21 ways to find creative inspiration

If you are in any way connected with creativity in any of its forms, then you do not need to explain how important inspiration is. When it is there, then any task seems to be on the shoulder, and the creative process captures so much that you forget about sleep and food. If it is not there, then the hands are helplessly lowered and any task becomes an unbearable burden.

It's good if you are engaged in creativity in the form of a hobby and can give up on the lack of inspiration with your hand: "well, no, okay, let's wait until he walks up and comes back." But what if creativity is your job, and your earnings depend on the missing inspiration? There is only one answer - you have to look for it. We have collected for you 21 effective ways to reclaim lost inspiration.

10 minutes or less

Listen to the music. The positive effect of music on brain activity has long been proven and is beyond doubt. One melody will help you get yourself together and tune in to a working mood, the other - on the contrary, relax or remember pleasant moments. Find the song that affects you personally and include it in moments of stagnation.

Write by hand. Recently, we have written less and less in the old fashioned way, completely relying on new technologies. Close Word, grab a pen, paper and remember how it was before. Perhaps new sensations will awaken your inspiration.

Meditate … No new ideas at all? Try to relax and not think about anything at all. It is at this moment that ideas will appear.

Listen to someone else's opinion. Feel free to ask other people for advice or help. Sometimes a random phrase, even from a person who is completely incompetent in your field, can awaken such a flurry of ideas that you will be surprised how you did not think of it yourself.

Free associations. Try this game: open a dictionary on any word and write down all the thoughts related to it that arise in your head. Or, guess two random numbers that match the page number and line, then open and find the appropriate place in the book. Divine clues made in this way sometimes hit the target.

Think of something distant. The grueling, constant pondering of the problem can lead you into an irresistible impasse. Try focusing on something completely distracted, such as celebrating New Years in 2022 or climbing Mount Everest.

Look for blue or green. Research says these colors can also influence our creativity. This is because we associate with blue the ocean, sky and openness in general, while green gives us signals of growth.

Alcohol … This advice has little to do with a healthy lifestyle, but no one doubts that a small dose of alcohol frees up our brain and allows us to find new non-standard approaches. It is important not to overuse this method and not to plant your inspiration on a constant feed.

Free letter. Some fiction writers call it freewriting:). This method consists in the fact that for a short period of time, say, 10 minutes, without pauses and deliberation, write everything that comes into your head. After that, try reading this and highlighting helpful ideas.

A change of scenery. Do you work in the office? Exit to the corridor. Are you sitting all the time? Start working while standing. Tired of palm trees and the beach? Change them to snow and white bears. It's amazing how much a change in familiar surroundings can kick-start our imaginations.

Laugh. Positive mood can promote creativity because it promotes activity in the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (areas of the brain associated with complex cognition, decision making, and emotion).

30 minutes or less

Do something with your hands. If you are mainly engaged in intellectual work, then try to switch for a while and do something with your hands. Carpentry, knitting, cooking, modeling - the main thing is that it is interesting and captivating for you. This switching of activities is great for refreshing the thought processes.

Stay outside. Take a walk from work today, take an hour's walk in the park, or backpack into the mountains for a few days. In this matter, everyone can have their own methods, it is only important that fresh air, new impressions, relaxation from routine perfectly contribute to inspiration.

Exercise. During sports, we not only strengthen our body, but also significantly liberate our brain. In addition to purely physiological benefits (strengthening blood vessels, improving blood circulation in the brain), we strengthen willpower, perseverance, determination.

Try something new. If you do everything out of habit, it will lead to the undermining of creative thought. On the other hand, the pursuit of novelty is inextricably linked with creativity. Even something as simple as a new route to work or a daring culinary experiment can give you a great idea.

Sleep … If you get stuck on a problem, then go to bed - the best solution will come to you in the morning. Yes, that very "morning is wiser than evening" really works.

Long-term ways

Don't expect perfection. It's okay if your painting doesn't make it to the Louvre and this post doesn't get a thousand likes. Excessive demands on yourself in an effort to give birth to a masterpiece can lead to the fact that you do nothing at all. Just try to do your best and see what happens.

Take a trip abroad … One study found that students who studied abroad are much more active in their creative thinking. Psychologists say that multicultural experiences contribute to the complex cognitive processes that underlie innovative thinking.

Craft a treasure chest. Collect your ideas, impressions, feelings. Inspiration - a capricious lady, she shower with her gifts so abundantly that you do not have time to collect, then disappears over the horizon. Canned ideas are great for getting through the period of creative starvation.

Find a stimulant for creativity. Balzac wrote only in a hot bath, Hugo needed the smell of coffee to work, and Newton generally sat under an apple tree. Perhaps you also have the most creative habits. Find them and use them.

Don't expect a muse. If you have tried all of the above methods, and the inspiration has not returned, then start working anyway. Your muse will quietly come up from behind and look over your shoulder, wondering what you are doing there without her. Then he will tell you once. And then, imperceptibly, he will take the hand and do everything right.