As a team working on a myriad of design disciplines, we face daily challenges such as: How can we continually design high-quality solutions our clients need? How can we reduce the size of that enormous file? How did AI do that??!?!?
Some of these questions are easier to answer than others, but one of the toughest challenges is figuring out where the heck inspiration comes from (and how can I get more of it)??
Inspiration and creativity are enigmatic ideas not easily harnessed or fully understood. Every creative seeks the fountain of inspiration. While we don’t have all the answers, we are believers in the art of consistent practice.
Below are four methods to invite inspiration into your creative practice, whether you’re a professional design team or a solo creative.
1. Rethink your process
The biggest thief of inspiration is rigidity. It’s hard to be creative when you constantly hear the clock tick or the voice of critique cuts in too early. To combat the anxiety, we developed a creative process that welcomes open space, play, and hospitality towards “bad ideas.”
Finding open space to frolic in a project timeline can be difficult. In the midst of expectations and deadlines (which aren’t bad things), we create space by seeking opportunities for efficiency in areas of our process that aren’t dependent on exploring ideas – for example, laying out structures for what is known ahead of time, identifying patterns and creating templates for repeatable tasks, swapping the order of milestones, etc.
A creative project timeline provides flexibility, and we were able to double (or even triple) the time allotted for concepts and research compared to a rigid linear process.
2. Plan for oddities
To stimulate new ideas, we formulate wacky design prompts that force team members to look at the project from new perspectives. Questions like, “Pick another creative field (fashion, robotics, embroidery, soup labels, architecture, landscape design, latte art, etc). If you combined parts of that medium with an item from your project, what would it look like?”
We schedule biweekly show-in-tell of the process, presenting progress and not just the end result. This team presentation requires us to explain ideas, which can highlight new connections not previously considered. The practice is also time away from computer screens and invites conversation and input to find inspiration in the environments and people around us. I. Which brings us to our third tip.
3. Change up the scene
Creativity tends to strike most often during moments of quiet reflection and observation. We practice creativity by putting ourselves in environments conducive paying attention.
Our office is located in an easily walkable neighborhood of DC, also conveniently situated near a beautiful monastery garden and several parks. Indoors, we set aside one room of the office as what we call the “quiet car.” This is a place to sit on a comfy couch, enjoy silence, wonder aloud, draw, read, think — in an isolated space where inspiration can whisper to us without distraction. What makes this effective for us is an opportunity to switch up our environment, so whatever environment you typically work in, try the opposite for some time and see if it helps!
4. Expose yourself to the weird and wonderful
One of the best opportunities to put yourself in the way of inspiration is to look at something you’ve never seen before. At openbox9, we collect books that provide hyper-focus on a particular creative topic every month. For example, last month, we ordered a book on optical illusions in graphic design. This month, we’re reading a book about ambitious architecture projects of the 20th century. Next month, it’ll be a book that solely features weird recipes from iconic movies (think of Allison’s Pixie Stix and Cap’n Crunch sandwich in The Breakfast Club). All of these get us thinking about niche, unheard of, or downright bizarre ideas that might just lead to something extraordinary.
Inspired Conclusion
You cannot order creativity on-demand, stream it, or guarantee it by Uber-delivery. But, there are plenty of ways to point our brains in the right direction and create an environment where it is welcomed. With a bit of magic, and mostly by consistently showing up, we can find the unique combination of process, environment, and perseverance that keeps inspiration near us.
We’d love to hear about the creative practices you’ve developed that ensure inspiration knocks on your door when you need it.
