6 Ways to Find Creative Inspiration: Adventure Edition

As a business owner or content creator where do you find your inspiration? What drives you? Motivates you? Inspires you to take action?

To unleash our creative potential, we often gravitate towards the familiar - books, films, and music that we love to stoke our imaginations. Yet, true creative breakthroughs aren’t usually found there, it’s only when we branch out, to the unknown and unexpected sources that inspiration strikes, opening us up to a wealth of knowledge, creativity and potential.

Unlocking our creative potential lies in the combination of different strategies. Just as a recipe utilises various ingredients, inspiration is also a mix. A blend of existing ideas with fresh perspectives, we can create ideas that transcend the ordinary and ignite our imaginations.

Once you know what motivates and inspires your creativity, it is much easier to progress and produce content, but if you don’t know then you may find yourself spending hours staring at a blank screen hoping the words or content will magically appear… So if you’re struggling to find creative inspiration, then stick around as I go through my creative tips on finding inspiration, no matter where you are in the world and at anytime.

Inspired by my recent overseas holiday, I bring you the Creative Inspiration; Adventure Edition, let’s do this!

So how then do we find creative inspiration?

1. Location

   It might seem obvious but getting out of your comfort zone and usual routine or by traveling somewhere new, can help to stimulate your mind. If you can’t travel to another country, then try taking walks in nature, taking a new way to work, or try a new coffee place. Different environments, people and surroundings can all help to trigger a fresh perspective. So branch out and try a new direction and location, you just might see something new or interesting to works for you.

   Holidays are another great way to gain inspiration for creating content, by exploring somewhere new, experiencing different cultures and seeing what the world has to offer.

2. Engaging

   Talk to new people, gain a new perspective on life and learn about others. Ask them about their origins and experiences, what made them who they are? This may just be the key that unlocks your inspiration, in the very least it will help you get a better understanding about others and can even be humbling and eye-opening.

   Go to networking events, workshops, conferences, seminars, and festivals to learn directly from others in your industry or related fields. Other people are a wealth of knowledge and experience, utilise their knowledge, passions and findings, you never know what might inspire your own work.

3. Mindfulness

   Meditation truly is one of the best practices you can get into for your mental wellbeing and clarity, as well as finding inspiration and motivation when it comes to being creative. Having a calm and clear mind can help to remove judgments and allow you to see more clearly. Who knows maybe the answers you seek are locked away inside you, you need only listen to find them.

4. Hobbies & Entertainment

   Focus on your hobbies, that are unrelated to your work. Often inspiration strikes when we are busy doing other things and if you are doing something that you love, your creativity will flow quicker.

   Try something new. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Crossing something off of your bucket list - big or small, is a great way to encourage inspiration and motivate you.

   You can even consume/participate in different forms of entertainment such as creating or viewing art, listening to or playing music, or even watching movies. These can help to evoke emotion and ignite your imagination.

5. Brainstorming

   Reading is vital. Read everything and anything you can. Books, podcasts, articles and blogs, really anything you can that interests you, and make sure you branch out and be diverse, you never know what might spark your curiosity.

   Keep a journal and write down anything that pops into your head, ideas, thoughts and observations could all prove useful later on for generating ideas.

   Consider your audience and what it is that they may be interested in learning about.

6. Work/life balance

   Take a break. Stepping away from your work and coming back to it later on with fresh eyes, is a great way to pick up on potential mistakes and gain a new perspective for your work. If you’re struggling to prioritise your schedule and be productive, try using the Pomodoro Technique, which I will explain further in next week’s blog. This is a great technique to achieve balance and focus.

   Take time to recharge without feeling guilty, focus on self-care and filling your own cup, before pouring it into others or your career.

Curiosity fuels the creative mind. It propels us on our quest for inspiration. Instead of settling into the comfort of what we are familiar with, we must remain insatiably curious about the world around us. Delving into new hobbies, engaging in thought-provoking conversations, or exploring uncharted territories all fuel our imagination and leads us to unexpected encounters with inspiration.

Inspiration can be found everywhere, in the whispers of nature, the bustling streets of foreign cities, or within yourself. By staying open to the potential, inspiration can find us anywhere so venture forth with an open mind and live each day with the potential for magic. For it is within us, the most extraordinary ideas await, ready to transform the world, and inspire our audience.

Until next time, Happy Writing!

If you need help finding inspiration or want to take a break and leave the marketing and content creating up to somebody else, then Contact me today or join The Digital Branding Journey, where I will deep dive into your business and help you to generate leads, increase your traffic and build your brand through engaging creative content.