Make a cup of coffee, black with two sugars, put on some world music, maybe Celtic or new age fusion it´s enough to get me into the mood to start writing, sketching and the usual planning to take over the world, but that’s not precisely my recipe to get some inspiration, that´s only my ritual to get into the working mood. Lots of people confuse the meaning of motivation with inspiration and even though they go hand in hand, how someone gets motivated differs significantly to that moment when the muse touches you and inspiration flow like a river of colors.
I’ve heard tons of people saying that Inspiration is not something you find, it´s something that it just “gets to you”, but for me as an illustrator and a distorted writer it has a little bit of both, let me explain.
I agree with the fact that sometimes in the most awkward moment you could get that spark of light and the greatest idea of all just pops into your head, maybe you were in the bathroom, doing some laundry, or just walking your dog down the street. That can happen, this type of spontaneous inspiration out of the blue is real, but actually it´s a series of not so random events that when put ‘em together it creates the perfect moment in time and space, the idea forges inside our minds and creates that “perfect idea”. The moment is random but all the ingredients for this mental smoothie not so much, we can take the time to trace back all the variables, kind of a nerdy homework, but sometimes you will find amazing things searching in the randomness of your mind.
Besides that random idea moment, there are ways to get inspired, in fact I do prefer this kind of self-creative indulgence, for me it's more satisfying the whole road to get inspired, it moves me in so many ways that I’m always looking for new ways to get that fuel to ignite my mind.
Getting inspired is not the same as being blocked. When you are creatively blocked you might be motivated and perhaps with all the inspiration in the world, but you could be staring a blank canvas or an empty document in your computer, minutes become hours getting frustrated dropping everything off. The inspiration works very differently, we can refer to the medical meaning of it as the act of inhaling, to inspire, getting some air and oxygen into our body so we can breathe and that’s exactly how I see the Creative Inspiration, this mental breathing searching for the creative oxygen to fuel my mind.
In order to obtain this fuel, I do things that I love and enjoy and I live them, I feel them, I become those things. There is no big secret to finding what inspires you, it´s just doing what you love, that's it... simple, right?
Remember, that inspiration and especially the creative one is based solely on one thing, YOU. Deep inside our body and mind we can find that “Thing” that just tickles you, by doing so I can assure you that you will find that precious inspiration, you just need to let it go and enjoy the ride, either is listening to some music that makes you dance like a fool while vacuum, making the apple pie recipe from your grandma bringing some good memories, playing that video game you have hidden in that drawer away from your kids or spending some time with that old friend who always makes you laugh until the milkshake comes out of your nose.
You want to get inspired?, live always at the edge of curiosity and don't let that inner child of yours get alone in the dark, bring that kid again to play with you and enjoy doing what you love and by doing so you will get motivated and the greatest idea of all will pop into your head.