Getting inspired involves connecting with what inspires us and practicing mindful creativity. At times we may find ourselves feeling stuck in a daily grind, wondering what happened to the spark of aliveness we used to feel. Maybe we wait, hoping to feel inspired, forgetting that we can take action to generate feelings of inspiration.
Take a moment to consider who or what inspires you. Perhaps it’s a daily inspirational book, a particular writer’s work or an artist’s paintings or photographs. If we want to be getting inspired toward a creative or regenerative life and work work, we need to be reading or looking at the work of others that inspires us.
Inspiration exists but it has to find you working.
–Pablo Picasso
Mindful Journaling Prompts:
Who or what inspires you? Try seeking out a quote from your favorite influential person or an image created by your favorite artist. Notice the sensations, feelings, or thoughts that arise in response to feeling inspired by their work.
What do you feel inspired to do?
What’s stopping you?
Try taking yourself on a creativity date or artist’s date, and notice what happens. See if you can approach whatever arises with mindful awareness, bringing an attitude of kindness and compassion. Practice loving what is.
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness teacher, coach, and therapist teaching meditation for healing, creativity, and resilience. Contact Jen to schedule a mindfulness and creativity coaching session.
7 replies on “Getting Inspired with Mindful Creativity”
After decades of delivering art experiences to, well, everyone, I face the beginning of a new teaching year wondering will I just go over old ground again or be inspired by something new. I visit contemporary art museums. talk to young artistic things and experiment in my own artistic practice. Some things may suit the group of brain injured adults I work with, others may suit the teens, or perhaps the adult painters. The best ideas the tutors and I can design fantastic experiences around and meet everyone’s needs eventually.
I have recent been to social media training and the revelation has been Pinterest. I have a few art pages but the one that is the best is a private one called Ideas for Me. It is a visual storehouse on which I can hang new curricula. There are art teachers on Pinterest with pages where they generously share practice that would be of great use to those involved in art therapy. There are also fantastic image banks quite often sorted by theme, an invaluable resource to use with clients, whether you are talking about how an artwork makes you feel, or helping someone to learn something new. I couldn’t recommend it more.
Betty, your teaching program sounds lovely. Thanks for sharing these resources with me and my readers. Wishing you a year of continued inspiration!
For me the best way to be inspired when I’m in a rut is to travel. Immersing all my senses in new sights, sounds and experiences always stimulates my creativity.
Sheri, love it! Yes, travel can be great for jumpstarting creativity!
What inspires me in my art therapy profession and as an artist is to see colorfl images and spaces that intrigue and move me. Images stay forever in the brain,therefore I seek pleasure and imagination in looking for particulars in images that inspire my creative genius. A photograph, a work of art I see in a museum, a fashion window , a decorated space in an environment, someone who dresses well. I find muyself constantly seeking visula stimulation and in my workshops I present provoking images that will wake up the creative process in my clients. I explore within and invite them to do the same. The reactions can be addicting .
Anna, I feel inspired just reading the list of things you do to get inspired! Thanks for sharing!
[…] Let’s not confuse the practice of cultivating inspiration with producing something. The cultivation of inspiration is an effort that we make in order to feel inspired, to feel a sense of aliveness, meaning, and purpose, to have an experience of growing and deepening—whether this relates to deepening and growing in our spiritual practices, making positive lifestyle changes to support health, deepening the creative though process as an entrepreneur or business leader, or deepening creative expression as a writer or artist. For more ideas about cultivating inspiration, check out this post on what was inspiring me one random Monday or this post on Getting Inspired. […]