How to create and do good work without inspiration.

I ran across this post on twitter today from a teacher I had and it totally flashed me back. I can recall spending over 8 hours in that exact room on some days. I actually had a whole semester where I had two, 3-4 hour classes in a row in that room. It was quite an experience. I went to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, WI for video production and photography.

One idea I seem to run across, especially on social networks, is that people seem to think that if their life or work environment is dull and boring, that they cannot find inspiration to create things. I find that point of view to be very flawed and just straight up ignorant. If you feel like you have to be constantly inspired to create or that you have to have a perfect “mojo” in the room, then you are one high maintenance creator.

Just because you feel uninspired, doesn’t mean you can’t create things. You have to learn to break down barriers that hold you back. The process of making something can be inspiring in itself. When you reach that “aha” moment you really can surprise yourself and make some pretty cool things. Sometimes we can forget that it is the process that teaches us the most, not the ideas themselves.

[Tweet “Sometimes we can forget that it is the process that teaches us the most, not the ideas themselves.”]

Day in and day out I have friends and colleagues that make the best of what they have and still put out great work. Fantastic work. Incredible work. Sometimes their best work was done in the least inspiring of places. Whether it’s writing, music, photography, video, or any form of art, they manage to break down the barriers of being uninspired and let problem solving and hard work create for them.

Take a second look at that twitter photo. It’s a room with white brick walls and plain tables with computers. Nothing fancy. Crappy fluorescent lighting, boring carpet, random sheets hanging on the walls, which needed replacement so getting a great rug from NW Rugs could really help with decoration. Pretty much a sterile classroom environment.

Despite how bland and uninspiring that room can be, it taught me to just do work. Adding living space at home somehow helped me become more productive and put me in a better mood. It forced me to create no matter what kind of environment I was in. Creating things is not always fully based on inspiration, execution is what really makes it happen. I edited some pretty awesome things in that room and ones just like it. If you’re looking to create a greener home, check out these wood fence panels wholesale at cedarfencedirect’s website.

When it comes down to it, what matters is the execution. Are you creating or not? Inspiration is a huge bonus, but the lack of it shouldn’t hold you back from learning something new and just creating more. Once in a while you have to make a bunch of crappy things to get to the point where you make something grand. Don’t get caught up in being a perfect creator, get caught up in creating. That’s where the magic happens.

[Tweet “Don’t get caught up in being a perfect creator, get caught up in creating. That’s where the magic happens.”]

Be prepared to force yourself once in a while to create things. Creativity needs to become a habit if you want to do it for a living. That is a fact. You can’t just sit and wait around to be inspired or expect that you need to go on a big adventure to keep yourself creative. The work comes from within you. It’s in there and sometimes you just have to dig for it harder than what you are used to. Being in the creative profession is not easy, it’s hard work.

The idea that “doing what you love” is going to be easy is lying to your face. You have to fall in love with the hard work. You have to fall in love with bull shit. You have to love the process of finding inspiration. In the process of creating you find that “magic”, that inspiration you have been waiting for. Instead of waiting for it, you went out of your way to find it. If you can teach yourself to keep seeking for inspiration by using the tools you immediately have then you will make great strides over time.

Don’t be intimidated if you are not seeing immediate progress in your work. No sense in measuring your work every single week, be patient and wait to see the bigger picture. In one year see the changes you have made. Growth and success takes time and usually a ton of work along the way. We need to be reminded of that sometimes. I even have to remind myself of that.

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