It’s fair to say that ideas come in waves, sometimes the light-bulb doesn’t shine for weeks and then all of a sudden a million light bulbs are switched on at once and you have the Blackpool Illuminations of ideas. Which is fine and happens to the best of them! Here are six things you can do to get those creative juices flowing when you’re having a dry spell. Whether you paint, sew, snap photos or anything, these tips will hopefully get you back to that creative place.

1. Doodle or Scrapbooking

Even if art isn’t your strong point, sometimes picking up a pencil and getting everything that’s floating around in your mind on paper can help you join the dots to the start of an amazing idea. So find an empty notebook, get the sharpies and a Pritt Stick out, pull out pages from zines and start doodling!

2. Archives

There are a plethora of back logged images available online from hundreds of amazing artists and photographers! Old ‘vintage’ images or paintings are great sources of inspiration and adding that 2018 aspect along with your creativity can definitely create something special.

3. Your Environment

Finding inspiration in the everyday object is super underrated, I mean it didn’t do any harm for Andy Warhol who’s renowned for seeing the beauty in the every day can of Campbell’s soup and making him millions at the same time. Look to what’s around you, inside and outside! Take a trip to the seaside, or up to the hills, or even the supermarket… keep an open mind and something will spark an idea.

4. YouTube

Artists-come-Vloggers have opened up a whole new platform for us to research for our next project. We see them taking hikes up mountains, chatting about their composition and what they’re up to! YouTube is also great to spot the trends – as more and more brands take themselves online and present us with arty short clips or short feature films there’s so much to explore. For example, check out Gucci’s cinematic short films!

5. Research What is Missing

Market research never goes a miss. Looking at what’s saturated in the creative world and what a certain target audience is missing is a great way to start something fresh and potentially very successful. Also researching what is #trending now and taking inspiration from that, but doing your own spin on it will take your project to the next level. Pick up on the magic ingredients that make it sing and add a few of your own for a twist and Bon Appetite!

6. Talk to People

Really? Yes! Whenever I’m feeling really sluggish and can’t think of a single thing I go to my arty friend Eyv. She always has amazing advice and a book or two to lend me. Go and have coffee with that creative person in your life and I promise you, you’ll feel a new lease of energy when you finish!