has time for. And I have to say it isn’t for everybody. But for the friends that I know that do use it, it’s been helpful for their business. I’ve been using it to catalog all of my crafts (which would be great for grouping an artist’s portfolio), and recently to create my own make believe community to inspire my latest work-in-progress.
- Inspirational instrumental music. Writer Alicia Sparks commented on this post saying that music helps her reconnect when she’s feeling blocked. I’ve always felt the same way, that music lifts the boredom when working on tedious tasks. But it can also spark inspiration. I just discovered Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s Creative Mind System, two CDs I got from Sounds True that has somehow helps to lift the foggy veil of writer mush and helped me to write even when I don’t feel like it.
That’s just a few key tools for inspiration that’s helped me.
What inspires you to write?
I’m not even going to comment on Pinterest, Brandi. Oops, I guess I just did. What never fails to inspire me are my walks. Nothing like nature, animals and time alone with my thoughts to be inspired.
Lol! Sorry about the Pinterest mention. I’ll try to control myself. Love those tips! I’m a big fan of nature too. It’s the best problem solver.
For me, it comes from a great photo, movie soundtracks like Dances With Wolves or Avatar, reading great writing, and watching my kids when they don’t know I am watching. Pinterest is up there too but with all the copyright issues, I feel more guilt than inspiration when I can’t find the original link.
Hi there Hallie! Thanks for your great ideas! I hadn’t thought about that, but movies have a HUGE influence on my creativity. I love that you derive inspiration for your kids too. And about Pinterest, I know what you mean. I’ve been only posting my own pictures out of concern too.