Inspiration is when you feel excited or are stimulated to do something creative or feel motivated to be inventive and innovative. Trying new ideas or using your imagination to see different concepts or perspectives are all part of the process of be creative.
Not everyone is naturally creative. The good news is, Inspiration can be developed and nurtured in adults and kids. We share 5 great ideas how to develop inspiration.
1) Find Inspiration Around You
Go for a walk at the park, by the beach or through the gardens. Take pictures with camera or smart phone. People watching can be inspirational. You never know who might be your next muse.
For children, help them keep a log book or “mood-board” of ideas that interest them. These ideas can come from pictures they see in magazines, or print them out from the internet. Remind them to jot their ideas into their “idea book” for future references.
2) Find Inspiration On The Web
Read blogs written by people who inspire you. Watch inspirational TEDex videos. Or search Instagram or Pinterest for great photos posted by their users. There is no harm in looking to others for sources of inspiration. Sometimes, the beauty of their creative concepts may trigger your own creativity.
3) Be Spontaneous
Some kids are incredibly creative because of their spontaneity. Encourage unplanned, unstructured, spur-of-the-moment ideas or activities with the kids. You just might be surprised by the ideas that come out of these brainstorm sessions!
Sometimes, our ideas and creativity can fall into a rut where no new ideas or creative concepts can develop. These spur-of-the-moment activities or ideas are very free-ing to the mind. Being spontaneous can jumpstart our creative engines and push ourselves out of the doldrums and back into the artistic arena.
4) Team Up With Others
Some of the most creative ideas and innovations come with collaborations. Working with other people with similar mindsets or ideals can help you tap into insights that lead to creative ideas. Different perspectives from these collaborations can lead to a wider vision and incite more thoughts, concepts and even designs.
For young children, playing with fellow children is a great source of stimulation for their creativity. Watch them play in the school yard or playground and you will see the wealth of inventive ideas that propagate. Cultivate teamwork and watch the sprout of creativeness that flourish from their collaboration.
5) Take A Mental Break
Sometimes when you run out of ideas, its okay to take a break. Do things that you truly enjoy. Go to the spa. Curl up to read or even watch binge-worthy shows on the tele or YouTube. Inspiration strikes when your mind is relax and open to the flow of new ideas.
Taking a mental break will allow you to refocus and might even help you uncover unexpected sources of inspiration. For young kids, a “recess” of sorts from the task at hand may just be the remedy for an inspired session after the break.