Greetings, friends!
Many of us need inspiration to work effectively, and when it's lacking, we can experience a prolonged writer's block. Often, overcoming such stagnation requires more effort than the work itself. What to do when you find yourself in a similar situation, and how to find inspiration to complete a big project? Today we will look at 15 ways to overcome creative block. But first, let's understand what inspiration is and why it disappears.
Definition of inspiration
Inspiration is a state of emotional uplift during which a person experiences an urgent need to create. The brain is filled with new ideas, images, insights, the body comes into an excited state in order to quickly bring them to life. At such moments, your hands are literally itching to do something.
Our distant ancestors considered inspiration to be the result of the influence of higher powers - hence the name. The word “inspiration” was formed from “to inhale,” that is, to invest, to act. It was believed that the gods fill a person with wonderful energy to accomplish good goals.
People have long moved away from such views, but they still have not been able to scientifically explain the occurrence of this condition. Scientists have found that the physiology of inspiration is very similar to the physiology of falling in love. In both states, a special substance is released - phenylethylamine, which is similar in its effect to amphetamines. But it is still unclear what exactly is the catalyst for such processes.
The state of inspiration is similar to the effect of drugs. Just no side effects.
But the effect caused by this condition has been well studied. Productivity increases significantly, a surge of strength is felt and access to hidden internal reserves opens. Some people also report feeling dissociated from their body. It seems to exist and create separately from consciousness.
Contrary to popular belief, inspiration does not only come to creative people. It is typical for almost any type of activity. It is also sometimes called the flow state or resource state. From time immemorial, people have been hunting for inspiration and trying to find ways to summon it on demand.
Read more about this amazing phenomenon in our article about what inspiration is.
Why is it needed?
The main element of inspiration is the desire to create. It is often called a true stimulus for creative activity. Psychologists consider inspiration as a mental state in which emotionality increases. It is intangible, you cannot touch it, however, you can feel it. Inspiration is the hidden potential hidden deep within the soul. This state allows you to flawlessly perform creative tasks. In the modern world, it can be described as a stormy stream of thoughts.
An inspired person always achieves his goal. Often a fulfilled aspiration can be described by the phrase “something washed over me, and I was able to cope.” Such a person becomes more joyful, active, and feels delighted. Increased activity helps train memory, improve thinking, and develop imagination. An individual who is full of inspiration can create things in an unconventional way. Being in an inspired state, he comes up with new, brilliant and unique ideas, and answers to various questions that were previously unsolvable appear.
Inspiration comes on its own; it cannot be forced to appear or called. If you feel your muse, don’t miss your chance, start creating.
You need to understand that inspiration is necessary not only for artists and poets, but also for all other people. After all, it is universal for a variety of professions.
Sometimes people lose inspiration and have difficulty finding new sources of it. It is especially difficult to find when there is a deadline to meet. A person is in tension, and there is nowhere to draw a muse from.
What to do if you have no inspiration: 14 tips
Inspiration cannot be planned, does not fit into a schedule, and does not happen at the snap of a finger. It is like a beautiful wild bird: the more fiercely you try to grab its tail, the further it flies away from you. Where then can you get it when you really need it? There are several psychological tricks that will help you gently lure our bird and make you want to build a nest in your house.
1. Work
There is no use sitting back and waiting for inspiration to suddenly strike you. So you can never wait. Inspiration does not arise in moments of idle idleness. Most often it comes in the midst of vigorous activity.
Therefore, lack of inspiration is not a reason to shirk work. Go about your business as usual, solve current problems. You can put off what requires a creative impulse for now and focus on your routine. If, for example, you are an artist, don’t take on painting a complex picture just yet, start working on your drawing technique.
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Think about the problem
Everyone knows that Dmitry Mendeleev saw his famous table in a dream. But few people think about how many sleepless nights he spent thinking about her. When you think about a problem, your brain receives a signal that it is very important to you and tries to help.
It is best to combine such reflections with moderate physical activity: walking, jogging, swimming. The body will become toned, the blood will better nourish the brain. Already in the process of active thinking, a couple of insights may come to you. Then the state of emotional uplift will not take long to arrive, because new ideas will need practical application. Sometimes you have to wait longer. Be patient and don't try to force the process.
Write down your ideas
Get a notebook and carry it with you at all times. Sometimes inspiration comes to us in the most unexpected places. To prevent your precious fortune from going to waste, write down everything that comes to your mind at these moments. Turn off your inner critic and don't filter your thoughts. You can do this later. In the meantime, try to record as much information as possible that arises in your consciousness.
Develop the habit of writing down your ideas and thoughts.
By the way, information does not have to be put into words. These can be visual images, sound stimuli, smells, movements. Find a way to put them on paper. Then, when you have some free time, sort through your notes and isolate what you can work with. If something seems stupid or ridiculous to you, do not rush to cross it out. It may not be the right time for these ideas. Come back to them later, after a year or two.
Read motivational books
If you collect all the motivating books in one place, you will have a whole library. It is not for nothing that literature of this genre is extremely popular. All great people know that motivation is one of the main components of success.
Are you stuck in place and don’t know where to get your strength? In the books of Brian Tracy, Stephen Covey, John Kehoe, Robert Kiyosaki you will find practical tips on increasing motivation and incredible stories from the lives of great and successful people. They are written in such a way as to evoke a strong emotional response in the readers. Often inspiration comes right while reading, so I advise you to read before starting your favorite activity. So that you can immediately put the book aside and start creating.
Imagine yourself as someone else
This advice is shared by Julia Cameron in her famous book “The Artist’s Way”. Remember who you once wanted to become, but for some reason you didn’t, and try to get used to the character for a while.
Let's say you passionately dreamed of becoming a photographer. Pick up a camera and start capturing the beautiful world around you. You can even arrange a photo shoot for your friends and family, print the photos and give them as a gift.
Or maybe you wanted to sing on stage in front of an audience of thousands? Take some vocal lessons and go to karaoke.
This wonderful practice will help you shake yourself up well and get a charge of positive emotions. The uplifting state will not leave you for some time. Direct it towards your main activity.
Get inspired by other people's experiences
I'm not talking about famous actors, musicians, politicians and businessmen. And about ordinary people who live among us and take their small steps towards happiness every day.
For example, my dad is my main inspiration. He has a unique ability to bring all the projects he starts to completion and achieve success in them. Every time during periods of emotional decline, when I want to give up everything and plunge into apathy, I remember my father’s experience and am inspired to take the next step.
To understand where to get inspiration, look around. You are surrounded by interesting and wonderful people. Some of them managed to learn a foreign language on their own, some achieved incredible success in creativity, some were not afraid to change their profession after 30 years. Listening and reading their stories will definitely make you feel inspired. If someone ordinary - not a genius, not a millionaire, not the son of famous parents - was able to fulfill his dream, then you can too.
Remember your successes
It's time to take your cups, medals, certificates out of the closet and shake off the dust. Remember what incredible emotions you experienced when you achieved what you dreamed of: won the Olympics, passed the exam with excellent marks, received applause from the audience, etc. At these moments, it seems that the world is at your feet and everything in the world is within your reach .
But soon successes are forgotten and begin to be taken for granted. But in vain. After all, it is an inexhaustible source of motivation and positive emotions. Relive pleasant moments in your memory, feel again at the top of success. Do not hesitate to spend time on this - the reward will not be long in coming.
Relax
As I already said, the muse does not tolerate any violence against itself. Therefore, if you try your best to create inspiration within, the effect will be exactly the opposite. From overstrain, the brain will resort to sabotage and generally refuse to work normally.
The focus on inspiration needs to be removed and moved to action. Turn off reflection: you don’t need to check every minute whether inspiration has come or not. Relax and give in to the flow. This is the essence of craftsmanship - letting the work do itself under your close supervision.
Change the decor at home
There is nothing worse for the brain than routine and everyday life. If we are exposed to the same stimuli every day, the mind begins to become hungry for novelty. Give him a gift: change the usual environment.
You can take a radical approach and make cosmetic repairs: change the color of the walls, floors, buy new furniture. If you are not yet ready for drastic changes, you can rearrange the furniture, update the curtains, and add decorative elements. You will see, after such simple manipulations, your mind will perk up and begin to generate new ideas.
Create your own place of power
Choose the place where it is most convenient for you to do what you love, and turn it into a real place of power. First of all, remove all distractions and irritating factors that slow down the work process. When the space becomes empty and free, begin to fill it with positively charged triggers.
A trigger is an object, image or stimulus that triggers certain states and emotions. You have experienced a similar effect many times when you listened to songs associated with a certain period of life, or suddenly inhaled the smell of a painfully familiar perfume. At these moments you can experience a real déjà vu effect. The experiences are sometimes so vivid and realistic that it seems as if you have been transported back in time in a time machine.
The place of power will help you achieve a state of inspiration every time you are there.
Start looking for triggers that can cause you an emotional uplift, improved concentration, and increased performance. These can be visual images - photographs of beautiful landscapes, paintings by famous artists; auditory stimuli – sounds of nature, pleasant music; smells - fragrant candles, sticks. You will have to work hard to collect as much as possible.
The main thing is that all these triggers do not become distractions. They should serve as an unobtrusive, comfortable background. Fill your workspace with them, and the place of power is ready.
Expose yourself to dosed stress
Give your body a good shake-up from time to time. Moderate stress has beneficial effects on physical and mental health. After it, a person feels renewed and refreshed.
For example, these types of stress include being doused with cold water or diving into the snow after a bath. You can also try standing on nails, lying on a needle applicator, or making pepper wraps. In general, everything that causes our receptors to experience strong sensations bordering on pain. Just don't overdo it and inadvertently injure yourself. Take precautions and consult your doctor first.
Get rid of unnecessary irritants
We live in an age of incessant information noise. Our brain is forced to constantly process information coming from outside. TV, computer, gadgets... Remember the last time you spent at least a day without these achievements of scientific progress?
I bet it was at least 10 years ago, if ever. Meanwhile, the brain also needs to be given rest. He cannot do several things at the same time. Even when you are supposedly taking a break from work by watching memes on the Internet, your brain is working tirelessly with neurons.
Give yourself an information detox at least once a month. Give up the phone, TV, books and other sources of information for a while. Let your brain be in peace and quiet. Hold on like this for at least a day, or better yet, a week. You will be surprised how much extra strength you will have and how much better you will begin to feel.
Harness the Power of Competition
A competitive spirit helps spark inspiration. Take part in a competition, marathon or challenge among like-minded people. Such events are very popular today, so you can easily find an option that suits you on the Internet.
You can compete in anything: drawing, writing poetry, writing songs, learning foreign languages, losing weight, and even making money. This format involves the mobilization of all resources under time pressure, thereby achieving maximum concentration on the task. And when rivals are breathing down your neck, productivity increases several times.
By the way, many such competitions provide good prizes, which serve as an additional factor that increases motivation. This method will be especially effective for gambling, vain and ambitious people.
Join the eternal
This advice is primarily addressed to creative people. If you don't know where to find inspiration, immerse yourself in the contemplation of the fruits of the creativity of your great colleagues. Artists and designers, head to an art gallery! Musicians, attend a classical music concert!
Also, absolutely everyone will benefit from spending time alone with the greatest creator - nature. Take a fresh look at familiar objects: trees, stones, flowers, snowflakes. Run barefoot on the grass, listen to the sound of the surf and the singing of seagulls, admire the stars and feel how insignificant we are compared to the universe.
Such moments help us remember who we really are and achieve harmony with nature. The level of anxiety decreases, the consciousness is filled with lightness and enters a state of flow.
Sources
I bring to your attention places and activities that allow you to find your inspiration:
- sounds and sights of nature;
- paintings by famous artists;
- literature;
- communication with children;
- learning a new business, absorbing an unusual hobby;
- love relationship;
- visiting new places;
- communication with creative and highly intelligent individuals;
- language learning;
- listening to music.
Unusual life hacks from great people
How did immortal geniuses solve the problem of lack of inspiration? We'll find out now.
Apples by Friedrich Schiller
The famous German writer used a rather strange method of attracting inspiration. Apparently, his muse was a very extravagant girl. When work wasn't going well, he asked for a few rotten apples to be brought into his office and put them in his desk drawer. They exuded a sweet, musty smell that helped the prose writer concentrate.
I have not yet decided to repeat Schiller's experiment. If you try it, be sure to share your impressions in the comments!
Mark Twain's Place of Power
The American writer had a real place of power. Almost like the ancient shamans. And this place is a gazebo in the courtyard of the house. There Mark equipped an office in which he created his masterpieces. It was strictly forbidden for all family members to enter there. The writer could not leave her for several days.
Vladimir Nabokov's car
But Vladimir Nabokov preferred the cramped back seat of his car to a cozy and spacious office. Only there was he able to escape from the world and focus on creativity. By the way, he wrote most often at night, which was an additional factor that increased the discomfort. Nevertheless, such great novels as “Lolita”, “Feat”, “The Defense of Luzhin” came from Nabokov’s pen. So his method definitely has the right to life.
Dirty boots of Johannes Brahms
The German composer also experienced interruptions in inspiration. In moments of decline, he began to clean his dirty shoes. Surprisingly, this activity helped him catch the flow and get into the right state.
Nudity of Victor Hugo
While writing “Notre Dame de Paris,” the writer experienced a real creative crisis. To bring himself to his senses, he ordered everything to be taken out of the room except the desk, chair, pen and paper. Even his own clothes were left behind the door of the room - Hugo continued to create naked.
Richard Wagner's dog
The great composer wrote music only in the presence of his spaniel Peps. Moreover, the pet was not only a generator of inspiration for the musician, but also a kind of critic. Wagner tested each excerpt on a dog: he played and looked at the reaction. If the dog reacted with anxiety, then it turned out badly. The composer rewrote the passage until Peps was at peace with what he heard.
Coffee Honore de Balzac
The French writer achieved the desired state by drinking very strong coffee on an empty stomach. It is also known that he drank more than 50 cups of the drink a day and even ate dry ground coffee beans. According to Balzac, it was coffee that helped him polish his thoughts and put them into beautiful form.
If you decide to use the Balzac method, be careful! It would be a good idea to consult your doctor first.
Summary
Inspiration is a very subtle feeling that arises in a person on a subconscious level. Often it is impossible to control it, but you can try to achieve a comfortable state and peace of mind, thanks to which a creative impulse will appear. This is what we call inspiration.
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Author: Articles from readers (KadrofID: 10782) Added: 12/06/2017 at 19:16
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Go back to the past
No, we won't build a time machine. You just need to remember that part of your life when you were at the peak of success, energy flowed like a fountain, and you had enough strength to do great things. Surely there was such a time in your life. Even if in deep childhood.
Psychologists call these sensations a resource state - one in which a person has a lot of resources to solve emerging problems. Surround yourself with objects that remind you of this time. If there are photos and videos, look at them, remember everything down to the details. Your goal is to plunge into a familiar resource state again. This will allow you to feel the same emotions, the same delight again.
How to start your own business: drawing up a business plan
Finding inspiration isn't hard if you know where to look. Well, if you have your own ways to do this, write in the comments. This will be useful to everyone.
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Get distracted
This method will help restore the spirit of those who feel that they have worked too hard. People associated with business cease to perceive anything other than calculations of income and expenses . The corridor of perception narrows greatly, and many interesting ideas and opportunities pass by.
A short-term change of activity will allow you to distract yourself, relax, and begin to see the world in all its diversity. Anything you like or liked before, when you weren’t so focused on work, will do. Favorite music, sports, comedy programs, light TV series, romance novels or detective stories with a primitive plot.
And don’t think that you are now sharply degrading if you are distracted from constant development. A couple of days of rest won’t hurt, and inspiration will definitely return to your empty head.
Be inspired by your successes
In our culture, being proud of yourself, and even more so demonstrating your successes, is considered something shameful. Supposedly this is vanity and you need to be more modest. Nothing like that: few things energize you like your own achievements.
If you've lost your enthusiasm, look at your past work and compare it to what you're doing now. Surely you will see that you have grown a lot.
Re-read reviews from clients, employers or fans. Go through certificates, diplomas and awards. You can even collect all these achievements in a special “trophy folder” and review it regularly to feel how great you are and recharge yourself with energy for new achievements.
How to Solve Problems Creatively
Create your life! Resort to unusual methods of solving problems, try to find several ways out of current situations at once. Moreover, this must be done right now, even if at the moment, as it seems to you, the time for this is not the most suitable. It is in such actions that success lies. Sometimes it is useful to “forget to turn on your mind,” without giving yourself the opportunity to come to your senses and think. This way the best ideas for inspiration are found - the brain is still “dormant”, but at the same time the creative flow opens up most widely. Surrender to him, open up and don’t be afraid.
How to do it? Remember how children behave. If a child is busy with something, then he does not pay any attention to those around him - he sings, dances, draws, tells a fairy tale. Children never evaluate, they just do - they do it creatively and with great pleasure. The assessment of others is not important to them; they simply enjoy the process itself.
Where to find inspiration? Try to “turn off” adult life and create a creative childhood for yourself. It is there that you will find sources of inspiration - non-standard solutions will come on their own. And always try to be as creative as possible. Found an idea, three, five? Be sure to make sure there are ten of them! This will open up new ways for you to achieve your goal.
Don't wait for a positive attitude to start
If inspiration disappears, a feeling of some kind of stupor and stagnation appears. It's quite normal. But inaction is the main enemy in such a situation. Inspiration won't come if you just sit at your desk and send emails. Don't wait for a flash of insight. Start making changes now. The field of cognitive behavioral therapy shows that our behavior influences the way we think and feel. If we begin to act differently, we gain new sensations.
Waiting further exacerbates the feeling of stagnation. Instead, realize that any action, no matter how small, will open up new possibilities and experience different emotions. Remember that you have more control over your work environment than you think.
Pretend to be someone else
This technique is proposed by Julia Cameron in her cult book “The Artist’s Way”. She advises writing down what you've always wanted to be (but never got around to) and literally live a little of your dream life. Of course, as much as possible.
Have you dreamed of becoming a model? Choose an outfit, go to a makeup artist and book yourself a photo shoot. Are you thinking about opening a bakery? Collect recipes, bake and photograph cakes. Did you want to write scripts? Go to a master class for screenwriters, read a textbook, or just sit thoughtfully in a cafe with a laptop, coming up with a story.
Even if your main activity is not related to cakes or modeling, games like these can inspire you and give you interesting ideas and discoveries. And if not, it will at least be pretty funny.
Relax
Lack of sleep and chronic fatigue are some of the main reasons why people lose the desire to do something. If you haven’t gotten enough sleep for months and perfectly understand the saying “just got up, you’re already tired,” then it’s unlikely that any of the remaining nine methods will help.
Inspiration, the desire to actively do something is always an excess, a fountain of energy. A chronically tired person has insufficient energy. And it needs to be restored. You may not be able to get enough sleep right away; your body will need time to exit energy-saving mode. Just go to bed before 11 pm for at least a week.
Create a catalog of ideas
Write down everything that comes to mind and always keep a notepad with ideas handy. This is what James Patterson does: 'I've got too many ideas to write all my books myself!' , for example, bestselling author James Patterson: he has a folder with files, and in each file there is a story idea. If he doesn’t know what to write about, he simply opens his “catalogue,” leafs through it and fishes out a suitable thought.
Surely this is what many authors, artists, screenwriters, advertisers and all those who constantly need to invent something new do. The main challenge is remembering to write down ideas, and then organize them and keep them in order.
Immerse yourself in the stories of leaders
Emotional burnout, lack of self-confidence, feelings of helplessness - all this can be treated with books and videos that can motivate you. Studying other people's success stories in business, politics, family life, we experience the emotions of people who were able to achieve victory, no matter what. And we are infected by their enthusiasm. Live meetings and communication with successful leaders in your field of interest are even more effective If there is no possibility of a personal meeting, read real stories about rich people who achieved everything themselves.
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