For a long time I had no inspiration. How to get your inspiration back. Practical recommendations. the main ways to bring back inspiration

How many of you have experienced the “magic power” of creative impasse at least once in your life? The main sign: as soon as you sit down at the monitor (or any other working tool), everything thoughts disappear somewhere. Stare at the screen like a sheep at a new gate, but it still doesn’t come. You wait a day or two or three, but inspiration still doesn’t return. Sound familiar?

How do people react to creative block?

What do people usually do when the Muse goes on vacation and leaves them alone with their creations? There are three options:

• The first one will say what is needed wait for inspiration and switch to other things for a while: “It’s worth taking a break from work, and then inspiration will immediately come. And it will more than make up for lost time.”
• The second type will decide that prolonged creative impasse is a sign that it's none of his business and it's worth throwing it away. As some experts will say: “this means there is a lack of motivation.”
• And only the third (by the way, the smallest) spits on the Muse and will continue to plow alone - without any breaks, switching or soul-searching. It is he who will reach the end - finish the book, finish the painting, hand over the project. Achieve your goals if you want.

The first two types will eventually burn out and take on a new business (and then burn out again). Because it is impossible to rely on inspiration alone. Even if you have an innate gift, talent, a lot of desire, there will still be moments when you don’t want to do anything and nothing will work out.

And the only way to quickly overcome such periods is to spit on the Muse and move on, through “I can’t”. You can rest and switch later, when you get into a normal rhythm. But in no case on such days do not give in to the temptation (as well as the advice of well-wishers) to take a break.

Who agrees, raise your hands :) In the meantime, I’ll move on to the practical part :)

How to get inspiration back?

Work, work and work again. “That’s understandable,” you say. - What exactly? Techniques, methods - what? I suggest you start with what to do Not costs.

What you shouldn't do if you don't have inspiration:

• Don't be distracted by social network, mail, Internet surfing.
• Don't respond to friends' offers for drinks. "by the mug". Drinking helped almost no one, but harmed many.

Edgar Allan Poe created his work while completely drunk. But let's not forget that he urinated on himself and died at forty, a complete wreck. (James N. Fray)

• You should not call a friend, mom, dad, wife, husband, grandparents, an old acquaintance whom you forgot to call back yesterday, etc. As A. Mazin said, “You don’t need to make a show out of your problem!”

But from this, it really turns out real show starring us . All our friends feel sorry for us, support us, and give advice. And we enjoy our moments of glory. I suspect that for many creative (read: demonstrative) individuals these are the best moments of that very “creativity”.

What do you think?

Write, and for now I’ll move on to the main part - techniques that help overcome creative impasse. Methods that have helped me personally more than once.

4 main ways to bring back inspiration:

1. Retype or read aloud already written(if you are not working with text, make a copy of the finished one, go through the preparations and plans).
2. Turn on music, which previously inspired you - the associations associated with it will help you return to the creative process.
3. Take 3 A4 sheets, a pen and start writing everything that's in your head, even if not related to work. If there is complete silence there, write: “There is silence in my head.” And so on at least 20 times. Write all 3 sheets of paper on both sides, but do not re-read anything. This will help you relax and also throw out all the “garbage” that is slowing you down. The same can be done on a computer, preferably with the monitor turned off.
4. While you are working on the draft, don't edit anything. Otherwise, you will dig yourself in so hard that you will drive yourself even further into a dead end. By the way, it is also better to write a draft with the monitor turned off, and in the first days without even revising what you have written.

If you hit a creative block at the end of your work, it's most likely due to fear of failure: you are afraid that the work will not be accepted, will not be appreciated, and you will be criticized. In this case, the following techniques will help:

2 ways to regain inspiration at the end of work:

1. Return to the A4 sheets and write down the following: "I'm talented...(writer/artist/designer - insert yours)”, “I’m doing great”, “My work will be accepted”, etc. depending on what you are afraid of. Write until you believe it yourself. I know, I know, that at first glance all this seems stupid and even ridiculous. But it really helps - I tried it.
2. Another option - shout, that there is urine - on the computer, paper, which do not want to listen to you. Shout that you are not afraid of the reaction of your superiors (publisher/customer) and you don’t care if they don’t accept the work - you will find others, better ones, etc. A great way to relieve stress and clear your nerves :-)

All of the above are great for dealing with fear of failure. However, creative people often face the opposite reason - fear of success. In such a situation, the recommendation is as follows (especially relevant for writers, bloggers, authors of articles in the media).

Whether it's a work assignment, a creative project, or a weight loss plan, sometimes, unfortunately, you just lose the juice. Remember well what you are about to read. Inspiration must be actively sought. Motivation can be drawn from everything that surrounds you, you just need to know where to look. The following steps will show you how to find inspiration and get back on track.

1. Pinchmyself. Or just take a breath and concentrate. Many people get distracted from the task they should be doing and then wonder why they are so far behind schedule. First you need to become more focused. Look for inspiration in the final result - play out the desired outcome of your work over and over again in your imagination.
2. Stop and smell the flowers. If you don't have the right positive attitude, you won't succeed. Positive psychology states that an attitude of gratitude makes a person happier and thus helps to work more productively and enthusiastically. There is always something to be grateful for - for an opportunity, for a second chance, simply for the ability to do what you do. Every time you have troubles, try to look at the bright side of life. To do this, you can try this method: write down what you are grateful for in your life, and re-read this list in difficult cases. This way you will always remember that everything in life is not so bad, and there is still a lot of good things ahead of you.
3. "Reboot» yoursfeelings. Get out of your box. You don't have to travel to distant countries at all. It is enough to leave your home and walk to some place, preferably related to your project, where being there stimulates your senses. It has been proven that the more a person’s senses are involved at the same time, the higher the efficiency of the brain’s processing of information and sensations. So take in the sounds and colors of the world around you: go to a gallery, a café, or just take a walk along a busy street.
4. Feedminebrain. Knowledge- force. Books are a great source of inspiration. Reading not only allows you to learn new information about what you do. The opinion and experience of specialists who write books, their passion and love for their work, can inspire you to come up with fresh ideas.
5. Solve the crossword puzzle. Puzzle lovers have out-of-the-box thinking and the ability to overcome difficulties while remaining balanced and collected. They know how to identify the essence of the problem, formulate a strategy, collect information and resources necessary to solve the problem. Learn to love solving puzzles on paper - and you will also begin to enjoy solving the problems that life throws at you.
6. Use social media for inspiration, not distraction.Let social networks be yoursInstagram/YouTube/Facebook/Tumblr will help you with inspiration. Collect and share drawings, photos, videos or music that inspire you, and don't forget to look at your inspirational album every time you log on to social media (instead of looking for photos of your ex-classmate's new girlfriend). This will remind you of your goals and eliminate envy and procrastination.
7. "Be in other people's shoes." Spend more time with people you look up to. If you surround yourself with people who serve as examples for you, you will try to keep up with them, and you will also be able to adopt the healthy habits of others. And the next time you feel uninspired, you can call a friend who will share their enthusiasm with you.
8. Avoid negativity. Try to spend less time with negative people especially when you need to urgently complete a project. Don't let others spoil your mood and take away your inspiration. Be polite but firm, apologize and come back to them after you've finished your work to help.
9. Stop itbehermit. Meet new people. When you don't have enough concentration to continue working at home or in the office, get up, get dressed and go meet someone. It has been scientifically proven that social isolation is dangerous to your health! This means that having more people to know not only guarantees a more fulfilling life, but also ensures a higher level of well-being and increases your chances of not becoming a psychopath. In addition, new people are always a source of new stories, which can sometimes inspire you to do something.
10. Tap into your inner child. Do something for the first time. Adults often lack novelty and vivid impressions in life, and this turns their life into a routine. To get your adrenaline pumping and bring inspiration back into your life, do something new, explore the unknown. You don’t have to dive into the ocean from a thirty-meter cliff; try something simpler: sing karaoke, dance in front of other people, cook and eat an exotic dish. The feeling that you have conquered a new, albeit not very high, peak will make you feel like a hero and believe in your strength.
11. Get some sleep. Sometimes all you need to regain your strength is just a good night's sleep. If you have the opportunity, include naps in your routine. “Quiet hour” helps increase the level of serotonin in your brain, which has a positive effect on its activity. A good night's sleep is sometimes all it takes to regain your inspiration.
12. Take a lookVmirror. Be an inspiration to yourself. It can be easy to get lost in a chain of bad news and unpleasant events. Find inspiration in your own story. Remember what the biggest difficulties you had to overcome in life, and you will understand that you managed to defeat them. Remember your main achievements and the obstacles you managed to overcome on the way to them

If you are looking for a hero to inspire you, then I assure you, he is closer than you think

Quite recently I was faced with such a problem as loss of inspiration. To get at least some advice, I began to study forums. There are a huge number of notes on the return of our Muse, but many sites do not give a clearly formulated answer; the return of inspiration is talked about superficially. Therefore, I decided to study this issue in more depth.

Many people confuse the loss of inspiration with a creative crisis. Believe me, this is not the same thing.

First, let's figure out what is the reason for the loss of inspiration.

1. The most common reason is simple fatigue. We all try to get our work done within 24 hours. But our body is very deceptive. You can feel good for a long time and work without interruptions, but one “beautiful” day all ideas, thoughts, and inspiration will disappear. If this happens, I advise you to rest. Sleep, relax, maybe even meditate.

2. Another factor is the narrowing of one’s horizons. Very often we settle on one topic, read articles, blogs, and get inspired by thematic pictures. Meanwhile, our brain, not receiving new, and most importantly, diverse information, generates ideas more and more slowly and sluggishly. Start reading books, watch a new movie, go to the cinema or theater. In general, change the environment around you, then inspiration will definitely appear.

3. The muse can also disappear due to the fact that there is no reaction from others. For a creative person, the reaction of the outside world is important. He wants to hear approval from readers, other artists, poets and people in general. Feedback inspires, energizes and even gives self-confidence. Ask a friend to comment on your work, it will force you to sit down again at a canvas or a blank sheet of paper (or at least open Word).

4. Another important point is unfinished projects. Probably, each of us has our own box in which we store unfinished work. I’m tired, I don’t have time, I stopped liking the topic, difficulties have arisen, I’ve run out of material - because of this, fan fiction, paintings, poems and much, much more can settle in this box for a week, a month, or even not wait to be completed. And such work accumulates as a heavy burden on the soul. And such a situation arises - you can’t get around to finishing the old, but you can’t start something new. Therefore, I advise you not to refer to “laziness” or “lack of time”, but simply go ahead and finish the fanfic or complete the painting. In general, complete all your endeavors. Then your Muse will definitely return to you.

5. Often the root of the problem is the same type of work. Using the same information, the same descriptions and other things that may bother you. Way out of the situation: find new material, try your hand at a different genre (like me today), change your presentation technique. And then the Muse will quickly walk towards you.

These are the most common reasons why inspiration disappears, as well as ways to get it back. But there are other methods of attracting the muse.

1. Look at other people's work. If you write poetry, then read the classics (or any work you like). If you draw, then feel free to go to a gallery (or turn on the works of Leonardo Da Vinci on your computer, for example). If you are interested in writing fanfiction, then it would be a good idea to read some work by an author already known on ficbook. I'm sure your muse will quickly return to you.

2. Copy yourself. No matter how strange it may sound, try to repeat your work. And someday you will realize how talented you are.

3. Look for inspiration on social media. networks. No, no, don’t be distracted from your work, just look. You can find pictures, music, articles that will inspire you.

4. Listen to music. Take your mind off your problems with melody. I advise you to listen to the classics, they inspire many.

5. Open up to the world. Stop avoiding dating and sitting in your shell. Meet new people. You can find support from them, and inspiration will come naturally.

6. Change your surroundings. Create your own comfort zone in which you want to create. Even if you move a flower from the windowsill to the table, that’s already something.

7. Start writing on paper. How often do we use Word or other editors, forgetting about such a native A4 sheet. Take a piece of paper with a pen and write everything that comes to mind. You can describe yourself, how your day went, new acquaintances. Write and describe everything you see. This will help you relax. Your brain will work differently in an unfamiliar environment and give you ideas. You can also take old ideas and bring them to life.

Another miraculous method is work. Work through “I can’t”, and your inspiration will just come up behind you and see what’s so interesting about what you’re doing. Then he will correct you, and then he will completely take everything into his own hands.

I hope that my article helped at least someone. Well, I’ll go finish writing fanfiction and bring ideas to life.

HOW TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION BACK?

Lately I’ve been hearing this question more and more often: how to get inspiration back? Creative people ask it in different ways: some openly, some casually, some veiled with other questions. Whether this is due to spring fatigue, or, on the contrary, with spring revival - I don’t know.

This question has always seemed strange to me, because there seems to be enough material for a solution.

But still, I decided to look - are there many articles on this topic on the Internet?

The search made me sit back and whistle: there were not just a lot of articles, but a lot. Methods are offered by writers, psychologists, sociologists, artists and musicians, designers and filmmakers, artists and politicians.

Do people who are interested in these methods really not read the articles?

I decided to look into this problem, researched and analyzed a bunch of material, and this is what I realized:

Firstly, many creative people confuse two things - care inspiration And creative crisis . Of course, they are interconnected, but there are still significant differences, as well as different methods.

Secondly, the methods and techniques are not systematized and most often represent a chaotic set that is difficult to understand.

Thirdly, often a method or technique is simply named, but no one explains exactly how to use it.

Fourthly, in my opinion, almost nothing is written about three important things that are necessary to solve the problem.

We’ll talk more about how to overcome creative crisis, but for now we’ll devote time return of inspiration .

To begin with, I tried to collect ways and techniques to bring inspiration back together. I'm sure I missed something, but at least this table will help you see their synthesis, the pros and cons of the techniques.

Then I gave my comment to each method and asked my friend Tin to do the same. For what - I will tell you later.

For now, just check out the table of ways to “Get Inspiration Back.”

Everyone can create such a table of methods for themselves and constantly supplement it. But... in itself it means nothing if you don’t understand how to use it to return inspiration.

Here's what you can do:

– next to our comments – give yours;

– highlight in red what really helps you. Blue – what helps partially;

– the more “red” matches, the more effective the method;

– it is better to resort to “blue” techniques secondarily;

– you can also determine the degree of effectiveness of each method by trying it on yourself, and if you lose inspiration, you will know what to do first;

– fill out the table and test the methods on yourself, gradually you will definitely identify those that always help you personally.

Tin and I have identified only four ways that really always help both me and him: a shower (water), creating an environment, love and praise (attention). If a dozen more people join our opinion, perhaps they are universal.

In any case, you need to experiment, try, search. No one will give you back your inspiration except yourself. You can, of course, rely on chance, but you can act purposefully. In my opinion, laziness is the worst enemy of inspiration.

Does it ever happen that nothing helps at all?

It happens, especially when it comes about creative crisis.

Anyone who has ever completed any creative task is familiar with the situation when work has stopped, inspiration has disappeared, there are no ideas, and everything around is distracting and does not allow you to gather your thoughts. In English there is a special term for this - creative block. The author of the blog ISO500 decided to ask sought-after designers, artists and representatives of other creative professions about how they overcome creative block and where they get ideas, and as a result, he received 15 tips on how to regain lost inspiration.

Kim Holtermand

The Danish photographer, who specializes in architecture and landscape photography, started his career just a couple of years ago and continues to work as a fingerprint expert in the forensic department of the Danish police.

“Only music can return my creative spirit - it is an inexhaustible source of creativity. Many of my works were created with tracks from Sigur Rós (this is music for all times), Hammock, Max Richter, Air, Dead Can Dance, Helios, Johann Johannsson, Jonsi and Alex, M83, Olafur Arnalds, Trentemøller... In general, I I can go on forever."

Jasper Goodall

Freelance illustrator based in Birmingham. She promotes her own swimwear label, JG4B, and calls them wearable art.

“Several things help me: first, get away from the computer. Go to some city I haven't been to before and just wander around: I sat down in a café in Berlin one day and so many ideas came to mind that I honestly didn't know what to do with them.

I also go to the library at the local University of Art and Design, where you can look through old editions of design and photography magazines. Then I come home, print out the articles and pictures I like and paste them into a thick notebook. After that, there are more than enough ideas.”

Eric Spiekermann

Legendary German typographer, professor at the University of Bremen, compatriot and successor of the pioneer printer Gutenberg. He considers his interest in printing to be an incurable disease and calls it typographic mania.

I have 5 tips:

Take a break. Do something else that will distract you - wash your car or sort through old files on your computer.

Think. Sit back in your chair and just stop controlling your flow of thoughts.

Explore. Search for information, pick up your old projects, but avoid Google -

you can spend too much time before coming across anything useful.

Make sketches. Drawing is great, even if you are completely incapable of it. Visualizing thoughts immediately revives them.

Divide. Take your mind off the problem, break your project into small parts and put them back together into one whole.

Ji Lee

Currently holds the position of Creative Director at Facebook. Before that, he worked in a similar position at Google. He not only conducts creative developments, but also gives lectures all over the world - including giving a master class at St. Petersburg State University.

“When “ideological block” sets in, I do several things. I take a long shower - old thoughts are washed away there, and I feel renewed. After that, I clean the apartment: I can’t think when there’s a mess all around. If there is still no result, I go for a bike ride around the neighborhood and try not to think about my project at all. One way or another, this scheme always works.”

C Scott

Graphic designer and illustrator from the UK, famous for his 3D paper models. He lectures at Leeds College of Art and Design and periodically in different cities around the world. His clients included Vogue, Nike and Tiffany&Co.

“It happens to me quite often that I can’t come up with anything, but this happens to all creative people. I realized that there is only one way to overcome this: do not sit and wait for inspiration to return, but continue to work, use all the ideas that you have, no matter how inappropriate they may seem.”

“There are only two creatives in our studio. For each individual project, we attract different people, freelancers, who, in our opinion, are most suitable for the job. We are always looking for sources of inspiration and make sure to write them down so that we can return to them again later if necessary. These can be objects on the street that your eye catches (they must be photographed), books, fashion shows, films, blogs, etc. So every time we start a new project, we discuss things that might put us in the right mood and make mood boards - collections of pictures that inspire us."

MINE

A San Francisco-based graphic design studio with nothing on its website other than this one statement: “We make books, packaging, graphics and interactive campaigns for scientific visionaries, educational revolutionaries, best-selling authors, museums, giant telecommunications corporations and Hollywood producers."

You are stuck if you seriously believe that there are no ideas, you don’t know how to get out of stagnation, and if you know how to get out, but doubt your abilities. In these cases, you need to do this:

I ask myself, am I really stuck? Sometimes we still generate a lot of ideas, but for some reason we convince ourselves that this is a creative crisis. And then, a creative crisis is also something new: you need to perceive it as a new experience.

I do nothing. If you're stuck, it means you can't clearly identify the problem that's stopping you from moving on. The best medicine in this situation is a new perspective. By abstracting myself from the problem, I can look at it better. I can go to the cinema or to a museum - one way or another, new experiences themselves will lead me to the right decision.

I switch to what I do well to remind myself that I'm awesome.. Sometimes I know how to solve a problem, but the solution seems very difficult. Then I take on other, simpler tasks: it could be a blog post, cleaning out the garage, whatever. By completing tasks quickly and well, I become convinced that I can do anything: and even that most difficult task seems like just another item that needs to be crossed off from the to-do list. And no unnecessary panic.

Airside

A creative agency from the UK that knows exactly what ideological stupor can lead to a dead end and what to do about it. The creators of the studio, which won many awards from D&AD and Design Week, decided to close it this year and take up their own projects: record a music album, go to Tokyo, go to work for another agency.

“Set your alarm for 5 am. When it rings, either get up and enjoy this unique time of day, or go back to sleep and have vivid, crazy dreams: since you will be in the stage of REM sleep, they will remain in your head even after you wake up, and will charge you with creativity for a long time. all day.

Don't sit and wait for something to pop into your head. Don't read magazines, don't search on Google - go outside, to the theater, to a museum, for a walk. Be sure to turn off your phone and do not take your computer with you.

Expand your area of ​​interest. The more you consume a cultural product, the better you can understand what your client ultimately wants to see. Exchange opinions with colleagues, look at your project from different angles.

On the other hand, you can, on the contrary, not listen to anyone, abstract from all the rules and work the way you feel and how you like. If you are tired of the fact that in the creative industry everything comes down to a compromise between the client and the performer, just rely on your creative instinct and try to infect others with it.”

“I have a lot of tricks for such situations: for example, look at photos on the Internet, change your desktop to a table in a coffee shop and much more. But the best thing to do is just talk to your friends. They look at things completely differently than I do, and tell a lot of new things: they can throw in a cool inspiring photo or just cheer you up with a couple of good words - it always makes you move on!”

Invisible Creature

The Seattle-based design studio's two founders are former punk rockers who embraced the DIY aesthetic and incorporated it into their design work. We received orders from Esquire, New York Times, Nike and Sony.

"Leave. This simple word has a million possible scenarios. We're just leaving the office. We never know in advance where we will end up: it could be a bookstore, a cinema, a park, a forest, a river bank, or just a house. The goal is always the same - to find something that inspires. It doesn't have to be something new: it has to be something that makes us want to come back to our desk, pick up a pencil and start drawing. We also hold our weekly meetings not in the office, but in a local cafe - we always get to sketch out more good ideas there.”