Art Inspiration - Where to Find It

One of the things I am most passionate about is the constant search for new and exciting inspirations on my work. I can’t overstate the benefit of it, and hopefully this post will encourage you to go find yours.

First for a bit of background: One of my biggest inspirations is anything vintage, and as you’ll see in some of the studio pictures I share here, antiques have a prominent place in my studio.

But why do I classify this as inspiration and not just another hobby?

The simple reason is that my work has a lot of antique and vintage elements in it. They are definitely not obvious, but they are there nonetheless. One of the biggest examples of this is my use of “modernized” songs from the early 1900s in my animations. But then there’s also my technique, which mostly avoids use of modern methods such as flash tweening. It’s really an aesthetic more than anything.

How do you get inspiration for your aesthetic?

Maybe your art is, for example, much more modern in appearance, so you want to immerse yourself in the most avant garde and technologically sophisticated environment whenever you can. Or what about an earthy aesthetic? In that case, hiking in nature as often as possible, (and maybe bringing your sketchbook along for good measure,) will do the trick. You’ve got to pay attention to what aesthetic informs your work the most, and seek it out.

There are three steps for how you can do this right now if you haven’t figured it out yet.

1.) Find your style.

This is the most crucial piece of the puzzle, and without it, you may not have much success in identifying your inspiration. To do this, find who your influences are. Every artist has his or her influences, and you have to find what those are for you. Also, remember that if you have more than one influence, you can build a style that is more quintessentially yours, but relying on one influence will only result in you being a copycat. (I discuss this in greater detail in a previous blog entry.)

2.) List your interests.

These are interests that may or may not have much to do with your art per se, but they will prove useful to you eventually because the more those interests influence your work, the more likely it is that you’ll take inspiration from them. Here’s an example: Your style might be impressionistic or plein air, but if you’re interested in surfing, then doing more of it will eventually infuse your work with that beachfront, surfer aesthetic.

3.) Remember that inspiration is an unconscious process.

Although your style and interests can come together to reveal what you are most inspired by, one thing to keep in mind is that surrounding yourself with that inspiration and appreciating it will inform your work in ways that you may not be consciously aware of. The goal here is essentially to program your subconscious so that you never run out of creative ideas. This is a mental exercise where your brain puts together new ideas behind the scenes, all based on what you have fed it.

What inspires your creative process? Is there a unique aesthetic to your work that is informed by an interest or hobby of yours? Do you find that pursuing that interest tends to shape your aesthetic even more? Sound off in the comments!