I think most artists would agree that when you discover your own creative passion it’s very easy to start trying other realms of expression and craft. I for one, as well as embracing many different art techniques, have found myself exploring a variety of creative-based skills from cooking to sewing with varying success. However, amongst all those beginners boxes, failed attempts, contest entries and untouched pots of gel medium one skill I never overlook is the necessity of finding regular inspiration.

Step One
TRY and do something every day

This is a pretty familiar piece of advice from prolific artists on keeping inspired, but even I find it a little hard to keep to. I find the best way to maintain this step is to keep an art journal.

Basically an art journal is like a diary but instead of writing all your days activities, your hopes and fears etc you do a creative art response. But it’s more then just drawing a picture of your trip to France. The art journal has no rules, so you can do anything that you want. The aim is to just do something. I often see my art journal as an excuse to make a mess. I do a lot of work that has absolutely no direction or final state. Most of it is shambolic and represents nothing of my true skill. But I enjoy doing it. Scribbles. Messy hand prints. Colouring In. Torn photo collages. In my art journal I let out that little girl who simply wants to feel the paper between her fingers and get covered in glue. The key is that everyday I have fun with my creative self, with no boundaries, rules or deadlines. I just explore.

Tip: If you miss a day of doing something ‘arty’ don’t feel bad, when I’m in bed I just picture a creative idea in my head, maybe a new book cover design for my journal and I enjoy just thinking about it. I’m still being creative. And if it’s a really amazing idea I tend to just jot down a few key words about it on a scrap of paper I keep by my bed and sketch it up another time.

Step Two
Become a Magpie

As an embroidery artist for over 30 years my grandmother collected sacks full of fabrics, beads, sequins, belt buckles, buttons, broken jewellery, shells, circuit boards, threads, ribbons, netting, tiles, all sorts of things which I spent hours of my childhood and adulthood just rummaging through. There is nothing more stimulating then a box full of glittery trinkets. Last year, before I got married, she gave me her entire trinket collection as a wedding present as she knew how much is inspired me and I spent a number of weeks slowly going through all my new treasures and looking at them. I developed a game where I would look at each thing and think about what I could use it for in my own work. A fish eye? A butterflies wing? The sky? A crown? I started seeing fresh, original ideas that I would never have considered by these new stimuli. Since then I have religiously recycled everything that passes through our home from old clothes to fruit bags. I have even started my greatest treasure, my stock image collection. *sigh*. This is one thing I do recommend to every artist. My collection consists of model poses, clothes and shoes I like (I find these useful for creating characters or anatomical details such as hand gestures) interiors, furniture and houses I like, flowers and trees, landscapes, quotes or letters I like, other artists work and natural wonders. Focus on your own interests and think carefully about where you can get the best free image stocks. Sunday Newspapers, junk mail, Google image search, even the DA. Then you can just look back at them all (mine are neatly glued onto scrap paper in a ring binder) for reference and inspiration. Of course copyright is a huge issue here so be careful with what you do with your sourced images. You will probably not be able to show them publicly or use them in your final work, but you CAN use them as references for idea sketches and inspiration.

Tip: Do not hoard everything. Limited space IS an issue with everyone, no matter who you are. so when your storage boxes are full, STOP. Not because you really want to, I know, but because after a while you start to loose those precious finds that you really want to use under all that junk. Label all your boxes, jam jars and tubs clearly with what’s in them and work within those confines. Don’t create fire hazards or annoy relatives, your art is not worth the suffering. I placate my husband about my magpie habit by keeping my studio pristinely organised and tidy. My card and paper stocks are even in rainbow colour order so I can see if I’m hoarding too much of one colour. And if there’s too much stuff, I bin it, donate it or substitute something else in my collection.

Step Three
Make an Idea Box

Take yourself an empty tissue box and a pad of paper. On the paper write down every single idea you’ve ever wanted to do or focus on or play around with creatively. For example:

‘Make a patchwork handbag’
‘Be inspired by a book’
‘Create a self portrait’

Nothing too detailed but enough to give you a direction in a new project. Decorate your tissue box however you like, cover it in pretty papers, paint it neon yellow, glue lace on it, and then cut up each idea onto its own little slip, fold it up and place it in the tissue box and make it into a little idea tombola. Every time you cant think of anything to do and you want a little shove in an artistic direction put your hand into the box and pick a piece of paper at random and then follow its guidance. Do you need ideas to put in the box? Try books such as Kaleidoscope: Ideas and Projects to Spark Your Creativity by Suzanne Simanaitis, Collage Sourcebook- Exploring The Art & Techniques of Collage (Apple Press), Complete Art Foundation Course- Drawing, Watercolour, Oils and Acrylics (Cassell Illustrated) or even take on the infamous 100 Themes Challenge [link]. Look at your music, book and film collections. ‘Homage’ to your favourite artists. Look out your window, what do you see? Play with your senses, interpret your favourite tastes, smells, sounds, feelings, beliefs. Are you religious? Politically moved? Angry? Sad? Blissfully in love? Open a dictionary at random and choose words that connect with you. Explore it all and write it down for ideas. It lets you offload any old ideas that are rattling round your head but also gives you the opportunity to return to your ideas later as they’re all safely stored in your new idea box.

Tip: As you read during your day to day jot down any ideas the book, magazine or report gives you. Even when watching TV, reality TV shows like Americas Next Top Model have great creative challenges which you can challenge yourself to as well!

Step Four
Explore your world

I live 40 minutes from London so within the time it takes me to by a £15 travel card and read (and cut up) a fashion magazine I am on the doorstep of some of the worlds greatest museums and galleries. Culture fascinates me so I will spend hours absorbing the feel of an era and then taking that home with me. At weekends we drive to battlefields, castles, historic homes, rivers, natural wonders and ruins, just to see what happened there. Nothing captures my imagination more then the personal stories of people. Not how one country affected another as much, but what Joe Bloggs was doing that night it all happened. So getting out and about is very important for inspiration. But don’t forget, we have some wonderful sources of ideas happening in our own homes… Life events, daily issues, favourite memories, routines, your identity, your family tree. I also watch a lot of documentaries and science programs on TV so that new cultures, creatures and events are always passing me by. Our world, after all, is the most inspiring thing available to us in whatever form is comes in.

Tip: Keep a sentiment box full of birthday cards, holiday tickets, xmas cracker jokes, school reports and letters. Dig that out every now and then and remember all those little things your friends and family have done for you AND what joy you bring other people. Maybe even keep painful memories separate and then challenge those artefcats later, when you feel you can. Use those stories as your inspiration. Reveal a little about you in your work.

Step Five
Keep it real

Remember you’re only human and that with inspiration, the best ideas appear with a little bit of luck and maybe even a bit of sleep! Stop being an artist for a day every now and then and remember who you are. You still have an education to complete, friends to see, a job with deadlines and a dog to feed. Enjoy Art, yes, but don’t let it consume you because you’ll end up producing stale, overworked ideas with no originality or feeling behind them. If you truly cant find inspiration then simply, just STOP. Put down your tools and do something else for a moment. Resist the urge to push yourself. Relax. Breathe. Rest. Yes, other artists will be producing work while youve stopped and you may not be able to enter that show or contest next week but it really isn’t the end of the world. When you’re rested your new work will have a whole new strength to it that your mind body and soul will truely appreciate.

Tip: During family holidays or festivals keep them void of art. Enjoy them for what they are. Of course keep memories and reminders of the day but you will overlook the experience if you’re not too careful in preference for inspiration. One of my greatest regrets was watching an entire Madonna concert through the lens of my camera phone trying to capture the moment when my memories enough would have sufficed!