8 Tips on staying creatively inspired influenced by Austin Kleon

After reading the book ‘Steal Like An Artist’ written by Austin Kleon, It gave me multiple ideas for how to stay creatively inspired and how to continually produce work that is relevant and interesting. I personally find it difficult to work if I am trying too hard to create something ‘perfect’ or something I believe is too idealistic in my head. ‘Steal like an Artist’ helps the productivity work in being creative. You can be extremely inspired, yet produce no work. This book just gives you the guidelines for how to stay on track as an artist.

Tip number 1. Take a walk

It’s as easy as that.

We sit at our desks and ponder over what pen/paint to use next without actually going outside an observing what we are illustrating. When illustrating something, you are capturing the body of its movement, the atmosphere it’s in, its true colours ways and the energy it embodies. You are unable to do this just sitting at your desk and ‘drawing from a phone screen’ (as my old college art teacher used to say). I didn’t really understand what he meant until I went to Foundation Art & Design at UWTSD and was made to actually illustrate something in front of me. I found that this was much more beneficial to my sketchbook work. It actually gave it some life and felt more experimental in the way I was working. I found that this ‘experimentation’ period is so important and is especially good if you’re trying to find your ‘style’ like I am. By taking a walk (however far or short), or visiting a new place/environment helps you put things in perspective and perhaps realise how tones, textures, atmosphere, weather inspires your work much greater than you may have previously believed.

Tip number 2. Start your ‘Swipe file'

When reading ‘Steal Like an Artist’ Kleon had mentioned keeping a ‘Swipe file’. I think this is such a good idea to stay focused and inspired. A swipe file is simply collecting things that you find interesting or inspiring. For example, photographs, pantone colours, fabrics, tickets, posters, artist research etc. You can keep anything that you admire that you believe could help your work for those days that you’re struggling to stay inspired. Kleon said you could put tha vem into a file and keep on you or you could stick them in front of you at your work space so you are constantly surrounded by your inspirations and influences.

Stay tuned on my blog for the continuation of tips on staying inspired next week. There's also a Tedx Talks on Steal Like An Artist that is extremley interesting if you wanted to look into this concept further.

What are your tips on staying inspired?