What do you do for inspiration?

[reuber1]

I don't know if there's anything like this already here, but since we're all into the creative field, obviously some of us have one way or another of finding inspiration for a new project to help escape designer's block. When you're staring at a blank project-file/sketchbook-page/whatever sometimes it can feel pretty intimidating to come up with an idea...a lot of "I don't know if I'm good enough" or "I can't think of anything because all of my previous ideas stink" start playing back in my head when this happens, and I'd be willing to guess that others feel this way too. NOTE: This obviously refers to more creative works, not generic client requests for a corny brochure that can be fired out in Quark in 15 minutes...I'm talking work that is more fulfilling to ourselves!

I was just wondering what some of you others do for inspiration when it comes to a project, and why you believe it helps you (be as specific as you can/want)? We all have our own unique methods for inspiration, I just think that perhaps if we share them it may help benefit newbies (myself) or veterans (many of you) alike; give each other some helpful ideas that we could use!



As for myself, the method I've begun to adopt recently is music w/ sketchbook...not just any music, it has to be something I've never heard before or haven't played too much of already, because anything that I've heard already generally has a memory/emotion tied to it. Generally this requires an artist that is in fact an "artist", not this MTV dreck bullcrap. Anyways, with the music loaded in my iPod I usually get myself away from my laptop and any distractions with my sketchbook in hand, play the music loud to drown out mostly everything else, and just start drawing whatever comes into my head with a PEN; I want everything to stay, no erasing. A lot of deep seeded thoughts can be extracted this way, and have certainly led to some creative thinking for me. Anyone else care to share?

[Allen Harkleroad]

I find most of my ideas, early in the morning, i get up at 3-4am and find that ideas come out better then than during the day when i am distracted with other things. Music is good and can help one focus (or block out the rest of the world during the day). Sketching/doodling and just let your hand and mnd kind of go where it wants, many times brings ideas to bear. I guess I don't have any one process that i can say is the one, but the early morning quite times seem to work best for me.

Allen

[petchy]

i get out of the office!!! doesn't matter where to really, maybe the park, maybe the city centre - as long as it's away from my desk, phone and pc! my best ideas seem to emerge when i'm in the middle of doing something completely different like weeding the garden or grocery shopping! funny thing is i'll often get a great idea for a freelance job while i'm at work, and a great idea for the day-job when i'm in the middle of my freelance work!!

random word generators and the thesaurus help spark ideas when i'm completely blank, and i have a great little pdf "book" with 100 questions to help me think outside the box about a concept. if you want to give it a go this is where i got it from: http://www.dontheideaguy.com/download/100what.pdf

or you might want to try http://www.innovationtools.com/ or just do a google search on "creative thinking" or similar to get more resources.

i must be a bit of a freak as i don't very often use music for inspiration, in fact i sometimes have to just sit in a completely quiet room - not too popular with the other designer in the office when i ask for the music to be turned down!! lol suppose every designer works differently!

[YNOT]

I find music is the best inspiration for me. Not just any music, but heavy stuff. The screamin' guitars and pounding drums get me into the groove and get me hyped to be creative.

I also find thumbing through car magazines spark my mind as well.

[defjoe]

looking at other work is inspiring to me. seeing other artist/designers working makes my creative juices flow. Especially when I'm at a comic con. that entire time all I want to do is draw.

[Allen Harkleroad]

Hey Joe,
I find toting a digital camera around to take shots of ideas and inspirational things helps too, then i dump them in one big folder and browse the thumbnails, it works well. Even a cheapy pocket size camera is great for this type of thing.

Allen

[defjoe]

that's a GREAT idea Allen. cause you know you always see stuff when your driving around. then you try to remember it and it always gets lost in the void that is my mind.

[D-Zine]

I walk around the local bookstore and look at magazines and books that are in reference to what project I need inspiration for. I always always listen to music. I guess each person has a certain type that helps their workflow and so do I. And I like it LOUD :) I brainstorm with my best friends. They are very creative ppl as well and are a great deal of help when I am freelancing! I also get my best ideas at 3 or so in the a.m. Sometimes I will work on a project and be totally stuck, and then I wake up and it comes to me! Just like that. If that happens - don't ever go back to sleep!! Get yer bum outta bed and get those ideas down while you are still excited about them! The passion is what drives you to create.

[reuber1]

Great stuff, guys!

Allen, I've actually just started making a habit of toting my digital camera around everywhere I go to get shots for some of my smaller sized projects whenever the opportunity arises, but the idea of using snapshots for inspiration purposes is a really great idea and like defjoe said it's really easy to forget about something you see when you'd be like "Where's my camera at!?!"

[Soreen Kid]

there is no greater inspiration than a blanksheet i find.

just like song writing, you have a rough idea in your head already, plink and plonk about, and slowly everything will fall into it's right place.

can't work with out music though.

although i think my work is probably heavily influenced indirectly by the music i am listening to at the time, as a guy once said to me in an interview: "no one can follow your correlation but it is good" :)

[Ulysses]

Oh lordy ... look what you just found. If only it was real, huh!? Better luck next time I guess.

[Jason Fraker]

I like to do some sketching now and then, but peace and quiet is also great. The quiet is also good when you have a thousand little things to do. I came in at 3am once last winter and got my entire day's worth done before anyone else showed up. Then, it's GDF, and piddling around for the rest of the day!

I also like doing right brained type exercises. There's a book for writers called the Pocket Muse that has a ton of those exercises in it. Plus, it's all printed in a beautiful black and metallic seafoam green, sometimes duotones of those two. For example, it'll give you 8 or nine random letters and have you compose a sentance using those letters as the first of your words, and in the order they're given to you. That kind of thing helps me turn on the right side of my brain and get far away from the logical, rational (and boring) ideas that fight their way to the sketchpad.

Lately, I've found blogging to be quite inspiring to my creative juice-flowing. Don't ask me why.

[jamodu]

LOL @ Ulysses...I hope you're bosses don't mind!

I usually find a bit of random word google image searching sparks off some ideas. Failing that, a drive in my car with the stereo up loud can help. Last resort is usually going to sleep with a sketch-book and writing down/doodling whatever comes into my head when I wake up :)

[Jeff Fisher LogoMotives]

I'm another one from getting out of the office for inspiration. Very few of my design ideas come to me while sitting at my desk or doodling. Most come my way in the shower, in my car while driving, while gardening, visiting galleries/museums, etc.

- Jeff