State of inspiration, ideation & creativity
Aren’t we, designers — and, in fact, all creative minds — rather good at seeking inspiration? We scroll through our favorite visual blogs, flip through pages of that well-thumbed book, or stroll through design stores. Over time, we learn where and how to look each time we want to find inspiration and design something new.
Ideation is undoubtedly the most exciting part of every designer’s work process, but let’s be honest, sometimes finding inspiration doesn’t seem to be the biggest priority. Yet it’s a state of inspiration that can rapidly fuel our creativity.
“Creativity inspires ideas, while ideas empower change.”
As we progress along our design career path, we discover what environments we best perform in. We learn how to best collaborate with others. And we, too, understand what specific methods we need to deploy to get a project done. They all determine the direction of our professional curiosity, competence, and trajectory.
Yet over time, if we’re not paying enough attention to our creative processes, we can become somewhat constrained by them. And it’s this gradual comfort that causes us to stagnate professionally and creatively. And then, we seem to overlook the most crucial aspect of creativity: too much rigidity in the creative process decreases our overall creativity level.
How often do we feel truly inspired? Every day, every week, every month? Could we reach a constant state of inspiration and creativity? Yes, is the answer.
If we learn to upgrade those routines, processes, and knowledge regularly, we can find ourselves not only being highly motivated, inspired, and creative but also exponentially growing as professionals. When we nurture our state of inspiration, we also boost our ideation and creativity states. In other words, we should constantly challenge ourselves to learn another design software, strike a better work/life balance, or discover new perspectives outside our immediate interests and comfort zones.
That said, nothing stops us from booking that course, watching a new documentary, or taking a walk somewhere new right now. By switching up our routine, we can push ourselves in a slightly different direction and seek a bit of novelty every single day. It will have a profound and long-term effect on our state of inspiration and creativity.
And if you’re looking to be in a state of inspiration right now, here’s a list of some incredible humans, podcasts, and vlogs. Finding inspiration in other people’s perspectives, life stories, and creative processes can bring tremendous amounts of value into anyone’s life — and I hope these will enrich your creativity too!
Matt D’Avella
Matt D’Avella makes vlogs about filmmaking, freelancing, minimalism, technology, productivity, growth mindset — and my personal favorites — the 30-day experiments. He also runs The Ground Up Show, which inspires creatives to make things happen. Check out Matt D’Avella’s podcast.
Gary Vaynerchuk
Synonymous with “side hustle, Gary Vaynerchuk has an impressive life/business story, incredible social media wisdom, and countless achievements under his belt. His contagious just-go-for-it attitude will inspire anyone to discover their passion and pursue them. Check out Gary Vaynerchuk’s youtube channel.
Tyler Babin
Babin is one of today’s most talented filmmakers, photographers, and storytellers. Sharing his creative journey, process, or mindset to make genuinely inspiring videos, his photo editing tutorials, 24 Hours With series, and Tuesday Morning Coffee podcast are all so worth watching. Check out Tyler Babin’s youtube channel.
ColdFusion
By far the best destination for science, technology, business, and history. ColdFusion’s eye-opening videos cover topics such as emerging technologies, the rise and fall of companies, seminal points in technology, and fascinating stories in business and economics. Check out ColdFusion’s youtube channel.
Casey Neistat
Casey is a filmmaker and multi-media company co-founder, best known for daily vlogging. His vlogs are about travel, family life, filmmaking, creativity, and filming gear reviews. His sense of humor (watch “Bike Lanes”), common sense, and daring attitude (“Can’t fly drones in NYC? Well, gotta get that B-roll!”) will inspire anyone to be even more creative. Check out Casey Neistat’s youtube channel.
Rich Roll
Rich Roll’s podcasts are, without a doubt, the best in the physical and mental health field. His in-depth conversations with experts from the fitness, nutrition, and spirituality fields, are a great educational source that never disappoints. Check out Rich Roll’s podcast.
The Minimalists
Most people think minimalism means getting rid of all our possessions and never purchasing anything again. It means reevaluating our priorities to make time for our health, relationships, fulfillment, and happiness — instead of wasting time, money, and energy on buying excess stuff. Check out The Minimalists podcast.
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State of inspiration, ideation & creativity
Aren't we, designers — and, in fact, all creative minds — rather good at seeking inspiration? We scroll through our favorite visual blogs, flip through pages of that well-thumbed book, or stroll through design stores. Over time, we learn where and how to look each time we want to find a state of inspiration and design something new.
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