Advice on Inspiration by Guest Blogger Lauren Hidalgo

What can be done to draw inspiration to you when you are in the throws of frustration, which only further blocks your creative mind? This artist has a few suggestions to stir up a little creative storm. I am inspired by stories of people, by cultures different from my own, and tales of far away lands. And I am inspired by children and the way light fills up a space when a child laughs.
  
"You cannot wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London

Daydream. 
Spend a little time in your own head and focus on nothing. Lay in a field and stare at the clouds. Keep your mind blank and relax—see what comes to you. Take a long road trip or ride a train. Read and watch the people coming and going to learn from them.

Search out the work of other artists. 
Plenty of artists often find inspiration from an iPhone application called sketchy that provides reference images for portrait artists.

Start. Just start. 
Start anything. Seek inspiration out. Put pen to paper and begin. 

“The muse visits during the act of creation, not before. Don’t wait for her. Start alone.” - Roger Ebert

Begin by realizing an ordinary thought on the page. Begin by realizing complete nonsense on the page. No rule exists that says art has to make any sense at all. Be inspired by your own lines and enjoy the process. Realize that every work you create leads up to something amazing.

Remember creating art is fun.
It is okay to make ‘mistakes.’ Mistakes can be exciting, wonderful, and even inspiring. Let the idea of imperfection cause you stress. Be brave and take a risk. In fact, if it scares you, do it. That fear, most often, means what you want to create can turn out big.
 
“The seed of your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections are your guides–valuable, objective, non-judgmental guides to matters you need to reconsider or develop further.” - David Bayles
 
Take time to develop your skill...
...and spend at least twenty minutes a day creating without expectations. Paint without sketching out your lines first if that is what you usually do or perhaps create in different discipline. Do something different.

A true artist works more than when inspiration strikes. Sit down, create everyday, and inspiration will come.

Art quotes by david bayles. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://artquotes.robertgenn.com/auth_search.php?authid=2989

 Goodreads - quote by roger ebert. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/359677-the-muse-visits-during-the-act-of-creation-not-before 

Jarski, R. (2007). Words from the wise. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing.