Have you ever woken up unsure of what you want to paint, draw, or create? We’ve all had those ‘I’m not feeling it’ days. But fear not! I have a quick and easy way to ignite your inspiration and get those creative juices flowing. The best part? It won’t take much time, and the end result can be as quick or as time-consuming as you want it to be.
Let’s embark on a journey I once undertook, which led to an unexpected burst of inspiration. Trust me, it’s worth the ride!
To begin, find a short meditation from one of the many available meditation apps. Aim for 5 or 10 minutes, preferably without any spoken words, accompanied only by calming music. You might even stumble upon a bonus and find these shorter meditations for free!
Set an intention for your meditation. For example, you can say, “I want to find something that will kick-start an art piece today.” If you’re inclined, express gratitude to the universe in advance. However, feel free to adapt this step to suit your beliefs—or skip it altogether. Remember, it’s all about what works for you!
Start the meditation and allow yourself to surrender to the experience. Notice what comes up for you—whether it’s a simple color, an emotion, or a vivid mental picture of something you want to create. Observe your thoughts, images, or any other sensations that arise during the meditation. Take note of them without censoring or altering anything.
Once the meditation concludes, jot down anything you noticed. If the inspiration is crystal clear in your mind, you might not need to write anything at all! Simply hold onto those thoughts.
Now, take a moment to review what you’ve observed and identify what stands out the most. Embrace your chosen medium and start creating. Trust your intuition as you work, and whenever you find yourself unsure of what to do next, take a moment to get quiet and trust whatever thoughts, feelings, or knowledge arise within you. Ask yourself, “What’s next?” and let your intuition guide you forward.
In reality, when you’re unsure of what to create, the best thing you can do is simply start—just as a famous footwear brand encourages us to “just do it.” This meditation method is just one way to get you to take that first step. It’s like the daily prompts you find on Instagram challenges. All these tools aim to get you doing something, anything. The more you engage in this practice, the easier it becomes to find inspiration every time you sit down to work on your art.
Now, let’s return to my personal story. Given my experience with meditation, I didn’t need to search for a guided meditation. I settled comfortably in my studio chair, closed my eyes, and allowed my thoughts to drift—almost like daydreaming.
During the meditation, the word “yellow” kept recurring in my mind, accompanied by vivid images of different shades of yellow. Now, I’m not usually drawn to yellow in my work, but at the end of the meditation, that’s precisely what I had. So, I gathered my yellows and some white paint, mixed them together, and began applying them to the pages of my journal.
As I covered the page with various shades of yellow, I felt a gentle nudge towards purple (no surprise there—I have a soft spot for purple). Instead of reaching for a brush, I grabbed a stencil—a tool I rarely used—and began incorporating it into the composition.
After finishing with the stencil, I impulsively added gold scribbles onto the yellow—another departure from my usual approach. I let the artwork dry and returned to it a few hours later. To my delight, I loved what I saw!
As it turned out, others loved it too. When I shared my creation on Facebook and Instagram, people took notice. It became one of my earliest popular posts.
To reiterate, the most important thing is to engage in creative action, even when you don’t feel like it. Just start. And if exercises like this one help you get started, by all means, use them. Never believe that inspiration has to strike like a lightning bolt from the heavens. Create your own inspiration, however and whenever you can.
Keep an eye out for my future posts on inspiration, as it’s a theme I’ll be exploring further. If this topic resonates with you, you won’t want to miss what’s coming!
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