Finding Creative Inspiration

Whatever role you might have within the creative industry, you often need to come up with new ideas and seek out inspiration. You may find yourself stuck in a rut, or experience an ‘artistic block’ and find you may either actively look for inspiration, or you may do so without even realising it.

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?What is inspiration?

Being inspired is feeling motivated by something we have seen, felt, touched, eaten, experienced etc, which results in having an idea to produce/create something.

For example, if you see a video editor has used a new effect in a video you have just watched, this may inspire you to create a video of your own using that effect. Inspiration isn’t an exact science. What may inspire you, may not inspire your friends and vice versa. This is what makes inspiration so unique, but also challenging.

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Ways of finding creative inspiration

?We are lucky enough to be in a world where we have access to millions of creative assets at the touch of a finger. From music to films, art and books, inspiration is a lot easier to find than fifty years ago. Although, many find some of the more old-fashioned techniques are better able to fill them with inspiration. Here are some ideas to get those “creative juices” flowing:

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Listen to music

Music has the power to affect people’s moods and thinking. Though the tricky part is, this is different for every single person. A piece of classical music might bring tears to one’s eyes, others, it might bring tears of boredom. Therefore, when reaching for the headphones in the search for inspiration, we suggest listening to something you don’t usually choose, or finding a recommended playlist. This way, you’re listening to new content that may provoke a new thought process.

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Visit somewhere new

We’re not saying go on a wildly fancy holiday which will cost you an arm and a leg in the hope to find a slither of inspiration, though, if you needed an excuse, feel free to take it. Simply visiting a new village, town or city can provide enough of a change that can inspire people. From the changes in architecture, even down to the weather, experiencing this change in environment has proven to work for many.

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Watch a video

?Maybe watch a genre of film you don’t usually watch, or click on the first video YouTube or Netflix recommends to you. Watching something you wouldn’t normally watch might surprise you.?

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?Spend time with others in the industry

This doesn’t just apply to colleagues. Spending time with people who may do things in a slightly different manner to you can open up new avenues of thought. You might not have ever considered using that paintbrush for that application, but now you’ve seen it and want to try it. Or you might not have ever seen that camera movement before, but now you have a great idea of where you want to use that movement in your next video.

One of our video producers gets his inspiration from various things.

‘Music plays a big part in my life and in my creative work, and I find listening to a wide range of music also gets the ideas flowing.

I also get inspired by being outdoors, whether that's on my mountain bike, motorcycle or just exploring in nature.?

Watching Youtube / Vimeo and other creators work is also a helpful tool to spark creativity and find new techniques and styles of shooting / editing.’

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?And finally… rest

Being inspired is a cycle which needs to be balanced. It is important to take the time to rest. This allows for ideas to develop, a lot of the time subconsciously. But gives yourself time to recharge ready for new ideas to surface.

Finding inspiration is hard. What may work for one person, might not work for you. This is what makes creativity so unique. One piece of work can be so different to another due to the creative individual’s difference in inspiration.? There is also no guaranteed way that you will find inspiration, but we hope some of these ideas might bring you some inspiration.