1. Art

For all makers of art and design a crucial source of inspiration is the work of fellow artists, designers and creatives of every kind. Knowledge of art and design history offers a solid grounding on which to make work, while an awareness of contemporary art practice frames the context in which the work is produced. Successive art movements have evolved and thrived by artists taking inspiration from one and other’s work and this continues to be the case today. At times when inspiration is flagging it is important to look to the work of past masters. When a designer is grappling with an aesthetic problem, they are assisted by the vast history of art that features practitioners who have already ‘solved’ many of these dilemmas.

2. Galleries and Museums

The best way to experience art is in the flesh and fortunately our galleries and museums are bursting with great works and fascinating relics. There is a mass of inspirational art to explore, from the embarrassment of riches held by national museums such as the British Museum and National Galleries to the cutting edge work found in small contemporary shows. Many of the finest museums are free to enter (although some charge for majors exhibitions), and many offer talks and events exploring the collections. Thousands of small galleries have rolling schedules of exhibitions and many publicly advertise for their opening night ‘private views’, a chance to meet the artists, mingle with other creatives, and enjoy a glass of wine.

3. The Internet

It’s easy to take the Internet for granted, but it was only a few years ago that researching artists and creative techniques would involve trawling through libraries, searching for periodicals, and attending evening classes. Today all this can be found with simple searches, reading Wikipedia pages or watching YouTube clips. The Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our daily lives; for artists and designers it is an invaluable source of information and inspiration.

4. Film

Many critics and historians consider film to be the quintessential art form of the twentieth century. The haunting quality of silent movies, the sharp design of light and shadow in film noir, the garish colours of Hammer horror, the grit of American gangster movies, the aesthetics of European art house, the startling graphics of Manga animations, and cutting edge CGI and 3D technologies; for artists and designers film is an enormous source of visual imagery and inspiration.

5. Music

There are two ways in which music can be an important source of inspiration for artists and designers. Firstly, music can form the soundtrack to a designers practice, helping create a mood and ambience to accompany the working environment. Designers can choose music to suit the project on which they are working, helping to set the pace and mood of the work. The second way that music can positively influence designers is in its packaging, performances, posters and other related imagery. Musicians often embrace strong aesthetics, high fashion and state-of-the-art design to accompany their music, inspirational stuff for those involved in the visual arts.

6. Print Ads and Posters

Film and music are prompted with often astonishing posters and print media, as are every kind of commercial product, events and even ideas. Many print ads are made by the leading designers of the day to ensure eye-catching imagery and effective communication. This media is an essential resource for the designer to find reference material and inspiration.

7. The Outdoors

There come moments in every creative person’s practice that the inspiration dries up and the ideas stagnate. At these times it is great to have a break and get outside in the fresh air, have a stroll or take a bicycle ride. Parks and countryside, city streets and urban environments can all enliven the senses and invigorate creativity.

8. Books

While the best way to see art is in the flesh, and so much is available on the Internet, one of the best ways to study visual work is in books. For book designers and typographers, of course, the book form is the best way to present their creations. Books are available on all types of artists, history and techniques, and they remain one of the most rewarding means of finding inspiration.

9. Magazines

In common with books, magazines and periodicals are a fine way of finding inspiration. Publications such as Art Review and Modern Painters cover the latest trends and contemporary artists, whilst also providing overviews of past movements and critical theories.

10. Life

The best art, design and creative works are directly inspired by the maker’s life. Working purely stylistically and aesthetically can produce results, but it is when artists infuse their work with their personal experiences of life that the work becomes enriched and truly enlivened.

Despite what many think, creativity is not decided at birth — and there are a few very simple and logical ways that you can become more creative simply by practicing and using certain methods.

Here are a few of those methods, along with some tools that can help boost your natural abilities. Put these to use and watch your work become more creative.

Research & Isolation: The Starting Points of Creativity

No matter what type of creative work you are doing, it is necessary to start from one or two places — either you research and evaluate the competition, or you isolate yourself in an attempt to do something entirely new.

Research: The Backbone of Creativity

Creativity is often referred to by the cliche ‘thinking outside the box’. Many people miss the simple fact that in order to think outside the box, it can be very helpful to know what this proverbial ‘box’ actually is.

In other terms, being creative is frequently defined as doing something new or different. In order to do something new or different, It’s often necessary to fully understand the current status quo — so that you can break out of it. This is why research is a very valuable part of becoming more creative.

Isolation: Also The Backbone of Creativity

Though research is a valuable part of being creative, intentional isolation can sometimes be equally valuable. In many situations, fully understanding the existing market, design trends, or whatever else can unintentionally taint your perspective on the creation of something new.

Isolating yourself during the design or creative process can occasionally yield fantastic results, as you might create something radically different from anything else already out there. A word of caution, though: many creatives over isolate themselves. Isolation is not necessary to create something new, and researching and understanding the existing space is often a far more productive way to be creative. Try both isolation and research, try combining them, and see what works best in your situation.

Creative Methods: How To be Systematically Creative

Despite seeming vague and mysterious, creativity can actually be very logical in many cases. Here are a few methods for being creative:

1 — Combination and Synthesis

Combination and synthesis is the method of being creative by examining ideas from several different existing works, and combining them into something new and different. Many people frown on looking to others for ideas, but in reality almost every creative work is influenced or even directly related to something already out there. This method, combination and synthesis, is probably the most frequently used form of creativity. Side note: you’ll have to do your research if using this method — isolating yourself won’t work

2 — Intentional Rebellion

Intentional rebellion is a method often used by people who want to appear distinctly creative. It involves researching the existing market or design space, and then intentionally doing something completely different. This method can often produce greatly creative works, but be careful of ignoring very important paradigms simply in the name of creativity (aka, building a website that is creative but entirely unusable).

3 — Sequential Addition

Sequential addition is a creative game where you start from an idea, either one you’ve produced in isolation or one you’ve found by research, and then slowly build, add to, or change the idea in small steps until it no longer resembles the original starting point. This method is useful in trying to imagine the future of a certain type of work or design, and then from there create something that is ahead of the majority.

4 — Outside Influence

Outside influence is the idea of being creative by looking to radically different sources for inspiration sources that are completely unrelated to the work you are doing. For example, if you normally look to other websites for blog post formats or ideas, try looking to magazines instead. Or, even more radically, try adapting a television formula into a blog post. Such outside influences can often provide a very new and interesting jolt to your creativity.

5 — Selective Perspective

Often times when your creativity seems to stop flowing, the idea of selective perspective can help get you started again. Using this creative method, you want to look at your design or project from a very narrow point of view, and imagine how you would finish the project based on just that perspective. Then, you simply repeat this from a different perspective, and try to come up with a new idea yet again. Finally, you can compile and integrate your various points of views into a single, optimum result.

6 — Create and Compare

Create and compare is a strategy based around the idea of isolating yourself and creating something from scratch. Often, when you create something without even looking at the competition you’ll come up with very good ideas — the problem is that it’s easy to overlook other very good ideas that are already in use. With this method you begin entirely in isolation and then compare your ideas to the existing space afterward, when you can make subtle additions and changes without worrying about contaminating your own ideas.

Useful Tools to Amplify Your Creativity

Defining and deciding upon your favorite creative methods is one step towards becoming more creative. Another big gain can be made by integrating the right tools into your creative process. Here are a few that you might take a look at:

1 — Visual Thesaurus

This is a very good twist on the idea of a thesaurus. This tool can be incredibly valuable to writers and even designers in creating new ideas. Check it out →

2 — Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a great way to logically create new ideas, and it’s also invaluable for recording and defining new ideas you’ve already had. There are a number of great programs out there, this list should help you get started.

3 — Prototyping/Sketching

Sketching and prototyping are a designer’s two best friends. If you don’t already have one, get yourself a good notebook that you can easily write and draw in. As for prototyping, I recommend using whatever medium or application you are familiar with that you can work in very quickly (frequently Adobe Illustrator, for designers).Check out this article for more info.

4 — Inspiration Galleries

Sometimes all it takes is a good creative jolt to get you started, and galleries of other people’s work can often provide just that. A few that come highly recommended are Smashing Magazine and Creattica.

What’s Your Take?

Creativity can be a very personal thing — something that needs to be explored individually by each person. What techniques have you found to boost your creativity?

Do you have any tips for others who are looking to become more creative?