Finding Creative Inspiration

It’s an unfortunate truth that when the to-do list gets long, the creative inspiration sometimes falls short. Yet creativity is vital to good work in any industry–and especially ours. 

In her (fantastic) book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert waxes poetic, and often hilarious, about the creative process. While there are many pearls of wisdom in the book, here’s one I find the most pragmatic: 

“Possessing a creative mind, after all, is something like having a border collie for a pet: It needs to work, or else it will cause you an outrageous amount of trouble.”

To further the metaphor, when your inner border collie is tearing up the furniture and not allowing you to get any meaningful work done, here are four places to go to reset the creative mind. 

Outdoors 

Let’s start with the obvious one first. Artists of all types have sought out creative inspiration surrounded by nature since the dawn of time. I find that leaving my desk, getting some fresh air, and allowing for a change of scenery does a lot for clearing up the clutter in my head. On most days, that just means a walk around the block (leave the Airpods at home and enjoy some silence) but sometimes, it’s the wonderful opportunity to walk through the woods, sit on the beach or swim in a lake. 

Anywhere alone 

I’m a mom and a busy small business owner, which means I spend a lot of time answering questions, running meetings, and coordinating…all kinds of things. Simply put, it’s a lot of talking and a lot of active listening. Life is loud, and sometimes creative inspiration requires silence. One of my favorite ways to brainstorm is in the car on the way home from a meeting. I turn off the radio and direct my mind into whatever creative problem I’m trying to solve. When I come up with something good, I record it with a voice memo on my phone so I don’t forget it when I pull into the driveway at home. 

Into a book 

For writers, there’s no such thing as too much reading. For those who write a lot, it’s easy to fall into lazy patterns–word choice, sentence structure, tone. Reading other writers’ work helps us snap out of it by seeing how other writers are using language in a different way. And there’s no need to be too precious about it. You don’t need to read every great novel in the English language. Every type of reading counts, whether it’s re-reading your favorite childhood novel, browsing the New York Times, doing the crossword puzzle or indulging in a beach read on vacation. 

Among other creatives

Writers need not just surround themselves with other writers. There’s a world of creativity out there, and there’s no need to “stay in your lane.” Broaden your horizons and connect with other creatives and creators working across a wide range of artistic pursuits. Watch plays, visit art museums, take a cooking class, arrange flowers, go to a concert. 

To end with another quote from Big Magic: “Keep your eyes open. Listen. Follow your curiosity. Ideas are constantly trying to get our attention. Let them know you’re available.”