Some artists I know like to tell me how hard it is to find inspiration to create new works of art. I half agree and disagree with that statement. For me, I can find inspiration from various sources. Maybe if I’m in a bad mood looking for inspiration can be very challenging. But rather than that, the more difficult stage for me is taking action and shaping the inspiration from our brains into a real form. Sometimes the ideas do not match with what’s in our minds after we try to make them. Looking for ideas is only the beginning of the production line of a work of art. So it’s better to gather as many ideas as you can.
How do you find inspiration more effectively?
The first thing I do when I need to find ideas quickly is searching the internet. Yes, the internet. This is not something new in this digital era. We can search for various topics on Google, Pinterest, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And all that with just one click.
But looking for ideas through the internet has its drawbacks. When we see a lot of art made by other artists, sometimes we unconsciously imitate their work. And it will reduce the originality of our work. And again, photo references from the internet are sometimes not very accurate. There are some elements such as light and shadow on objects that cannot be captured by the camera exactly what our eyes see. That’s why I admire photographers who are good at capturing the right light composition for their photos.
If you have the time and opportunity I highly recommend taking a walk and seeing your surroundings. You don’t need to go far, you can also find inspiration from what’s around you.
Let your imagination run wild
When walking outside, I like to take random photos. Such as sewer covers, fallen leaves, even objects with strange and unique shapes. Later I also became interested in observing mosses. My friend likes to laugh at the photo gallery on my smartphone because many of the photos are random.
Others may just see a photo of an ordinary leaf. But in my mind, it is not just a photo of a leaf, but a representative of autumn. With the red-brown color, I could just make a character design from the leaf. Maybe an autumn fairy? We can even turn photos of buildings around us into a fantasy world where various kinds of creatures live.
It would be even better if you could draw directly what you see. Because like I said, there are some things that we can only see with the naked eye. Like the volume of the object. If we see it in the form of a photo, we tend to think of it in 2D and the result is that the image we create will looks flat. Moreover, drawing and observing on the spot will train your muscle memory so that you can make lines faster and without hesitation.
The many rules and theories that we learn sometimes even make our imagination stifled. Our imagination is not limited. Let your mind wander in the realm of your imagination. Because there are no rules to restrain you.
Cheers
Radifa