Lost inspiration

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel that you are just not as good as you used to be with a job or a hobby that you have taken on? It becomes hard for you to find that little inspiration that you once had when you started. This happens to all of us, no matter what job it is that you are doing or a hobby, at some point you would stop and say “there is no use, I just give up!”

This is especially a very common feeling among all web designers and developers. This has happened to me many times before, where I just find it hard to get any ideas or motivation for a design project that I’m working on. It becomes very frustrating because I can’t come up with a creative idea as fast as I used to with previous work or back when I started my first design projects. It feels as if someone has turned off my creativity and motivation switch.

Unfortunately, there is no way to force creativity. However, fortunately for us, there is a way to turn that switch back on. Over the years I have tried many different methods to get over this problem and now I am going to share them with you.

However before I start sharing this methods, lets take a look at what are some things that cause this problem the first place.

Things that turn off the inspiration

There are actually many things that you, everybody, and I do in our daily lives that turn off our inspiration. One and foremost is that most of us find ourselves doing the same thing over and over everyday because our jobs usually don’t leave us enough room and energy to focus on other things, and that is yourself.

For artists and designers however, the problem starts here. In most cases, many designers try to out due themselves or their previous projects in a new project that they are working on. Usually at some point, the designer does not realize that he or she does not necessarily have the skills or the ability to do such task. And this could be a big let down for the designer since the goal set can’t be reached.

The Cure

The methods given below are some that have worked for me over the years and I’m sure one will work for you as well. They are nothing fancy, and you would probably say that you already knew them, but when was the last time that you did them?

Relax, just chill Yes, just chill.

If you are getting to a point that you are getting frustrated or ready to give up, then this is the first thing that you need to do. Without having this, none of the other methods are going to work for you.

Don’t try to out due yourself when you’re not ready

In many new projects you might feel like that you have to come up with something new or never done before, but that is not the case. Try to ease some pressure off of yourself by trying the same concepts and methods that you had used in your previous projects. If there was nothing wrong with your last projects, then there won’t be one with this one. Trying new concepts or new creative ideas are always best things when you are working on a new project, but you can never force your exhausted brain to just come up with creative ideas out of the blue.

Stop comparing all the time and start examining

All of us have a favorite artist or designer and usually we compare our own work with them to see how good we are getting. But sometimes we forget the point of comparing and before we know it, we are in an imaginary competition. We try to out due ourselves to become better than those artists or designers that we look up to. Suddenly it comes to a point that what was once your hobby for fun becomes the job that takes away most of your free time. There is nothing wrong with that, but once a task becomes a job, then the fun goes out of it and it becomes an exhausting task.

Instead of comparing, start examining. Try to look into their work more closely and learn what are the techniques and concepts that they use in their work. By examining each work more closely, you might find a pattern or technique that makes that artist’s work better than yours.

Get out more often and try new things

Try to get out more often. Do things that you used to do or haven’t done in a long time. Try to exercise more often, relax. Stay away from the net for a while. Sometimes we spent too much time on the net, TV, and it becomes hard for us to think outside of the box. Because of that, we need to take some time off the computer or television for a while. Try new things, for example, if you play soccer all the time, take a break for a day or two and play basketball. If you eat fast-food all the time, take a break and cook your own meal.

Music

Music can be a great source of inspiration. I usually try to listen to a different genre every time. If I like it, that’s great, I gain some inspiration from it. If I don’t like it, then I will appreciate the other genres that I use to listen even more. Another recommendation from me is to listen to music that you like while you are working, but make sure it is a music that you are used to and that it won’t distract you from what you are doing.

Sketching or doodling

What a great way to ease of some pressure off of yourself. Just pick up a paper and pencil and just start doodling or sketching. Don’t really try to come up with another masterpiece, just have some fun with the lines. In the middle an idea might just pop in your head and you got the tools to capture it, a paper and a pencil.

Look into other cultures

There are so many different colorful cultures and languages around us that we could take inspiration from. Learning about other cultures will not only open your eyes to more ideas, but it will also help you reach a greater audience in your next project.

Now it’s up to you

I’ve shared my experience with you, and now it is time for you to start yours. Just take my advice and use it if your own ways did not work. Just remember that this is a temporary problem and giving up is not the way that you want to go.