Have you ever been at a loss for ideas, you feel that everything you're coming up with is just simply rubbish? Or you have an idea but you have no idea how to go above and beyond where you are now and get it out there?
I've certainly been there and felt this way. From knowing what I wanted to do, to it taking me nearly 2 years before I was ready to discover the ideas/inspiration to implement them whole-heartedly.
To be honest, this blog is one of the ideas I had over a year ago, I got as far as coming up with the idea but never implementing it, not because I don't know how to write a blog, but because I simply lacked the inspiration to start.
This is where my last blog Inspiration vs. Implementation is very prominent. Once you have found the inspiration, it's scary to show the world exactly what it is you're excited about. You doubt everything about your creativity and it's easy to be disheartened and talk yourself out of it.
So how do you get started when you have no inspiration?
Inspiration is everywhere, but only if you're open to seeing it. You can be slapped in the face with something and it won't translate into an idea because you're not in the right mindset to receive it.
It's sort of a problem if you end up on the hamster wheel of repetition. You found something that worked for you at one point in the past and you're still continuing with that method even though it's not working as well as it once did.
It's like the well has dried up but you're still pumping it for any last trace of water. It's simply not there.
When we get to that stage we just have no resources within ourselves to help us go to the next level.
The first clue is we need to change perspective.
At Emmerse Studios, one of our brand values is to Evolve, to challenge our current thinking. This value is born out of the idea of where inspiration comes from, challenging our current beliefs and asking questions to start to seeing things differently.
Anything worth finding is on the other side our comfort zone. That doesn't always mean that you have to do something that scares you in order to grow, it could mean challenging the ideas you have believed in or never thought to question before.
In the book, Alchemy by Rory Sutherland, he talks about a wealth of backwards ideas with one of them being about asking very ordinary questions that no-one thinks to ask, because we just assume we know the answer, like "Why do people sit down on trains?"
Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Being in a national lockdown has encouraged us to stay firmly wrapped in our comfort zones, let anxiety get the better of us and has made coming up with ideas incredibly difficult - but only if you let it.
There's a lot we can do with very little and we have more resources available to us than we know. It just takes a bit of exploring.
It's time to ask the question, what can I do with what I've got with where I am now?
If you're reading this then you have access to the internet. A great first step is to sign up for industry news or inspiring outlets that allow your mind to connect different dots. Pick an area you're interested in and explore it!
When you're exposed to a lot of information in an area you are passionate about, it sparks a lot of ideas. It puts your mind in a search for more content and suddenly, you're making up ideas in your sleep.
If you've been holding on too tight trying to create an idea, sometimes you need the exact opposite! Play, and a lot of it!
Or have creative conversations with people about ideas, who are working on ideas, who are at different stages of production.
Lastly, you can try writing. Attempt to write 10 ideas down a day, even if they don't seem like they would work, the practice in challenging your thinking will help you discover new ways to problem solve.
Here's the blog in a nutshell:
Sign up to inspirational news in your industry.
Start reading a lot of books to get your ideas started.
Try crafting videos.
Go for a long walk and take in the sights.
Let go, have fun and play! (If you're holding on too tight, the best ideas always come when you're in the shower, there's a reason!)
Have creative conversations about ideas and talk to people of all walks of life.
Keep a creativity journal, write down 10 ideas a day and challenge your problem solving abilities!
Have you got any other ideas that spark your creativity and inspiration? Write to us at hello@emmersestudios.com and let us know if we need to add any to the list?
From the Creative Director,
Emma May
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