Having trouble getting going in the new year? Still feeling slow after all the holiday treats? Let this list of some of our favorite ways to find inspiration reinvigorate your mind and get you ready to do even more in 2024.
The best way to find inspiration is by filling your senses with as much input as possible. The more impressions you take in, the more raw material you have to work with when trying to create. Books, music, movies, even postcards… it doesn’t matter what it is but trying to saturate your brain with other people’s work is the best way to stimulate your own. Try to put yourself in a position where you can concentrate fully on the work in front of you, rather than simply ‘scanning’. For example, see a new movie in the theatre rather than at home with a phone in your hand. You’ll be surprised by how much more you get out of the experience.
But what about more active ways to find inspiration?
Ok yes, this is also a way of consuming other people’s creations, but it’s under its own heading for a reason. Museums are unique because of the work that goes on behind the scenes: the curation. A person or even a team of people, have spent their careers working to select and position the works in a museum to maximize their effect on you. Traditional museums are incredible windows into the creative minds of the past while modern art museums let us put our finger on the pulse of what’s happening now.
Our top suggestion? Make sure to go with someone else. Exchanging thoughts, feelings, and first impressions of everything around you is a great way to gain even more potential inspiration than just wandering on your own.
The world is full of inspiration. And you know where the world is? Outside! You should go there.
Taking a walk is beneficial for more reasons than just taking a break and getting fresh air. It’s important for any creative mind to be a part of the world they’re trying to connect with. Look around. What are people wearing? What are they listening to? Talking about? Do they seem happy? Are they rushing or taking their time? What graffiti can you see? Is there a unifying theme? Is it artwork or destruction?
There’s no end to the things you can see when walking around, and it can all spark your next great idea.
If you’re constantly thinking and in a ‘go-go-go’ mode, your brain won’t have a chance to reflect on all the input you’ve received, and it may quickly disappear. Take a nap. Do something you can complete on autopilot. Shut off your brain with something mindless. You’ll be surprised at how much your brain can do when left to its own devices.
Those old adages of “it came to me in a dream” and “the idea hit me in the shower” are clichés for a reason. Let your brain do some work without you constantly pushing it along.
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When we’re feeling creatively stuck and have deadlines looming over us, it can be all too easy to crawl inward and focus only on ourselves and getting our stuff done. But this can be counterproductive. Even if they know nothing about your job or current obstacle, other people can be a great source of inspiration. The most innocuous conversation can lead to a phrase, idea, or mental image that acts as the catalyst for the inspiration you need. No matter what, a conversation with someone else will always go places your thought processes wouldn’t on their own.
The internet is rife with incredible work. But it can sometimes feel so full that it becomes a daunting and overwhelming task to find what you’re looking for. In no particular order, here are a few of the sites we return to again and again.
D&AD, or Design and Art Direction, is a staple in the creative world — curating, judging, and awarding the best of the best in their respective categories. The website is a great place to see finished work, as well as to see videos from some of the world’s foremost creative minds.
Ads of the World is exactly what it sounds like, a collection of advertisements (mostly in video format) from agencies, brands, and organizations all across the world. The ‘Collections’ are a great way to narrow down the kind of work you may want to see.
You know when you’re watching a movie and think to yourself “oh what a gorgeous shot”? And then later, you think about that shot but don’t want to fast forward through an entire movie to find that scene? ShotDeck was created to solve that problem. Type in a movie and find some of the best stills waiting for you.
Collecting, curating, and showcasing some of the best design work from across the globe, designboom never fails to deliver something stimulating. Categories include architecture, design, technology, and more. Interestingly, they were also the world’s first online magazine.
Sometimes inspiration can be hard to find. Feeling stuck? Let us help! Our multitalented and multicultural team is ready to lend you our best creative minds. Whether you want to refresh a brand, name a building, or ‘just’ create a video — we’re ready to help. Reach out to us here. In the meantime, maybe you’ll draw some inspiration from our previous work, check it out here.