Ideas for Inspiration

     Inspiration can be hard to find, and when you do it's always important to jot down your idea or image before it's gone. This is where a sketchbook or notepad comes in hand, while you might not want to tote a large, bulky book around you can always keep a smaller version with you and then later translate those ideas into the sketchbook you will be handing in. But where can you even begin to find inspiration? It can come from anywhere and at any time, and as school descends again I usually get caught in a funk. I wake up, go to school, come home, do homework and repeat. What ends up happening is that there is nothing new being injected into my life and art gets put on the back-burner. When I do find the time to focus on my work I have no inspiration or motivation on what to put my energy into.
    Below I am going to share some of my favorite places to get the right side of your brain up and running again, but first there is something you should do right away... get outside! Go for a walk, bring a notepad, a camera, a pail or a recorder and just walk. Make sure you clear your head of all your other subjects' work and personal to-do's and walk around. Keep your eyes and ears open, if you don't have much time just walk around your house - if you have more time try walking farther away. Observe the world from different perspectives (both physical and mental). When you think of something make sure to ponder it, let it sit, develop it, drop it and come back to it. Only go back inside when you have one good, solid idea.

    Great! 
If you totally ignored everything I just said that's okay, just make sure to come back to it - if not for your art then at least for your health.
   
    Now, here are some things you can do on your computer. Starting with visually driven websites:
        - Pinterest
        - Tumblr
        - Stumbleupon
        - 500px

When you get there, explore and drift. Waste some time (and make sure you take notes). Listen to some new music; either on Youtube or on 8 Tracks or Stereo Mood or even watch a movie. Here are a few favorites to get you started:
        - A Single Man
        - Beautiful Losers (Doc)
        - Exit Through the Gift Shop (Doc)
        - Mona Lisa Smile
        - Helvetica (Doc)
        - Waste Land (Doc)
    Make note of sites and artists you like, or feelings you get and want to learn to replicate with your art. You could also always pick up a book on something you want to learn more about.

    Last but not least, you should spend some time getting to know your fellow IB art students in your cohort and what they are doing. You can bounce ideas of them, get some positive critiquing going and just chat about nothing in particular - who knows what might come up and lead you to a new project?