How to Unlock Creativity and Make New Drawings

To be able to unlock creativity and make new drawings is a skill we all need.

Inspiration comes to all of us, whether it’s a sudden burst of creativity or a faint feeling of wanting to create. What do we do when the feeling is missing?

Acknowledge The Source of Inspiration:

The Most High God is the ultimate source of inspiration. Furthermore, it’s important to recognize that the desire to create things was purposefully instilled in us by Him. As a result, the things that motivate us to create can provide a clue about our purpose. It’s crucial to stay in tune with God in all aspects of our lives, including when we lack inspiration. Asking Him for guidance can be tremendously helpful.

At times, you might encounter creative blockages and struggle to find inspiration for your next project. This can be a frustrating experience, but it’s one that everyone encounters at some point. It’s important to keep in mind that everything has a season, and there are no plants that bloom all year round. So, expect to have periods of productivity followed by periods of rest or refinement.

SIX Ways to Invite Inspiration

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to invite inspiration into your life and get back into the flow state. Here are some tips to help you find inspiration and make new drawings.  Or paintings. Or socks. To find inspiration:

• To find inspiration, carefully explore your surroundings. For instance, take a walk and observe the colors, shapes, textures, patterns, and details that catch your eye. Also, notice how the light falls on objects and how shadows lay across surfaces. These observations can spark ideas for your next piece of art.
• Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. Experiment with a different medium or style by taking a class or workshop or using unusual art tools. By venturing into unfamiliar territory, your brain works harder, which can lead to new ideas and inspiration to make new drawings.
• To keep your ideas organized, keep a sketchbook with you at all times. It doesn’t have to be perfect; think of it as a mistake book. Use your sketchbook for rough ideas, doodling, thumbnail sketches, to write phone numbers, recipes, record overheard conversations, quotes and patterns. Perfection is not the goal; think of it as a place to learn from things you didn’t like, and to revisit ideas later.
• Collaborate with other artists to explore new ideas and be inspired by their work and style. Join an art group or attend art events in your community. By working with others, you can gain the benefit of their perspectives and experiences, which can help you see things in a new way.
• Take a break from your work and do something unrelated to art. For example, go for a walk, read a book, or spend time with friends and family. When you come back to your art, you’ll have a fresh perspective and renewed energy.
• If you’re not feeling inspired, draw anyway. Have a collection of exercises for these occasions. The act of making marks and watching colors develop in your sketchbook can be a healing experience.

The Noisiest Apartment and the Flowers Inside

This drawing is an example of reverse coloring.  In Atlanta, I took an apartment downtown that was intended for student housing.  It was more money than I had ever spent for rent and yet still cheap considering the cost of living in downtown Atlanta.  The cost included the noises of regular visits from the fire department, living with young people in the hallway and in the lobby, the use of a key card for my door, and a mailroom with limited hours.  During this time of having buck wild neighbors, I would regularly have flowers delivered from the grocery store.  These flowers really uplifted my mood, gave my apartment a rich vibe, and gave me a subject anytime the mood struck me.  Just looking at the flowers gave me motivation to draw when I wasn’t even thinking about drawing.

Try this for yourself.  It turns out that an arrangement of fruit is also helpful (for me) to getting creativity unlocked and ready to make new drawings.  If you try it, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comments.

Supplies Used to Make These Drawings:

The artwork in this post was made with ink, watercolor, and God given gifts of seeing things that others don’t.

• A gift of an intense love of colors, combinations of colors, and patterns.
• A gift of hypersensitivity to sounds, textures, and light levels.
• A gift of seeing clearly slight differences in color and tone and also feeling vibrations and tones in others.