In my line of work, nurturing my creativity is a priority, and I carve out time to do this daily. But anyone in any industry can stimulate their mind, find inspiration, and joyfully foster their creativity in small bits. One of my greatest joys is seeing and supporting the creative child in everyone! Here are ways I find inspiration throughout my creative process and my best tip for handling a creative slump.
Keep Your Eye Out
To keep myself inspired, I maintain an ongoing collection of design elements, font selections, appealing color swatches, and just downright beautiful pictures. The collections are all on my computer and most of the photography is on my phone. (I take a lot of pictures on my iPhone!) Sometimes I find inspiration in my daughter’s artwork. I will put a few of her pieces in to the Adobe Color app and create new color palettes that I like! I also find that reading (we read a lot with my daughters!), looking at Pinterest, and searching through stock photography websites triggers new ideas.
Sketch Your Way to Success
It sounds so simple, but one of my must-have creative tools is a sketchbook. Of course, I use it to sketch thumbnails for logo, icon, or pattern ideas for projects I’m currently working on. But a basic sketchbook is more than that. It’s a beautiful creative tool. It truly supports whatever creative outlet I need at that time—writing, journaling, drawing, painting, making lists—I DO ALL THE THINGS in my sketchbook. And then, I refer back it to later when I need inspiration.
My Creative Process Starts With...
After admin tasks, the first step of my creative process is research. Here, any detail is game. I look for imagery, colors, textures, fonts, or photography that align with the brand, are relevant to the project, and spark an idea. My top picks, along with a keyword list I’ll craft separately, are added to a brand inspiration board for my client to review. This step gets my mind on track with the project, but also helps ensure the client and I are on the same page.
One of my greatest joys is seeing and supporting the creative child in everyone!
Tapping Into My Inner Child
Despite my best efforts, I’m human, and the occasional creative slump hits me, too. When this happens, I channel my best child-like mentality and turn to simple things. I’ll take the dog outside for a walk and breathe in some fresh air. I might also go play with my children. (They think simply and do not overcomplicate!) If I know of a shop that reflects the client I’m working for (or sells their product), I’ll visit it to seek a new perspective. I’ll also do some stretching, try a few yoga moves, or the simplest of all: take a nap!
My Advice for a Creative Slump:
Write. It. Down. I firmly believe that putting pencil to paper will push (or pull!) the ideas from your brain. It’ll get them out of your mind and release them out into the universe. More doing; less thinking. More writing; less stressing. Grab that all-important sketchbook and get to it!
Remember: creativity is an important “muscle” that needs to be nourished. And sometimes, the best nourishment comes from tapping into your inner child to complete simple, inspiring acts. How do you stay inspired? Is there a new idea I shared today that you plan to try? Drop a comment to let me know!
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