Have you ever sat down to create and literally not a single thing comes to mind?  Everything just goes blank.  Pencil tapping, staring out the window, humming to yourself.  You wait for something to come to you and it just doesn’t?  I have been talking about lack of inspiration on my social media lately (find me on IG @esmakirim and come follow along) and today I want to take some time to dive deeper into the role inspiration plays in motivation.

How do you get inspired?  Sometimes things have a way of finding us.  A pretty mural on the way to a new restaurant.  The smell of something delicious from a street cart.  A close friend’s latest guitar riffs.  Just one hint of it and our minds get whisked away. Other times, though, we need to seek things out ourselves.  The good news is that there are so many ways to find inspiration in this world. You can find it in nature, in the city, in your everyday life, on the internet.  The possibilities are endless.  One of my biggest tips for anyone battling a lacking inspiration is to go on the offensive and collect inspiration constantly. How?

·  Keep a running list in your phone of bits of inspo you come across out in the world or dream up at night.

·  PINTEREST! Do you use it?  If you do, I bet you’re nodding your head.  If you don’t, I insist you check it out.  I had to Google how to describe it because if you don’t know what it is, you’re not going to get much from me telling you “IT IS AWESOME,” but I promise you, it is.  Pinterest is “a visual discovery engine for finding ideas” and when I say there is a pin for everything under the sun, I mean it.  Create a Pinterest account and start searching for whatever gets your juices flowing.  You can create an inspiration board. Pin anything and everything that draws you in and look at it later when your mojo is lacking.·  If you’re less inclined to spend extra time online, which I know some people are, try creating a real-life vision board instead. Use pictures you’ve taken, clippings from magazines, or anything you find that you want to add.  It’s fun to create and having inspiring things somewhere you will see them regularly will keep your ideas top of mind. You can do this in your downtime (the time you’re taking to give yourself a break, remember?) and be proud that you utilized a rest period effectively and creatively.

Another important thing to remember when you’re finding inspiration hard to come by… don’t let an inspiring moment pass you by. Especially when you’re feeling like these moments are few and far between, it’s important to cherish each second of inspiration and use each to their fullest.  If you have the ability to drop what you’re doing and follow whatever is inspiring you, do it!  Even if you’re not, you can still benefit from what gave you a spark.  Take a few minutes to capture your thoughts and ideas in as much detail as possible so you can return to them later. Write them down or take voice notes, whatever works the best for you.  The more you strive to seize the inspiring moments, the more your mind will be on the lookout for them.  Build positive momentum by aiming to see inspiration on a regular basis and you’ll be surprised how quickly it finds you next time.

Without inspiration, it’s hard to be motivated to do anything because you don’t have a clear direction.

You would think that with how huge our world is and how accessible things are on the internet that we would never run out of inspiration. But sometimes, that’s just not the case. No matter your work or medium, inspiration isn’t really something you can go without. We also sometimes have the tendency to confuse a lack of inspiration with lack of motivation, but I always find that the best way to “get motivated” is to be inspired. Think about it.   Inspiration is the stimulus.  It’s the spark that ignites the fire. I have several tips and tricks to help you get inspired that I would love to share with you! Check out my 1-on-1 coaching opportunities on my website. Together, we’ll set creative goals and determine your creative direction. Not only can I be your creative coach, but I can also be your business coach. I earned my MBA at the Columbia Business School before transitioning to a creative career myself. Everything is custom-tailored to you and your needs. You’re worth the investment.

I’d love to know what’s inspiring you lately!  Leave a link in the comments and let’s inspire each other 🙂