You are probably here because you are looking for inspiration for your next project.
Or maybe you googled “finding inspiration” after growing tired of looking at the same four walls, or waking up to the same alarm clock every morning (which is made even more depressing when you think about it).
I get it all too well. I used to be somebody who needed complete silence in order to write anything down.
It was impossible for me to work in a coffee shop—the clanking dishes and loud conversations would distract me like crazy.
I’d find myself staring out into space, daydreaming instead of brainstorming, wondering what my friends were up to on Facebook rather than trying to develop characters in my head. It was good whatsoever.
I started looking into famous thinkers and inventors. How do people who invented things around us get inspiration? How did they come up with ideas for their inventions?
As things turned out, I now work in a cafe. Surrounding myself with the clamoring of cups, chatter of everyday business transactions, and even the occasional loud sports game on TV has helped me tremendously to turn my brain off whenever I need it to.
I’m not alone in this discovery—a lot of people have told me that they’ve had similar experiences.
An environment that is different from your regular one can help you see things differently, which leads to having fresh ideas for projects.
If you find yourself stuck inside all day long but don’t want to be locked away in silence either, here are some tips on how you can find inspiration for your next project:
1. Get inspired by something totally unrelated
You could choose an object or a color to be your focal point in a project. Maybe you’ve noticed a lot of projects lately that revolve around geometric shapes, or maybe you want to write something inspired by your favorite fruit?
2. Look out the window
What is going on outside from where you’re sitting right now? It could be interesting to take note of what’s happening in your surroundings and turn it into a story later on.
3. Listen carefully
We spend so much time listening every day because it’s such an important factor when we communicate with others, yet we don’t pay attention most of the time. The next time somebody talks to you, try focusing only on what they are saying instead of letting your mind wander elsewhere—after all, they could be saying something that’ll give you an idea for a whole project.
4. Follow your dreams and see where it takes you
Sometimes the projects we work on or come up with don’t always yield results but can still teach us important things about ourselves, such as what we like and dislike, what kind of ideas would work for us, and so on. So follow your heart—you never know where it may lead you to!
5. Read other people’s works (blogs)
There are great writers out there who document their progress online; reading blogs is another way to find inspiration because sometimes even the smallest detail from another writer can inspire something in you too.
6. Allow yourself to have fun
We all know how hard it is to be creative. But the truth is, if you want your brain to come up with ideas, you’ve got to make sure that sitting in front of a computer or notebook for hours on end doesn’t cross your mind when thinking about work. Set time aside where you are allowed to relax, play around with whatever materials are available, and read something purely for pleasure—only then will creativity flow out of you naturally.
7. Do something different from your usual routine
I work best in a cafe because I used to hate working in one. But it turns out that watching people buzz around me while carefully listening to all kinds of noises surrounding me stimulates new ideas and helps me come up with some genius concepts. Your job doesn’t have to be the same either—try approaching a task from a totally different angle, and you may end up surprised by what kind of results follow.
8. Talk about what you’re doing with other people
The environment we live in influences our way of thinking too, so if you talk about whatever project you’ve been working on lately with someone else, you’ll find yourself simultaneously getting exposed to new concepts and possibly learn more along the way.
9. Go on a hunt for inspiration
This is exactly how I came up with the idea to write this article. Every time I went out, I would get inspired by something that caught my eye, whether it was an object or something someone had said, and then search for more information about it online. There are many other ways to go about doing this too—my method just happens to be one of them since I wanted to share what works best for me!
10. Ask yourself several random questions about your project
There are countless ways you could come up with ideas simply by asking yourself questions that can be answered in many different ways. Examples include: “What if…?”, “How should…?” or “Wouldn’t it be interesting if…?”. Try coming up with a few questions yourself, then see what replies you get from your brain.
11. Realize that not everything you do has to be perfect
Unless you’re working on something specifically for practice or just for fun, it’s okay if the ideas and concepts you come up with don’t always work out in your favor—after all, even I can’t tell myself not to expect too much every time I sit down and try to come up with something new. You’ll learn more about what works and doesn’t work when you allow yourself to take chances and try things out without worrying too much about failing, so don’t hold back!
12. Don’t force yourself too hard
I’ve known many designers who are so dead set on coming up with awesome ideas that they end up overthinking things, then experience burnout or give up before anything fruitful even happens. Don’t try to force creativity out of you—just take your time and let the process happen naturally.
There you have it! Every one of these tips is something I use on a regular basis, and sometimes I find myself following some without even realizing it; all it takes is practice.
The moment you realize that every single one of them can be applied to your projects, you’ll start coming up with ideas like there’s no tomorrow.
So what are you waiting for? Let the inspiration begin!