“The reality is that it’s easier to be inspired than it is to create an original idea and we are hardwired to take the path of least resistance. It’s easier to jump onto a design inspiration gallery site than it is to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. It’s easier to follow a pattern than it is to test-drive new options. It’s easier to copy a style or idea that works than try something that might miss the mark or outright fail. Above all, it’s cheaper mentally for us to rally around what’s already been done and emulate it…”
The above excerpt is from a brilliant post by Owen over at Viget.com. Well worth the read. Do it.
Personally, I couldn’t agree more. How much time is the right amount to stroll thru galleries, troll creative sites, and watch online videos?
And what about you?
Are you too busy getting inspired by the work of others to create your own?
Do you read about the failures of others, so you don’t have to try?
Is the convenience of information actually reducing your willingness to struggle to make something worthwhile?
It’s a mixed bag, I think. Inspiration motivates me, and it’s often a starting point. I do agree though, that if you spend too much time and energy being “inspired” by others, then you miss out on some truly original possibilities. Having said that, sometimes what inspires me with someone else’s work is that I walk away from it knowing how I might take a idea further, or do it differently.
I like this topic, too. The reality for me is that I have to offer creativity, but it still has to fit within my client’s idea of what is beautiful and acceptable, and so sometimes if I take that too far, it doesn’t fit in with their vision. I’m okay with that – I often go back the 2nd and even 3rd time and adjust my idea to something that we’re all happy with.
The only way to grow creatively, is to risk failure, through trying something that is outside your norm.
I totally agree with Royce…you can’t grow creatively without failure in one form or another. You learn from the experience and move on.
I often find myself getting stuck in inspiration-finding holes, and spend a lot of time picking out inspiration for each shoot. Think it’s easy to get caught in that and feel like you are doing something productive, but shooting is much more valuable.
Lately have been finding that when I get in the field, I tend to forget about the inspiration shots and find what is happening there and in that moment, so I’ve been trying to cut back on my inspiration-gathering time.
Inspiration is a tricky thing. While it can be a short cut in some ways, it can also accelerate your learning curve. I know that through inspiration I’ve tried shoots that I never would have thought of on my own. Those are not my trademark images however what I took away from those shoots opened up new possibilities for me in terms of what I may be capable of. This is what I mean by acceleration and without that initial push from inspired art, I may not have had the resources to pursue my creative endeavours.
I believe that inspiration can kill creativity, but I also believe when tapped correctly it can make creativity that much better. Closing that “creative gap” is hard enough when you’re starting out, so any lessons learned are massive advantages.
I like this topic a lot, thanks for the post!
Dave
Whats the phrase – Theres nothing new only a different take on what already exists?
I love the creative life, I could care less about failing or succeeding, the joy is in the journey for me.
Recently I entered a photo-contest for still life and I went onto another site to get inspiration. I saw a photograph that I really liked. So what did I do, I tried to copy it. Not because of a lack of creativity on my own, I wanted to expand my knowledge. For me, it was a great way to stretch and add to what I knew about photography. I am now able to include this added knowledge to future shoots.
Yet, that was about the second time I have done that. I may see a photograph that will inspire me yet it inspires something that was already there. I see a photograph and if it does inspire me, I will instantly get an image in my head and usually its completely different than the photograph I viewed. Its usually the way the light was used in said photograph that makes me want to apply it to something else completely different.
I say other’s work can inspire other people to create something completely new and perhaps revolutionary, it doesnt have to be a copy, it can be natural growth.
I tend to agree, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of creativity.