I no longer run out of new ideas: 7 tips to stay creative
Osada Cafe, Prague ©Pawshire
Always Find New Ideas for Your Art
Prague is one of my favorite cities in the world. On a cold winter day, the city is so peaceful and beautiful that every time I return, I cry from happiness.
While that has nothing to do with the promise of this blog post, I wanted to set the mood.
It was a freezing, snowy day in Prague, and I felt inspired to share a few tips that have changed the way I approach creativity and idea generation.
I hope you find them useful.
For a detailed version, feel free to watch my video at the end of the post.
The following tips are simple and straightforward, but I find them to be quite liberating when I draw or paint!
As bonus, they add to developing my own visual library.
Prague under the snow, on the way to Osada ©Pawshire
When you feel stuck, Change or Move to a different Environment
Staying in the same environment means seeing the same visual cues, which signals your brain to default to the same thoughts. Changing up your personal environment or moving to a different place to generate ideas is one of the most effective ways to enter a diverging thinking mode.
Work on Subjects That You Really Like
We all have a subconscious tendency to resist doing what we don’t enjoy. The good news is, when you want to generate new ideas easily, it’s perfectly fine to focus on topics you truly love. The good mood will carry over to more difficult topics you might need to work on, such as client projects.
Draw Simple Variations of the same things
This is a simple but powerful tip. Think about different contrasts to help you with “simple variations”:
Warm colors - Cool colors ; Opaque - Transparent ; Sharp - Round ; Angular - Wavy.
Reuse the Same Elements in New Illustrations
This is a great tip to help you generate new ideas. Feel no shame in recycling or reusing. This is the eco-friendly approach to drawing. Not only will reusing the same elements help you generate new ideas, but it will also reinforce your personal artistic style.
Recreate from your fave Picture
This is an oldie but goodie. What picture recently made you smile? How would you draw it in your style? Try it, and you’ll love it.
Follow what Your Hand draws, Not what Your Head pictures
One reason artists, designers, and creatives feel stuck is that we try to force our brains to visualize a final outcome for something that hasn’t even reached the fetal stage yet. When this happens, look elsewhere and let your hand draw whatever it wants on the paper. This usually de-dramatizes the act of sketching and creating new ideas.
Focus on drawing Quantity and Be Patient
There is a reason every expert recommends focusing on producing in quantity and not getting stuck on quality. Quality matters, but quantity is key to quality. Quantity means experience. Quantity means our sketchbooks are filled cover to cover, and our visual libraries are as full as our bellies after dinner.
Brainstorm your drawing ideas with me:
Watch the video below where I share how I brainstorm and find new drawing ideas.
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