How to Find Art Inspiration


Feeling stuck? It is time to find art inspiration. You might be asking how to find art inspiration? Where do you find art inspiration? Keep reading because I want to help you feel unstuck and feel inspired again. When you have art inspiration you have an urge to create and are able to develop new and creative ideas easier and faster!


How to Find Art Inspiration

There are many ideas for how to find art inspiration. Art inspiration can be anywhere. It is easiest to find inspiration when you are open. If you are feeling stressed, sick, sad, mad it’s going to be harder to find inspiration because you are not in the right headspace. 


How to Find Art Inspiration/Where to Find Art Inspiration

  • Taking a walk or spending time in nature like hiking, camping, gardening or being at the beach 

  • Listening to music - you can try listening to classical music or calming music like acoustic or nature sounds 

  • Traveling and going somewhere new - ideally for a week or two if possible so you can really immerse yourself and live in that place 

  • Going to an art gallery or museum

  • Flipping through magazines or going to a library 

  • Looking for art supplies- you might be drawn to different colours or textures 

  • Journaling, doodling or sketching - keep a book to contain your ideas 

  • Make art to lead to other ideas, even if the art you make is bad

being outside is how to find art inspiration


How to Find Art Inspiration - Step 1: Follow Your Intuition 

Part of the creative process is making many decisions. Some decisions are small and some are larger. As an artist it is important to be intune with your intuition. You have to be able to trust your gut to know what decisions to make in the process. 



Start paying attention to how you are thinking and feeling. If you feel like painting- do it. If you want to use a certain colour- do it. Keep listening to yourself and trust that your intuition is guiding you! 


How to Find Art Inspiration-Step 2:  Keep Your Body/Mind Strong 

Make sure you are staying rested and keeping healthy. Get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, eat healthy and move your body. Make sure you are stretching and walking around.



If you are staying healthy you are going to have more energy and when you feel energized you will want to create more! 



It’s also important to keep your mind healthy. Having a healthy mindset is important for artists. You need to believe that you will make good art. If you have a positive mindset, you will make good art. If you are thinking negatively then that will affect the process. 

how to find art inspiration -just create a cyanotype



How to Find Art Inspiration- Step 3: Just Create 

The best way to find art inspiration is to just start creating. You need to make work because it will lead to other things and ideas. It’s okay to mess up that is part of the art process. Even if art is “bad” you need to trust the process that you will make good art again soon! 




If you found this helpful for how to find art inspiration. Send me a DM on Instagram and let me know! @jackiepartridge_  



If you paint you can check out my YouTube channel on acrylic painting to keep you inspired. Click the button below! 

Art Journal Inspo


How do you keep track of your art inspiration? I record my inspiration in an art journal or sketchbook. I like looking back at my art journal inspo over the years to see all of the ideas I have had. Some are ideas I have completed and some are still ideas I wish to complete. Art journal inspo tracking is a great way to organize your thoughts and keep track of your brilliant ideas. I like to completely fill an art journal and then I will move onto a new sketchbook to fill. 

So, you might be asking yourself -what do you record as art journal inspo? Keep reading and I will let you know! 




Art Journal Inspo Ideas

1. Sketches

As your art journal inspo you get to decide what you want to fill your sketchbook with. But an obvious choice is sketching. You can complete daily drawings, weekly drawings, doodles, quick sketches or gestural drawings. There are no rules for a sketchbook. You can use any material, any style or technique. You can decide if you want to spend 5 minutes or 5 hours on a page. Which makes working in an art journal very freeing and exciting because you are in control. 




In my own sketchbook, the sketches are not detailed and sometimes are just an outline with some words. As long as I know what it means that’s all that matters for me. Your approach can be different and that is completely up to you. It is your art journal inspo. 

art journal inspo




2. Titles, Words or Poetry 

Sometimes, I am reading something, watching something or listening to something and I hear a word that inspires an artwork. I keep my art journal by bed and write down the words that come to mind. My artwork is often very poetic and some art like my series Patched, involve poetry. Anytime, I am inspired by words or phrases I will write the poem or title for an artwork in my art journal to refer to later. 




3. Installation methods 

With my artwork, I like to test out new installation methods in my art journal by seeing what they will look like on paper. Again, I usually start with a simple sketch and add some written notes. I like to test suspending an artwork, presenting an artwork on a plinth, hanging the artwork on a wall and any other ideas I have in my art journal. 




4. Art to sell

If I have an idea for an artwork to sell I also record that in my art journal as inspiration. Then when I am feeling inspired and creative, I can come back and create that artwork. When I sell art, I create a series. I will use the pages of my art journal to sketch out and plan the series and make note of any colours or ideas I want to try in this series. 




 

5. Techniques and experiments 

An art journal is a great place to record techniques and experiment with new materials. You can use your art journal inspo to log new techniques you have tried and to make note of what works and what doesn’t. It’s nice to use your art journal as a place to practice where it is okay to make mistakes. A sketchbook is a great place to learn and to practice trial and error. Not everything you create will be wonderful. That is part of the process! 




Click here to download my FREE guide if you are thinking of applying to an art school or arts-based program!

Related Articles:

Why I became an artist

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10 Skills to Become a Better Artist





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