How To Stay Creatively Inspired
6 musts to get yourself out of a rut.
We feel our best when we're "inspired"…
…At least, that's what we like to tell ourselves.
Inspiration and effortless motivation generate enough endorphins to keep us out of creative ruts and depressive episodes. It's a dream-like high fueled by personal gratification and a borderline narcissistic belief that we're skilled enough in something to pursue it further.
I'm kidding; creating art isn't selfish (though, why does it sometimes feel that way?) The truth is that crafting functional, respectable art requires extraordinary courage — the bravery to persist time and again despite repeated rejections. Ruts are an inevitable part of the creative process, serving as reflection time. Therefore, we must take steps to pace ourselves and establish good habits.
As a photographer and editor working in this brutal, ever-changing industry for over a decade — I've found several ways to stay creative and in tune with myself.
Here are the six tried-and-true methods I use to avoid a rut and stay creatively inspired.
1. Only Say Yes to Opportunities Worth Tour Time
If you're starting a career and looking to build your portfolio but need help figuring out where to begin, here's a valuable tip: approach your work as if a client commissioned you.
For instance, if you're into outdoor and landscape photography, plan a few hikes or adventures throughout the month and tackle them as if they were assignments. Or, if photojournalism is your preference, dedicate a day to cold-pitching local outlets for coverages on nearby events, or attend a public gathering and be your own journalist.
It's a balance between creating the opportunities yourself and showing the work you want to be seen by prospective clients. Once you've established your vision, it's so much easier to keep the habit of only saying "yes" to what you're passionate about. There'll always be a few obligatory jobs or assignments to take on but do so only with intention and boundaries.
2. Go Beyond Your Medium
Our primary instinct is to explore within our means. It's comfortable to keep in line with what we already know; familiarity keeps us grounded. But to truly grow and expand your knowledge or talents behind your craft, you must make yourself uneasy and think outside the box.
If you're a filmmaker, go to a science museum. If you're a painter, read up on architecture. If you're a photographer, attend a film festival. You get the point.
I often find sources of inspiration beyond looking at the cacophony of Instagram squares or peeking in photo books at the local bookstore. Creativity is sparked amidst even the littlest moments of everyday life: the color of a cocktail, the story told over a fire, or the texture of my favorite sweater. One small detail leads to another; never let the refined constraints of your particular medium be your only driving force; otherwise, you'll fall short pretty quickly.
3. Get Some Life Experience
Photography and filmmaking are authentic depictions of moments captured in a still frame. Seize those impactful memories you've been waiting for: your travels, relationships, joys, hardships, work schedules, likes, dislikes, and the small moments sprinkled throughout your every day.
One of my favorite quotes comes from a scene in Nat Wolff's "Stuck In Love" (2012). In it, a solemn, hopeless, romantic 17-year-old seeks literary advice from his famous author father. The father advises, "You need more life experiences as a writer, son; that's why your sister is such a natural."
As writers, it's challenging to express emotions or situations we haven't experienced ourselves; no amount of interviews or studying can match the intensity of real-life occasions. Similarly, as a photographer, capturing the street life of Chicago is a significant undertaking when you live in the Kansas suburbs.
Sometimes, what it takes to get there is a challenging conversation or a change of scenery (literally).
4. Crack Open a Book
Not everyone has to be some loveable page-turning freak, but finding stimulus from the tangible is crucial.
Take your eyes off the screen and touch something you can feel, hold, and love. It doesn't have to be some ultra-creative fictional piece — perhaps you're into picture books, self-help tutorials, or dusty vintage magazines from your mother's dresser.
Ironically, reading this article on your computer or smartphone suggests you need extra mind-play today.
5. Adapt To a Schedule
The world's most celebrated creators are hardly unique in their commitment to a schedule. Mason Currey's excellent book, "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work," surfaces this very topic as he discusses famous persons and their creative habits:
Maya Angelou rents a local hotel room and goes there to write. She arrives at 6:30 AM, writes until 2 PM, and then goes home to edit. She never sleeps at the hotel.
British Turner-Prize painter Chris Ofili awakes, washes their face, makes phone calls, and sticks to a minute watercolor creation routine.
Photographer William Wegman wakes up at 7 AM, feeds his dog, and doesn't start work until his 20-mile bike ride (that's a tad ambitious, lol).
Routines, of course, will look different to each person. It wouldn't be my place to give you a step-by-step formula for attacking a unique to-do list — though I believe that finding the willpower to create meaningful work means doing it consistently.
6. Just Do The Damn Thing
At the end of the day, remember that no one thinks about you as much as you.
If you spend your time waiting for the perfect "aha!" moment, you'll waste the vital energy that could be channeled into creating a project. Even when hope seems absent, show up at your workstation and get the work done anyway.
This mindful practice of active expression will gradually build endurance and spark a step in the right direction. Creating meaningful art requires a strong work ethic, creative problem-solving skills, and persistence in your ambitions.
Seek accountability, set goals, and do the dang thing.
It's completely okay to fail now and then.
All of these are 💯