Tales of a Designer

Inspiration Comes and Goes

Being down here at SXSW, inspiration is just flying around everywhere, and it is truly inspiring being able to see of your web heroes on stage talking about a passion that they share. So, anyhow, Jason Santa Maria and Rob Weychert did a panel on design inspiration, and they really talked in depth about how to maintain inspiration, and it really made me realize, that inspiration comes and goes.

Clients sometimes don’t understand the “behind the scenes” of designing. I know that I spend a big chunk of time before touching photoshop, not necessarily searching for inspiration, but just to get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes I can design without a particular spark of inspiration, and when I am on to something, inspiration comes in weird forms to keep the ball rolling.

I also think that it’s important not to force inspiration. There have been many times, even recently, that I would get stuck on a design problem, and sit there until I figure it out. Of course, in those times, I wouldn’t figure it out. My mistake, was that I sat there trying to force myself to get creative, and sometimes it just does not work that way. This is where it is time to get away from the computer and do other things or hobbies.

So, though, it’s important to try and maintain the inspiration when it happens, I also think that it’s important to know that sometimes the same way that you can gain inspiration, you can lose it to, and that is when it’s good to step away. Forcing it doesn’t always work.