Throughout the years I’ve found myself in a lot of creative blocks in photography, writing and making videos.
It’s a universal experience, creativity is elusive and it feels like the more you try, the less ideas come to you.
So over the last couple of years I’ve developed a number of different ways to harbour a creative mindset, keep finding fresh photography ideas and get into that state of ‘creative flow’.
As Pablo Picasso once said “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”. I think a lot of people think that creativity is something you either have or you don’t. And while some people are naturally more creative than others, most of the time you have to work for those great ideas.
These are the best ways to increase general creativity and also find more inspiration and ideas about photography in general.
The Notepad
I don’t know about you, but ideas come to me at any random time other than when I’m actually trying to come up with them. They come to me when I’m working, when I’m just about to go to sleep, when I’m in the shower, whenever!
This is why I usually keep a notepad with me at all times. Ideas go as quickly as they come, so you’d better write them down while they’re there. It doesn’t matter if you’ll definitely use those ideas or not; what matters is that you captured them while they were there, and you can look back at them later down the line to see if they still inspire you.
Of course, you don’t need to use a notepad, you can use your phone, you can write it on your friend’s arm, it doesn’t matter, just get it written down.
And while we’re on this subject, I’m going to introduce you to a really valuable way of thinking about creativity, which is convergent and divergent thinking.
Divergent thinking is about allowing yourself to freely come up with a lot of ideas, even if they’re stupid or won’t work, and convergent thinking is about refining those ideas. Allow yourself the space to think divergently because you really have no idea what you’ll discover.
Often if I’m finding it really hard to get creative then I’ll do a ‘braindump’, where I just write a continuous stream of consciousness about whatever I’m doing, thinking or feeling at the time. This not only makes me feel less stressed but it can allow me to uncover new ideas along the way.
The Power Of Exercise
I’ve often suspected that exercise could be good for you and as it turns out, it can actually help you to feel more creative.
I think most of the day we’re in the same kind of brain pattern, we’re walking around, feeling pretty even. But I noticed that when I exercise moderately (like a jog or a fairly strenuous walk), I usually find myself in a better mood, but I also find that random ideas tend to come to me too.
Whether this is the extra bloodflow to the brain or just going out and seeing nature, it definitely has an effect. I usually try to walk in the morning if I’ve got time but really, you should do what works best for you, if you enjoy jogging or riding a unicycle, do that!
Getting Inspiration From Others
One of the best ways to get out of that creative slump and get inspired is to look at work from other great photographers, artists or filmmakers.
So much of the creative process is transferable so if you watch something like Paris, Texas then you’ll still find valuable inspiration in the cinematography and storyline that could inspire you as a photographer.
But of course, you’ll want to find inspiration from other photographers and I’m not talking about mindlessly scrolling Instagram. Go to your local photobook shop and take a look at great photographers work. Really think about why they shoot they way they do, what they choose to keep within their frame, what the subject matter is and how they structure their books.
If you can find, books written by photographers or documentaries about photographers who inspire you and listen to the way they see the world.
This is something that will always give you more perspective and more ideas about what to do with your own work and it’s something that all the pros do for inspiration too.
Inspiration On What To Shoot
There are so many different kinds of genres of photography so it can be pretty hard to find your place. Landscape, street photography, documentary photography, whatever.
But I’ve found something really simple yet really helpful to help you figure out what to shoot wherever you are.
Forget the internet and all that nonsense. Buy yourself a local newspaper.
It’s still the best way to find out what’s going on where you are. Not only will it tell you about upcoming events but it’ll also shine a light on small stories that might be of interest to you to expand on as a photographer.
I’m telling you, it’ll give you a far better understanding of your area, your town, your city, or even of a city you visit if you just pick up a newspaper.
Final Thoughts
Genuinely, the vast majority of my ideas come to me at completely random times but they don’t come without the hard work inbetween. The more information you feed your brain, the more it puts 2 and 2 together out of the blue.
The more you look at other peoples work, your own work, getting the blood flowing to your brain and immerse yourself into your location, the more inspiration you’ll get.
I’ve found that it’s usually a bit of a snowball effect, once I get into the right headspace, more and more ideas come to me. The more ideas I have written down, the more I can build from them and make them into something else.
So I guess now it’s time for you to go and get yourself out of your creative slump and get those ideas flowing!
