Sometimes we get stuck. There's a project we are starting, finishing or just working through, and we just... can't. We've gotten distracted or we've hit a proverbial wall. Sometimes we can't even formulate an idea.
It sucks. Feeling your mind devoid of a new thought or idea is frustrating and often depressing. Especially when you can't see a way out of it.
While I long for a more visual artistic outlet, the fact remains that I can draw little more than matchstick-limbed figures and idealized flower doodles. Again, those who can't do, blog.
I've always been a writer. I've always wanted to tell stories and escape into the other lives I've created. But I am cursed with a disease causing me to write beginnings and never finish them. On the rare occasion when inspiration sparks, I begin writing and then leave it to sit untouched for months at a time. And when I come back to it, I've lost that flicker of idea and imagination.
I'm sure you feel me on this.
So, when my professor for my fiction writing workshop took us to the ASU Art Museum, she had one think in mind: inspiration. Our task was to find a piece that stood out to us, and just start writing.
I chose a portrait of a blindfolded woman by Cuban artist Aimee Garcia Marrero in the exhibition, "In Solitude, Where We Are Least Alone," on display until Nov. 8.
Not only did this exercise produce a snippet of writing I am beyond proud of, but it also showed me how helpful art can be.
For those of us who create things, whether that be a painting, a book, a building or a piece of machinery, we all need inspiration. We need to see a different viewpoint, an opposing idea, something that moves us.
I urge you, in fact you may even imagine me pushing you along, to find art. You can visit one of the esteemed art museums across the valley. Pop into a gallery you've seen on First Fridays, or simply walk down Roosevelt Row and pick a mural. Keep in mind that art comes from anywhere.
As you have no doubt resolved to go on a creative quest, here are some tips to keep in mind as you hunt for inspiration.
1. Keep an open mind.
I can speak from experience that if something offends you, it will be the most potent inspiration you'll find. Don't steer clear of something because you don't like its message or the way it looks. Confront it.
2. Take some time.
As an homage to Slow Art Day, I challenge you to spend at least five minutes with a piece that affects you. Study it, don't just look. When you see every part of a piece, the more it reveals itself and the more ideas will spark.
3. Focus.
Don't bring things that can distract you, if you can help it. Turn your phone off (*gasp*) Texts about Saturday night's party are not helpful here. Bring a pencil and paper instead of a computer, in case you have the tendency to get distracted by the internet. Minimizing distractions will allow your mind to hone in on and develop your ideas in one go.
4. Be quiet.
No, I'm not being a librarian. I would argue that silence is one of the best ways to find inspiration. Being alone with your thoughts can be scary, but I assure you, this combined with visual stimulation from the art, opens a whole new world of ideas. They've been waiting to break through the constant stream of noise from our every day lives. Just give them a chance here in the quiet gallery.
5. Find multiple muses.
Don't just stop at one. Go to a different piece, exhibition or gallery. Find something else that inspires you and do the same thing over again. Ideas create ideas, it just takes a bit of time and a a lot more than a half-second glance.
I wish you all the best inspiration for whatever project you are struggling with at the moment. Hopefully you find a piece that will break your creator's block. Happy inspiration-hunting!
Where do you find inspiration? Let me know at mamccrea@asu.edu or via Twitter @mmccreary6.
