Be Inspired!

If we want to find something, we must first figure out where it came from – or where it might be hiding. At times, inspiration can feel like that unreliable buddy who disappears for months at a time before reappearing uninvited and without explanation. And you keep forgetting to ask them to clarify, since you're having so much fun with them... They vanish, and before you know it, they're gone!

The good news is that we aren't the only ones who have struggled with this problem. Scientists, psychologists, and philosophers have all tried to figure out where this miraculous motivational elixir comes from. However, you don't have to fully comprehend something before beginning to practice it. We know enough about inspiration to help ourselves encounter it more frequently, and it involves taking control, a little experimenting, and a lot of personalizing, just like so many other highly desired but difficult-to-define things – motivation, enthusiasm, happiness!

How to get Inspiration

Make a unique move.

Learning a new language, musical instrument, or other talent can help you improve your brain plasticity, while even something as basic as going for a walk in a different neighborhood or visiting a new coffee shop might help you think differently. In general, new experiences are good for brain development, and the chances of seeing something you've never seen before are increased as well, which can lead to a creative spark!

Keep certain things the same

We've all heard stories about creative geniuses and their strange routines, but maintaining a routine, strange or not, is useful to brilliant thinking. Maintaining and improving brain plasticity can be as simple as getting enough sleep and exercising regularly. Making ensuring you have time to ponder during the day is also crucial. Perhaps you never feel inspired because you never have time to yourself - sometimes you just need to tune in to those thoughts that are begging to be heard! Build daily quiet intervals into your day, whether it's a morning or bedtime ritual, or at another time.

Read

Reading is one of the best activities you can do to improve memory and cognitive function, in addition to the unlimited potential to be inspired by other people's experiences and ideas! While any sort of reading has advantages, try to take a break from the displays and cozy up with a good book. Deep reading, rather than skimming from a smartphone, is where the magic happens.

Write, draw, doodle...

Congratulations, if you've ever been hit by inspiration after scribbling meaningless poetry or stupid doodles, you've already mastered this technique! Freewriting is a legitimate writing style that allows thoughts to flow freely while ignoring standard conventions and grammar constraints. Doodling has also been connected to a variety of good "thinking" advantages. Some people prefer to practice freewriting and freedrawing as a warm-up for another work, while others prefer to keep a notebook or sketchbook that they may refer to later when they're looking for ideas.

Collaborate

When I asked some of of my co workers what inspired them, their favorite response was: Other individuals! It pays to collaborate, whether it's because your teammates motivate you to come up with excellent ideas or because you come up with your finest ideas when working with people you wouldn't ordinarily work with. Even though you think you work best alone, it's worth going out of your comfort zone now and then — you never know what doors another person's perspective can open in your mind!

Pay tribute to your idols.

Most of us have at least one person that motivates us to be nicer, work harder, and dream larger. Perhaps it's the singer who never gave up on their ambition, the athlete who perseveres despite the obstacles, or your wonderful grandmother! It doesn't matter who it is, but having a hero may be quite beneficial when you're feeling down or uninspired - even if it's simply to understand that they, too, have battled!

Play some songs

Music and inspiration are inextricably linked for many creatives, and with good reason. Music has been linked to increased learning, memory, and cognitive function, but newer evidence also reveals a direct link to creative thinking! And it's not just listening that might inspire you; playlist curation has exploded in popularity in the last year (due in large part to pandemic-induced stay-at-home orders), and it's a whole new art form!

Become a vulture of culture.

It's easy to forget, especially in the last 12 months or so, that many of us live in cities with a plethora of cultural offerings. On our doorsteps are museums, galleries, and theaters brimming with works of art just waiting to be seen and inspired! There's nothing quite like the inspiration you'll get from immersing yourself in someone else's life and works, and remember that –Everything is a Remix–. All artistic creation, according to the Ancient Greeks, is a kind of imitation, therefore go forth and be inspired guilt-free.

Spend time in the great outdoors.

Return with me for a moment to the Ancient Greeks and their discussion of imitation as a means of defining art. They saw art as a “representation” of nature, and it was impossible to really duplicate the magnificence of God's natural universe, thus they considered all art to be imitation. Nature, if you will, is the blueprint for all art, therefore we'd be remiss if we didn't put it on this list of things to inspire you! We are part of the natural world as living creatures, thus it's only natural that spending time outside permits our minds to wander in ways that manufactured environments do not. Make time for extra green time, even if it's only 15 minutes a day!

Meditate

Meditation isn't new, but the rise of wellness apps and technology in recent years has introduced this ancient discipline and its benefits to the western world. Meditation gives a perfect atmosphere for the production of new ideas and ways of thinking in terms of inspiration. And it does sound eerily similar to the concept of brain plasticity — the generation of new networks and pathways – art does really copy life! The good news is that, according to a study conducted by Leiden University, you can start reaping the benefits of meditation's effect on cognitive performance practically immediately!

Be inspired

Inspiration is neither a science nor an art, but it may surely serve as a springboard for research in both! Some of the things that inspire me would probably put you to sleep! But that's the beauty of inspiration: one person's garbage is another's treasure, so we can keep surprising ourselves with where we find it and being startled by other people's sources of inspiration. It appears that taking care of your body and mind, indulging in your passions, and making space in your life for inspiration to find you – because it can and will – at any moment is the secret to staying motivated.