[Discussion] How do you get creative/productive?

[Braixen]

What do you do to get motivated? How does your best work come about? Is it from listening to music? From snacking on some grapes? Do you need some time alone in a dark room to meditate until you come up with something?


I personally am extremely motivated by music! I tend to open my photoshop, put on an anime OST playlist and just let things happen. Sometimes I already have a direction or idea, other times I am clueless. I find music helps animate my piece and keep the theme consistent! For example if I am hoping to create something a bit dark and sad then I'll listen to a horror anime OST, if I want something cute to come of my art then I'll listen to something a bit more up beat!

So, what do you do to get your creative juices flowing? :) Share your tips and tricks.

[Mr. Nyan]

Welp, I usually play a game or check another art on internet. That surely inspires me... I keep digging on the Artist's Easel to find na art thread! They are my heroes... They make the world so happy! And the same with music! Without music, the life would be a mistake.

[Pokeman]

I just watch TV, or ponder on past memories to see if I can get anything from that. That, or I look around on the internet.

[XaiakuX]

Sitting and staring at the ceiling usually gets me set to draw something. Or when I'm having a conversation with a friend, and I'm like "That is awesome, I'm drawing that." Watching TV does nothing, playing video games doesn't do it, and I don't get inspiration from the internet. To me, if I'm inspired by someone's art, I feel unoriginal and don't want to draw anymore. I'm also very selective. If I don't enjoy the way something turns out, I'll crumple up the paper and not draw again for months at a time.

[Saraibre Ryu]

I use everything at my disposal, the entire world around me. I got through most of my science classes [Biology man...], as uninteresting as they were, because I used them in application to a science fantasy series I'm making. I look at something and see how it can apply to something, see how it fits in with my creative works. My brain is in a constant motion of thought [it's not as nice as it sounds, trust me] and I try to curb it by working on something creatively productive. I also use negative emotions as well. If I'm feeling upset or angry, I put that energy into something productive, rather than just sitting there being pissed off and possibly insulting someone in conversation later.

Also standing outside in the middle of a thunderstorm in just a jacket. Try it. It's invigorating.

[Braixen]

I use everything at my disposal, the entire world around me. I got through most of my science classes [Biology man...], as uninteresting as they were, because I used them in application to a science fantasy series I'm making. I look at something and see how it can apply to something, see how it fits in with my creative works. My brain is in a constant motion of thought [it's not as nice as it sounds, trust me] and I try to curb it by working on something creatively productive. I also use negative emotions as well. If I'm feeling upset or angry, I put that energy into something productive, rather than just sitting there being pissed off and possibly insulting someone in conversation later.

Also standing outside in the middle of a thunderstorm in just a jacket. Try it. It's invigorating.

This post made me smile. I used to work in this way when I had more time for art, but now I seem to send my motivational and constructive energies towards school work and work. I cannot wait for the day when I can focus on art a ton more again. When I do have time for art (or make time for it as a study break) I have hardly any emotional energy left so that's why I tend to turn to music.

I do agree weather is a good motivator as well. :) Or just nature in general!

[SassySnivy]

Now that people are replying....

Sometimes I'll go through my old notebooks and the like and check out my old drawings and/or projects I had started. At times this will flip on a lightbulb in my head and want to either redraw said old drawing, redesign an old Sonic fan character (my internet life revolved around Chao and Sonic back in the day, hahah), start up / restart an old project that had a lot of potential, and the like. At times I'll go through my old pixel art work space files to see if I can dig up anything interesting!

That's usually just when I'm feeling like delving into feelings of nostalgia, however. More often I'll look at any kind of well-made pixel art tutorial I can find, despite what aspect of pixel art it may be for. I always believed that even if you really, really know how to do something, you can really learn from other people still. How do others figure this out? What's their methods? Et cetera.

Of course, the thing I do most often is look for other artists (usually pixel artists) who creates pixel art that I really enjoy. There's just something about what comes out of certain artists' minds that make me want to conjure some type of new project for myself!


Also standing outside in the middle of a thunderstorm in just a jacket. Try it. It's invigorating.
I totally agree with this. While it doesn't really artistically inspire me, there's something about thunderstorms (warm ones, mind you) that are both energizing and relaxing at the same time. I guess the relaxing bit is how the warm summer rain and wind mix hits your face, while the energizing bit about them is the strength of the wind, the lightning, and the thunder. They incite two emotions simultaneously that you would think are complete opposites! It's incredible when you really think about it.

[The-Hydra]

Hmmmm…Well, it seems I've had a lot of my best ideas by simply talking to my two Brothers. Two of my personal favorite creations have come directly from this (A Mega man comic I draw, and Adventures in genwun) A lot of the times I'll just draw something we were talking about, and it can come out as quite a successful little doodle/drawing/cartoon/comic.

[illusdark8]

Me? Since I write a lot of original music (http://mateovega.bandcamp.com if you want to see "professional"), I usually base it on stories. Whether it be something that happen to me when I was young, a story someone has told me or my own imagination. I want my music to feel like it's a story in some way. Music is literature without words, and each note is expressive in so many ways.

[Dragon Master Mike]

My inspiration usually comes from listening to music and reading stories. Sadly motivation never comes with this inspiration, and I usually end up just scraping the idea anyway.

[Song 7]

This will probably sound a bit strange, but a combination of music and food does it for me. Something energetic? Sugar and D&B. Something sad? Then something minty and some melancholic ambient will do me just fine. Something angry? My mum's pepper-and-cheese pasta along with punk rock will get me in the mood. If I'm drawing or writing (or acting out, to an extent) characters, then I often listen to the music they listen to or eat the food they like so I can relate to them a bit more. Unless I don't like the food. Then I just eat sugar.