Find real inspiration

What do you do right before you go to sleep? Let me guess-- You get into some comfy pjs, brush your teeth, wash your face, then jump in under those amazingly cozy covers. You reach for your phone. You’re only setting your alarm for the morning but there it is, a little message popped up saying someone sent a DM. You just check it real quick, open that app without thinking. You’re in it. The scrolling-tapping-typing-liking vortex. Before you know it 15, 20, 30 precious minutes have gone by and you don’t even know what you just looked at. Your brain’s a little mushy, a little bored now and likely unfulfilled. 

Our days are filled with this kind of mindless scrolling on a constant basis. We are bombarded with digital information, digital content that influences, impacts (and dilutes) our precious minds. We consume this content so frequently in normal day to day activity we hardly notice it anymore. While in areas it can bring us delight and joy, in others it can hinder our core human traits and abilities.

As creatives, our job is to make unique, engaging, and meaningful work. Whether it’s visual design, copywriting, photography, or other mediums. And when we’re tasked with a project there’s often a pressure to perform, a pressure to get things done quickly. When this happens we often jump right back into the digital vortex for creative inspiration. We get assigned a new project and first thing we do is scroll behance, dribbble, pinterest, google, etc. to spark an idea. I particularly see this in the product/UI world where we’re moving quicker than ever. Taking a step back, I can’t help but ask, is a screen really a good place to kick off ideas?

“creativity is limitless, digital inspiration is finite”

This is what I believe to be true, our creativity is limitless, digital inspiration is finite. Digital content is like a confined little cookie jar. Hear me out… Let’s say we have a cookie jar full of digital inspiration “cookies”, a cookie jar full of the things we see online. If we’re constantly taking from this cookie jar, at some point there will be no more left. Not to mention the content may be stale (old) or not up to quality. 

As creatives in this analogy, we are the bakers. We are responsible for the tasty goodness that goes into digital content and contributing to it on a regular basis with fresh ingredients and flavors. It’s our responsibility to fill that jar up, not continually take from it. Sure, pulling from the digital cookie jar is ok here and there and even encouraged sometimes so we can see what’s trending, to learn new skills, etc. but unless we learn the how to cook up something new outside of what’s been done we will be restrained by the ideas of others and withhold our true potential. 

So how do we do it? Where do you find inspiration outside the screen? 

Here are 5 ways you can find inspiration outside of your screen for your next design project:

Mama Nature

Mama nature is the source of all artistic inspiration. You can trace it back to all of the greatest in art history, in music history, theatre, dance etc. Go outside, in whatever capacity you can. Go for a walk, a hike, a drive. Check out the mountains, the water, a local park. 

If you are looking for that perfect gradient, I guarantee it exists in a leaf, in a sunset, or horizon line. Take a minute to be quiet and observe the beauty in the big and small elements of nature. 

Immerse Yourself

Do whatever it takes to immerse yourself in the project you are working on. Push yourself to fully dive into the experience you are designing for with all resources available to you. 

Think of research immersion as if you’re traveling to another country. If you went to Italy you might drink a cappuccino, hear Italian locals chatting quickly in the background, hear local music and smell the amazing bread shop down the street... you'd see the bright colors of the buildings and the cracks in the terracotta stucco.

Similarly, when developing creative for any given project... go to that place of business or somewhere similar, experience the smells, the sounds, the tastes, the people. Take photos, see the colors... really get into the actual physical experience when possible. Watch movies on the topic, listen to the music of the industry, eat the food. Write notes, sketch, photograph, and breathe in all the experience has to offer. 

Get Physical:

I’m a very athletic person and particularly LOVE to run. I find that my best ideas are formed when my blood is flowing, I am spending time in solitude (usually in nature) and in my own thoughts. But you don’t have to be a runner to get physically active. Go for a walk, do some stretching, or dance for 10 minutes to Lizzo (or whatever’s your jam). Physical fitness allows us to let go of some of our inhibitions and gets your blood flowing and oxygen to your brain. The science of it is proven:

“A 2014 study by scientists at Stanford University affirmed Nietzsche’s predilection for perambulation. It showed that walking significantly improves certain types of cognitive efforts involved in creativity, specifically convergent thinking, such as the ability to come up with solutions to a problem, and divergent thinking, which involves conceiving open-ended, original ideas. (source)

Talk to someone (preferably a stranger)

Nothing like a good ol’ conversation to spark the imagination. Sometimes we don't’ realize how isolated we actually are living in our digital world. While our digital world “connects us” it also brings barriers and prevents us from having meaningful conversations with new people. Work on having genuine, authentic conversations with new people (or hell, even people you already know). Learn a little something about someone ask questions and really listen. 

Other media… music, theatre, athletic events

What media do you typically view? Are you super into music but never watch movies? Do you play video games but have never been to the theatre? Break outside of your normal routine and explore a new genre of creative. Take this as far as you like until you get some inspiration. Maybe it’s just finding a new radio station and appreciating a new sound, maybe it’s seeing how lighting and costumes transform a stage. The more you mix it up, the more newness you’ll experience. You’ll have more to pull from your metaphorical cookie jar when you expose yourself to more. 

Bottom line: Get out of your comfort zone and timeout from screens

In order to find inspiration, you need to push yourself outside of the norm and be present in doing so. If you’re in nature, leave your phone in the car or put it on silent. Stimulate your brain with things you aren’t used to seeing, push your eye to identify elements you wouldn’t typically look for, push your ears to listen to you something or someone you typically wouldn’t hear. Walk a path you haven’t walked and you may discover something you’ve never seen. Really allow yourself to absorb. Nature is limitless and so are you and your creative abilities. When you can connect to being present and leaning into your senses, you’ll tap into inspiration authentically and easily.