Inspiration

We artists are a funny lot.

It's a job that you cannot do without having a constant flow of new ideas, and these ideas sadly don't tend to appear out of nowhere (sometimes they do, but often we have to make some sort of an effort to entice new ideas into our minds).

Sometimes, you'll hear writers and artists talking about being 'blocked'. It's a feeling like being stuck in the mud. A need to create but no new ideas to work with. It can be frustrating and upsetting, which tends to lead to a stressful situation that only worsens.

So we have to make a concerted effort to become 'inspired'. We need to nurture ourselves in ways which mean we are open to new ideas and happy and confident enough to create something wonderful.

So I'm going to share with you the little things that help me become inspired, and feel free to add your own ideas in the comments.

Nature and walking alone

This is my number one, and often the time that I'm guaranteed to get some good ideas. Walking alone in Delamere forest with my dog, often in the early morning or evening when the sun is low in the sky.

Being alone gives me chance to think deeply and muse, perhaps make 'to do' lists in my head or think about stories I want to write and how they should flow.

No disturbances other than the tweeting of birds, the wind whispering through the leaves and the sound of my own footsteps. It's a time I reserve for contemplation.

It's also an opportunity to move my body, which I think it important with such a sedentary job.

My Children 

Usually, they're the biggest source of distraction and stress that I have. Even now, there's a little voice knocking on the door and shouting my name and for the third time since I've started writing, I have to get up to make a drink or find a toy. Such is motherhood!

But my children are of course a source of inspiration. They have a unique and innocent view of the world, asking questions that I often struggle to answer, and with vivid imaginations and extraordinary ideas.

• Invisible and very naughty creatures called 'Uglets' that live in the trees and get up to mischief

• Alien Doctors

• Robot Dinosaurs

• A marvelous chicken circus 

Their ideas are never-ending. Sometimes they're rather questionable, like my son's recent wish to have eggs for eyes  (??!!) but quite often they can spark an idea within me that just has to be written down.

Social Media and the Internet 

Again, this is something that can be a source of stress and a downright distraction but used in the right way, the internet can be awesome for inspirational content.

I made an effort this year, to hide pages that upset me. We all know what it's like to get caught up in an internet argument, or become distressed at the comments of trolls. You can change the feed of your social media accounts to see less of the content that you don't like, and more of the content that you do, and it's much recommended. 

I make sure to save links to the things that inspire. Beautiful places, stories, animals or artwork, the content can be any number of things but if it makes me happy to look at it, I save it to look at again later.

Learning New Things 

Quite often, I know that what I really need is a break. Yet I have this issue with taking time off. It feels lazy and unproductive and I just end up feeling more stressed. So sometimes, I take the time to learn something new.

Again the internet is wonderful for this, with so many articles and blogs on writing and creating, and YouTube being an endless stream of tutorial videos, I can learn new techniques for both watercolor and digital work and it doesn't feel like a 'waste' of time. 

Reading 

Reading is a wonderful, inspiring pastime.

Not only the act of reading, relaxing, becoming engrossed in a story, occasionally reading a paragraph that's so well written and beautiful that you read it again, two or three times...

...But even the choosing of books is therapeutic for me. I love just leisurely browsing bookstores or Amazon reviews, discovering new writers and lusting after special editions with beautifully decorated covers.

Not only do I read fiction for pleasure (I usually go for a dark fairytale genre) but I love to collect children's books, I'll often sit with a stack of my favorites and muse over them, regarding the pictures and really thinking about what makes them special for me.

After all, how can you write a great children's book if you don't study them?

Illustration from one of my favourtie children's books - 'Wild' by Emily Huges 

Taking a Break from Art

Sometimes it's the only way. To just stop trying and do something else, anything else.

Plan a few days out with the kids, or do some necessary chores that have been neglected, cleaning, gardening etc.

I find that by the time I really really need a break from art, my accounts are usually in desperate need of doing, and by the time I've toiled over them for a few days, I want nothing more than to get back to drawing and painting!

Mindfullness - ie Notice Things 

It seems a little thing. Notice things.

What I mean is try to really 'take in' a moment or appreciate what you're seeing.

Every day. Notice it. Take it in. 

• Stop for a moment on your walk with the dog, to breath in the air and appreciate the earthy smell of the outdoors. Listen to the birds, look at the shafts of light as they filter through the trees. 

• Watch your children as they play quietly, the way they talk softly to themselves and the little things they say as they're engrossed in their own world, or the way they cuddle together when they watch the TV.

• Savour the quietness of the stables when it's just you and the horses. Nothing but the sound of them chewing on their hay, cold breath rising into the crisp air, and contented sighs. Sliding your hands under their rug and feeling their warm skin. Resting your head on them and listening to their big, strong heart beating inside. The velvety feel of their muzzle. Their musty smell. (Can you tell I desperately miss this part of my life now it's over?). 

• The chirp and chatter of your pet chickens (you can talk back to them - don't be shy). The gleam of the sunlight on their copper feathers. Their amusing mannerisms, the way they look at you with just one perfectly round eye, and the way their little beak turns down at the corners of their mouths - giving them a permanently snooty expression. Picking up a freshly laid egg from the nest box on a frosty morning and feeling it's warmth in your hands.

When being mindful, I sometimes try and 'write' a paragraph in my mind describing what I'm doing at that present moment as if I were going to include it in a book. It's a great exercise to do every day if you want to write - a way to write from the present rather than attempting to remember and doing it at a computer later in the day when the memory has faded. Take a little notepad with you wherever you go, and if you stop to appreciate a moment, perhaps take a little extra time to write it down.

Hygge 

'A quality of cosiness and comfort that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining character of Danish culture).'

It's the little things that make you happy that you can do every day.

It doesn't have to be expensive or lavish. We're not talking about booking a holiday to a log cottage in the Netherlands, but simply building a little pleasure into everyday life.

Curling up with a book and hot drink, covered in a soft blanket, lighting candles, walking outdoors in the forest, watching your favourite film. Just a few examples.

Stress often has a negative effect on creativity. All too often we rush around doing nothing but work and chores, taking barely any time for yourself, but taking time to top up your feelings of 'hygge' can be important for the creative mind.

'Hygge' - as demonstrated by our last dog, Amber

Finally - Make a Plan

Sometimes a lack of creativity can simply come from a lack of focus. So make a plan. Set yourself achievable goals, make a list, and when you feel lost ... look at your plan!