Seeking inspiration, with Columbus Family Photographer Heart Sung Photography
If you’re a creative like me you know that inspiration ebbs and flows. At times I feel unstoppable, nearly volcanic with ideas, and other times like a dark, heavy weight is dragging me down. My inspiration seems to be tied to the weather (hello, sunshine!), the goings-on of this crazy world we live in, and my own personal cycle. But when your job is dependent upon your creativity like mine is, it’s important to have a few tricks to help bust you out of a rut.
Here are some of my favorite ways to get inspired when it’s not coming naturally.
Set up an environment that fosters creativity.
In an ideal world I’d have a sparkling clean, quiet home and an uninterrupted schedule… however I live in the real world of the constant mess/craft projects created by my two little loves, lots of solo parenting as my husband seems to work almost endlessly, and noise. Lots of noise. So the quickest and most practical way to carve out a minute of peace, a moment of coming home to myself and my senses and therefore being open to inspiration, is by lighting a candle and playing beautiful music loud enough to drown out the noise.
Create independently from your income.
Even if you’re using the same medium that pays the bills. I approach a photography session set up entirely for myself in a more free, playful and experimental way than I do for paying clients. HOWEVER, I’ve taken so many of the (good) lessons learned during experimental sessions and applied them to my family photography sessions. It’s a phenomenal way to learn and grow and allows me to feel more confident trying out-of-the-box techniques with families. I’m always trying to capture a feeling and the bits of magic that infuse real life (rather than a perfect pose), and it takes practice and a willingness to fail to even begin to touch those goals. Playing independently helps me get there.
Check out.
Get off social media. Go for a walk. Fresh air is truly the best medicine. Go without music, without a buddy, without an agenda. Just walk and notice the birds singing and the breeze blowing your hair. You’ll begin to appreciate the world and all its beauty anew.
That’s it. It’s a short list, because when you aren’t feeling it you need small, achievable goals to make a slow but solid shift towards a better direction.
