I’ll be real honest when I say that I get up in imposter syndrome and comparing myself to others is a constant battle. It’s one of the many reasons I took a break from social media. So I could stop focusing on what everyone else was doing and focus on my own creative process. So when it comes to finding inspiration I actually find social media platforms to be the worst place to feel inspired. At best you’ll walk away seeing some cool things, but in most cases, you walk away thinking you should give up before you even start (or is that just me?)
Instead of scrolling, I’ve found some alternatives to getting inspired and most of them get out of my regular routine. Whether it’s hitting the Library or a book store or exploring a new part of my town, state, or side of the world, removing myself from my usual is when I’m able to make enough space in my brain to start thinking differently.
Recently, my husband Clayton and I have started doing more traveling and it’s been the biggest dose of inspiration. Going to a completely new town let alone culture has opened my eyes to new colors, patterns, shapes, and energies. I love exploring the streets of a town that’s not my own, discovering little shops and hidden alleys that you’d often walk right past when it’s your own town. For us, this happened in foreign places like Mexico and Costa Rica, but anytime I’m in a new town I always find a spark of inspiration.
While social media makes me feel bad about my art or creative process, going to art galleries and fun shops never does. I find elements in that art that I can recreate or lead me to a new idea. But what’s so great about this process is that it doesn’t just have to inspire artists, we all need inspiration for our own career paths, our homes, or how we want to live our lives. Stepping out of your usual path is a sure way to start thinking differently and to come up with new ways you want to live.
Whether it’s travel, a new book, a magazine subscription, or exploring your own city with new eyes, inspiration is at your fingertips. It has more to do with making space for it, having something to jot down notes and take pictures, and then the time to play with it and explore when you go back to your desk.
Inspiration isn’t on your phone or in a feed, it’s out there, in the world, waiting for you to find it.
