The importance of inspiration for a freelance artist
In the last couple of blog posts I have written about working as a freelance graphite artist and picked my five top tips for working as a freelance artist. However, alongside the more practical considerations of working freelance, there is also a need to regularly top up inspiration when working creatively – to that end, this blog post looks at the importance of inspiration for a freelance artist.
The importance of inspiration
Inspiration is a key factor when working creatively. It feeds into so many areas such as motivation, direction, approach and subject matter. However, when you are working on your own, from a home studio with little external stimulation and in a familiar setting, you may have to work a little harder to ensure that you feel inspired.
Inspiration, “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative”.
– Dictionary definition
Creative inspiration:
One of the key ways that I ensure a constant source of creative inspiration is to make sure that I immerse myself on a regular basis in the things that make me tick and inspire my artwork.
My own inspiration is firmly rooted in the natural world. I have always had a strong pull towards spending a lot of time outdoors. My earliest memories are of autumn trips to find conkers and piles of fallen leaves, and spring expeditions to find bluebell pixie-lanterns.
This passion for the natural world threaded through my childhood, my tribe of friends, my writing and my studies, eventually leading to my career as an ecologist. It is only natural then that it should be a dominant theme in my artwork too and inspires me both creatively and motivationally. I find that in order to feed that inspiration, it is vital to connect with the outdoors on a daily basis. I am fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the country and only have to glance out of the window or step outside of my back door to connect with all manner of wildlife, soak in the ever-changing weather and feel how it changes the mood of the upland landscape around me. It is a fully immersive experience – feeling that connectivity to nature, for me, is vital.
Whatever underpins your creativity, whether it’s about a particular environment, being around people or immersing yourself in other’s artwork, it’s essential to make time on a regular basis to experience it firsthand.
As well as actively feeding the things that are essential, I personally find it important to act on those spontaneous urges to create, especially where this is outside of my usual way of working, whether that be method, subject matter, or style. Having this release in creative energy is a vital part of replenishing and acting on inspiration which nurtures and develops that process. I have experimented with a number of different styles, materials and subject matter over the span of my short drawing journey to date and each time I have learned a little more about my own creative leanings which has helped improve my skills and feed my inspiration some more.
“Whatever underpins your creativity … it’s essential to make time on a regular basis to experience it firsthand.”
Motivational inspiration:
The ability to get up each morning and be motivated to create can also require a little nurturing from time-to-time.
I personally find it useful to write things down so that I can turn back to my scribblings when I need to be motivationally inspired. By that I mean writing out the big dreams and aspirations for my artwork, and the goals and pathways to achieve them – allowing yourself the freedom to think about the bigger picture can really help to get your creativity back on track with a spring in its step.
“.. allowing yourself the freedom to think about the bigger picture can really help to get your creativity back on track”
Aspirational inspiration:
Following on from motivational inspiration, finding aspirational inspiration is also a great way to keep the creativity and motivation flowing.
I personally make use of online platforms for this in the main, as it is so accessible – finding new artists to inspire me in terms of their art journey and their own creative outpourings, I find to be really uplifting and energising for my own aspirations. This type of engagement provides me with a constant source of fresh ideas for a whole range of business areas.
Seeking out like-minded people and groups that you can meet up with regularly in person, or visiting art galleries is also a great way to inspire you on your art journey.
I hope you have enjoyed this little freelance artist mini-series, culminating in this blog post: the importance of inspiration for a freelance artist.