I received an ask on Tumblr about where inspiration can be found during an ‘art block.’ Where do you find something you can work with and your mind can relate to, to keep you creating. I thought I’d post my answer here too as it demonstrates how I’m always collecting ‘things’ to use in my artwork:
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I guess I get it from all different kinds of places. I learned from university lecturers and my own experience that always collecting and having readily available ‘sources of inspiration’ to hand is a necessity.
I’m always collecting ‘things’ usually paper ephemera but can also be little objects, writing down quotes or words I’ve heard or seen throughout the day- having a notebook/sketchbook with you when you go out is so important. You never know when ‘inspiration with strike’ as they say.
I also have a folder on my computer and my phone of images that I collect- photos taken myself, images saved from the internet, images scanned in. Usually something that has caught my eye or made me think that somehow I’ll be able to use it later. I don’t always know how I’ll use it at that time but it’s something that interested me.
Another thing that is invaluable to know is that strikes of inspiration are rare. Continually making work, writing etc will breed it’s own inspiration. Even if you make something that you don’t like- cut it up and stick it back together differently. Choose a word at random and make something to convey it there are many online communities that can assist with this.
The internet is also, of course, a great source of inspiration- follow artists works, writers prose, search randomly on google images. I’ve come to love tumblr as a continuing source of visuals that I find ways to put into my organised chaos of inspiration.
That was a bit of a long answer but hopefully at least you can see that even when I’m stuck with a block, I’m no more that a few clicks away from something to boost my artist’s brain.
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Rachel Massey Art & Design 