In Search of New Inspiration (+ Moving to A New City Update)
Imagine finishing a long day of work/school and you want to reward yourself with a cookie, so you reach into the cookie jar and find out there is none. That’s how I feel whenever I want to create a new drawing but have run out of inspiration (yes I am comparing inspo to cookies).
Hello hello everyone! Today I want to talk about 3 ways you can find inspiration when you feel like you’ve run dry from them. Early this month I’ve been finding it difficult to come up with new ideas for pieces but found fun ways to look to new sources of inspiration, that I’d love to share with you.
So, think of this as me baking a new batch of cookies to fill your inspo jar!
Where do you find inspiration from? The pitfalls of Pinterest and Instagram
Before we begin talking about new ways to find inspiration, let’s talk about the pitfalls of Pinterest and Instagram as your main source of inspiration when starting a new piece. I am 1000% guilty of starting a new piece by endlessly scrolling on Pinterest and Instagram to see what would be fun to draw next. As convenient as it is to find inspiration in these avenues, it can also set a limit to what you can be exposed to.
With Pinterest and Instagram’s algorithm, we can be fed with art and styles we are already drawn to, that leaves no room for new styles that we can venture off to grow into.
This endless scroll of inspiration is what also led to my fatigue in drawing, so be weary! To find new inspiration, I stepped away from what I was used to and tried these methods.
Go Out! Galleries, Museums, Book Stores are Your Best Friends!
Find inspiration from other forms of art! If you mainly work in the digital medium, such as myself, you’ll find that finding inspiration from physical art forms could bring a new perspective to your work. This is a lesson I learned from one of Sarah Beth Morgan’s Illustration for motion courses at the School of Motion, and have found it useful to date. You can try going to a gallery, museum, or bookstore!
A little update, I just moved to Vancouver from Toronto to live on my own, so I'm in a pretty fortunate position to find new galleries, museums, and book stores to explore. Here are a couple of places (including images) of where I’ve gone to find inspiration.
In my first few weeks, I walked over to Granville Island and there were these amazing bronze and iron sculptures. Their forms were so intricate and really made me think about how I usually pose my characters.
Another time my coworker and her friend brought me to this lovely second-hand book store. The store itself held so much character already, but they also had these amazing design and fashion books that had such a unique colour palette and shapes in each visual/garment.
In the end, these trips were just fun in general. It's also a good way to step away from the digital world and just take yourself on a mini art adventure!
2. Online Inspiration - Follow New Art Blogs
Another option to expand your search for inspiration is to follow new art blogs. This could be a more viable option if there are lockdown restrictions where you are living. Besides that, the diversity in content is a huge plus in the blogs I've come across! Here is a couple of my new favourite:
(Pardon me if you are already familiar with these blogs - clearly, I have only stuck to Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration)
Juxtapoz, one of my most recent discoveries, is a contemporary art blog where I've found new artists from multiple disciplines. These articles give such great insight into the artist’s work that inspires me to think about the connection I have with my work and process.
Literally has a sidebar on the home page that says “get inspired” haha. Communication Arts has a gallery section that holds an assortment of images ranging from photography, design, illustration, video art, and more. The curation of these images and clicking on each makes it feel as if I’m actually going to a gallery and reading more about the work.
Hue and Eye is my most recent discovery and has all the latest news on arts and culture. They even have a section that covers events and fairs, which just inspires me to visit more to check out more work and expand my taste in art and styles.
3. Drawing Inspiration from Your Life - the moments and feelings
Finally, if you’ve run dry of inspiration, my favourite method to find fresh inspiration is to tune into - well, life. A lot of my work is already drawn from moments and feelings and I find those are pieces I feel most passionate about.
These two pieces are mainly inspired by my current life changes and feelings from moving to Vancouver. I definitely draw inspiration from the new environment and scenery. But, most of all I draw from the feeling of this move as a new chapter, with both fear of the unknown and excitement for making room for what's new and up ahead in my life.
Regardless, you don’t need to move to a new city to feel inspired. Maybe it's a moment in your regular routine that you admire, like walking your dog or finishing an exam or maybe something as simple as eating lunch with your dad.
I hope you find inspiration all around you whether near, far, online, or from your personal life. There’s just a jar of inspiration (cookies) for you to reach from and I look forward to seeing what you create!
