Whenever I am looking at artwork I love, I wonder “How did they think of this?” It can be hard to consistently find art inspiration. No matter how long you’ve been an artist we all run our creative wells dry every so often. It seems a daily battle for many of us to find inspiration for our work. When I’m in this battle, I return to the basics: subject and emotion.
Emotional
When I’m in need of art inspiration I look for art I resonate with. I like to approach my pieces with an emotion in mind. Sometimes it comes from how I’m currently feeling, sometimes it’s how I want to feel. Putting my emotions down as art has always yielded exciting pieces. Other times I’ll focus on an emotion I wish to convey. Art at its base is about conveying feelings. The artist Liz Gridley is a great example of this. Below is her artwork. If you aren’t sure what you want to say with your art, you won’t get anywhere. Your emotions and the emotions you want to share are always central to your art.
Subject
Sometimes the best art inspiration comes from a subject you love. Pinterest is a great collection of visuals to look through. As I browse through it I usually find something I like that kicks off a bit of an obsession. I found someone’s illustration of a panther that I really loved, leading me to look at all kinds of big cat images. And that lead to my creating multiple big cat paintings. If you think something is really cool, just keep painting it. Embrace the fixation!
The last trigger for my art ideas isn’t as common. When I’m feeling bold, I will purposely paint something challenging. No artist is perfect, and there are always techniques or subjects you’re not great at. Facing that head-on is great practice, and you can sometimes surprise yourself with the outcome. I’ve always sucked at fabrics and draping for example. So I did a piece that was filled with billowing fabric that was multiple colors for an extra challenge. While it took a lot of time and mental hurdles, I love how it came out.
Finding inspiration can be tricky. We will always go through dry spells, and what once worked may not always. But you should make sure never to stop. Keep turning out art, even little pieces, and you’ll find your inspiration again!
in the life