How to Find Inspiration for Your Work as an Artist

Let's be honest. Some days being an artist feels like pure magic — the ideas flow, your coffee tastes delicious, the radio plays your favourite tracks. The other days? You're hitting your head against the wall because you can't produce anything new and exciting — or so your mind keeps telling you!

Inspiration isn't something we can just create; we have to invite it — with open arms, a bit of mischief, and a lot of curiosity. So let’s talk about what I have found useful when my mind feels too overwhelmed to produce anything new.

Revisit what made you fall in love with your niche in a first place

How and why did you fall in love with your niche? Maybe it was an exhibition, old film photos, or the way cookbooks made you feel (which happened to me!).

Whatever your story is, revisit that spark. Watch your favourite movies, leaf through old cookbooks, listen to the album that makes you think about your work. Nostalgia is one of the juiciest sources of inspiration out there — don’t underestimate it.

Give Yourself More Time Without distractions

Most of us fill our time with noise from social media and the web, from the moment we wake up till the late hours of the day. Sometimes, our minds get overwhelmed — inspiration is a slow drip: a little nudge every morning, every walk, every quiet moment. What has really helped me is limiting time on my phone!

If you're looking for new inspiration, try including these activities in your weekly schedule:

• Morning Pages –Write three stream-of-consciousness pages first thing in the morning. It clears out the mental cobwebs and often leads to unexpected ideas. If you're interested in learning more about this, I recommend The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.

• Photography Walks –Leave your house with no agenda and try to look at your surroundings like a traveller. Just your camera and your eyes. Look for light, texture, colour — the tiny magical things we miss when we're rushing! If you were on holiday, what sort of things inspire you to take pictures?

• Art Galleries & Museums – I like to think of these as artist dates with myself! Observe how painters use light, shadows, and colour. Take notes, take pictures (if allowed!), and soak it all in. How could you use some of these techniques in your own work?

• Watch with Intention – Pop on a moody documentary, an eccentric foreign film, or an old classic and pay attention to composition, lighting, and storytelling. Could you take elements from this world and create a new world for your work? Your next big idea might come from a single scene or even a single colour!

These routines will create space for inspiration to land. If you feel overwhelmed, cut off distractions and allow your creative child to run freely. Sounds cliché but this s*** works!

Make Something Terrible On Purpose

Perfection is inspiration’s arch-nemesis. So give yourself permission to make something delightfully bad.

• Shoot a photo series of your lunch like it’s a messy Vogue editorial.
• Paint with your non-dominant hand.
• Create a collage using cut-out pictures from old magazines — go wild with glue sticks and clashing colours. (Your inner child will be thrilled!)

The goal? Zero expectations, just you creating something for fun! This is not work you're going to share with anyone, so if it's bad — who cares!

Surround Yourself With Creative Energy

Creativity is contagious (in the best way). Talk to other artists. Take a workshop. Join a community. Start working with a mentor. Text your weirdest, most imaginative friend and ask them what they’re working on.

If you're lucky enough to have creative pals, lean on them. And if you’re in a rut — reach out. We’ve all been there. You’re not alone, and you’re definitely not broken (even if you feel like that sometimes!).

Keep a Curiosity Journal

Instead of waiting for big, shiny ideas to arrive fully formed, collect the tiny sparks. Keep a notebook (or a Notion page, if you’re like me) where you can write down ideas whenever and wherever:

• Project ideas
• Creative collaborations — reach out list
• Colour combinations you love
• Books or podcasts that inspire you
• Movies and TV shows to watch
• Anything that inspires you!

You’re building a treasure chest of inspiration. One day, when you have time to create, you can revisit and build your next big project or get inspired to create more!

Final Thoughts: Your creative child Isn’t Missing — She’s Just Waiting

The magic always finds its way back. Sometimes it hits mid-shampoo in the shower. Sometimes at 3AM when your brain is throwing a surprise party. Sometimes while watching someone dramatically slice cheese in a film you weren’t even paying attention to. But it does come back — especially when you give yourself space to breathe, moments of joy, and permission for a few wonderfully weird little adventures with yourself or other creatives.

Remember, you’re the artist in your own life — so give yourself permission to rest, to breathe, and create things just for fun! Your next brilliant idea is often waiting quietly, just around the corner.

Keep creating! You've got this :)

Jenni x