Where to find inspiration? You're looking at blank and want to start, your next Steemit post, artwork, music piece ect. and ...
Get up, make a coffee or tea... look in the fridge... procrastinate...
Nope, the blank is still there. To a certain degree these things might be of assistance in the middle of a project as a break or refresher, but never at the beginning.
I have mountains of reference material to choose from. That is a big help. It eliminates burning time looking for a starting point. When ever I see something of interest when doing something else, I grab it and archive it for later use. But even then, with all of that material, I'm looking, looking, looking... meh...
BTW, I also collect ideas on a list for Steemit posts.
Some days nothing seems to grab you. There are some "half way" good ideas, but even after short listing a few, still nothing screams pick me!
What to do?
Just pick one, any one, the first one and start, even if you're not doing cartwheels in excitement. You see, the real problem at this juncture in time, is not really inspiration, but motivation. Inspiration usually happens when we are involved in something, meaning having already started. It is process and dedication, meaning discipline, that tills the soil of inspiration. That is the difference between the amateur and the professional, the student and the master. One waits until they feel like doing it, and the other does it to get the feel.
But what about if in the end it just sucks? It has to be good.
You see, this again is the personal inertia. I can't start because it has to be good. Go take a look at all of the people we consider masters. Is every single piece of music, writing or art piece the pinnacle of their work? No, absolutely not. It's just that they have done so much work, that when you pick out their best, it adds up to far more than those who wait around for their inspiration. You can also look at athletes, or anybody who is at the peak of their field.
The master has failed more times than the student has tried.
There are many achievements, discoveries or creative breakthroughs because people made mistakes. It is a lesson I learnt years ago. I started to notice that some of my best painting effects were unintended, ie. mistakes. Thus I started to make friends with my mistakes and relax around them, to the point where I now consider them the greatest master you will ever encounter.
I like referring to Bob Ross on this point. =)
So the answer is, just start. Inspiration isn't hiding under a rock. If the final result is not up to scratch, go start the next one, then next one... it ends up being a practice. Practice is the key to mastery, and this explains the illusion of masters always being inspired. They're not, they just put the work in.
With that being said, I'll let this post stand, whether you find it good or not, and move on to the next task. There's work to be done tilling the fields of inspiration.
figure study, Leo Plaw, 24 x 34cm, pencil on paper
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