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Inspiration
Following this current trend of me humbly asking you (yeah you—I see you there) what you think about this blog, I wanted to pose a more interesting question this week. Nothing too difficult, but I think it’s a fun topic.
What inspires you?
It can be a song, an author, an artist, a place, anything. Inspiration comes in every form, and part of being a successful artist (of words, paint, or whatever else) is knowing how to absorb that inspiration! I’ll admit it can be hard, especially when you just aren’t in a creative mood, but I’ve compiled a few tips on how to get those creative juices flowing.
- Listen to music: Maybe even music you don’t usually listen to. Check out new stuff—it may stir up new ideas in you!
- Watch movies: You might feel like a lazy schmuck, but visual stories are powerful tools of inspiration!
- Move: I’m not talking about moving states or houses, just move! Absorb your environment, even if it’s made of brick and stone.
- Read: This one kind of goes without saying. You don’t need to copy things, just absorb the ideas and life within your favorite author’s books and let it spark your imagination.
- Browse through art: Sites like deviantART have amazing artists! Just browsing through the galleries is a great way to come up with new ideas.
- Live: No, I don’t mean that in a touchy-feely sense. I mean just let your everyday life inspire you. Fictionalize your world!
Those are all pretty basic tips, but I think they’re the most useful things you can do to get inspired short of just sitting down and thinking! Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do, but never downplay your own ability to craft your very own ideas through good old brainstorming. Some people take a notebook with them everywhere they go, jotting down ideas when they get flashes of inspiration. I personally don’t, because while I can’t remember other things, my mind is a trap when it comes to any writing idea that pops up. Still, find what works for you. You don’t want to forget something important!
Something I find useful is capitalizing on your inspiration sooner rather than later. If something happens, or you see or hear something that inspires you, write about it quick! I just went through hell dealing with a computer virus, and it inspired me to start on this crazy techno-thriller. It’s a big project, so I didn’t bite off more than I could chew, I just started on it. That’s what I’m suggesting. If your mind is ticking, telling you what to write, write it! You don’t have to finish it, just get those ideas on paper, even if you just throw down a rough first chapter; it still gives you a base. I’m the same way with my poetry. I don’t focus on poetry—it’s just a hobby for me. When something hits me—inspires me—I write a poem about it. It doesn’t take long, and it doesn’t take too much effort when I’m feeling inspired. I also think that if you have a poem written up, you can always use it as a basis for something bigger in the future (if you end up going that direction).
So what inspires you? Who inspires you? What’s something of yours that you’re proud of that just… flowed? When inspiration hits hard, sometimes you can quickly crank out some amazing work. Has that ever happened to you?
Be sure to leave a comment!
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deviantART: Not Just For Pictures
About a decade ago, when I was but a wee little boy, my mom and I found this cool new site for artists called deviantART, or devART for short. One could create a profile, upload their artwork, and browse and comment on other artists’ pieces. A very cool little online fellowship of like-minded artists, photographers, and anyone else with a mind towards all things artsy and fartsy.
I was little—I drew a picture of a Lego Bionicle, a monster, I painted a tree, etc. I also took lots of pictures back then; some of them were even pretty darn good. Since I was 10 or 11 during this time, I got a pretty good amount of attention. I mean, a decently talented little squirt is so much more exciting than a decently talented adult. Eventually I got tired of the site and moved on. I can’t remember why, but that’s the story as best as I can recall.
Yesterday I read a tip that there’s a pretty good writer base over there nowadays. Ever come across those little scrolling blocks of text while you searched for something on devART? I did too, and I realized they were stories, but I never really thought much about it. After reading about the site again, though, and how many writers made their home there these days, I decided to check it out.
The site hasn’t changed much in over 10 years. No, besides the subscription system that costs real dollars and grants you some cool little privileges and features, devART operates the same as it always has. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since it was a very user friendly place to begin with. It’s clean, effective, and a fun site to loiter about, wasting hours of your life on.
Like I was saying, there’s loads of writing on the site these days. There are also a number of “groups” on the site focusing on writing, so be sure to check those out to publicize your stuff. There are a slew of different sites to upload your writing online, but probably nothing near as popular as devART. The only issue is that most people on devART are browsing for images, not stories. I can’t tell you whether it’s a great place for writers or not yet, but there are a few perks that I can point out right away.
The site is by all intents and purposes a social media applet. You’ve got watchers, comments, favorites, friend lists, and whatever else I forgot to mention. Play your cards right, make some contacts, and you’ll drum up a nice following and some helpful feedback on your work. If you don’t do that, the feedback you do receive will probably be pretty shallow. It’s common to hop over to someone’s latest image, say “This is awesome!” and have them offer a similar comment on something of yours out of courtesy. There’s an unspoken etiquette as there is with many sites like this. Observe and learn these unwritten rules if you want to fit in and get comments.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Anyone else experienced when it comes to writing on devART? Leave your knowledge in the comment box below, and be sure to check out my devART profile at the link below! I’m a newbie on the site again, and I need contacts too!
http://htsundance.deviantart.com/