inspiration 1

hey all! 


promised on twitter the other day to talk about creative processes and inspiration; i've been getting a lot of questions about that lately. so first to recap... some things to get the ball rolling, or deal with creative block:


1) physically go do something different, like garden or jog or punch ninjas. not only is a change of scene a way to rejigger your brain, but physical activity increases blood flow in the brain, which physically stimulates your thinking cap. SCIENCE, man.


2) likewise, do something random like draw a bunch of fat old ladies at the grocery store. drawing something neew (for you), that is not tied to what you're "supposed" to be doing, can help loosen up your brain. also, there is almost definitely going to be some point in your life where you need to draw fat old ladies shopping. even if you're not an artist. even if i have to personally make it happen.

 

3) start drawing/writing whatever is giving you trouble, without trying to make it good. even if you throw away everything you just did, at least you'll have done SOMETHING, and at least clarified certain things you DON'T want to have.

it's always easier to fix something that exists, than worry about something that doesn't.

also, no one ever accomplished something by not doing it.

3b) if you're working on a script or drawing and unsure how to get past a certain point, then save a copy of whatever you're doing, then go ahead and finish it however the hell you want. follow your ideas through to their logical conclusion, because this can help you see if perhaps you were asking yourself the wrong questions in the first place -- which is the best way to get the wrong answers.

i'll be talking about that last one in depth in another post -- it's one of the biggest troublemakers when it comes to finding and fixing creative problems. but if i did it here, this would never get posted!

cheers!

ben c