» Inspiration or Hard Work? :: Positive Space Blog

One of the most frustrating things for a designer to deal with is the unrealistic expectations that can be set upon them by both internal and external sources. Clients, account managers, and our peers can put a lot of pressure upon us to find the solution to the design the problem at in ever shrinking amounts of time. When faced with a time crunch or high set expectations, sometimes the only solution we can think of is searching for that mystical “spark” of inspiration. Eventually what we must come to terms with, is that the idea of inspiration most designers seek is really not a sustainable way of working and buckling down and getting something done is far more successful approach.

Stop Beating Yourself Up

In these situations where we are struggling to find that solution that perfectly meets the objectives of the brief, that flash of inspiration seems like the only saving grace we have however the truth is 99% of the time it will never come, and I’m not the only one who feels this way. The truth is that the only thing that is going to help you out is more hard work. Instead of beating ourselves up looking for that miraculous moment of inspiration we should just come to terms with this. This also means that searching through “inspiration” posts and design galleries is not going to help. These post may be fun to look at, which there is nothing wrong with – I even enjoy putting them together – but it is going to take more work to actually achieve something.

The hard part is that sometimes this means that we are going to fail, we are going to create something that we are not 100% happy with. As Eric Karjaluoto explains in this article “Concerning Design Superstars,” anyone who tells you otherwise is either seriously delusional or an ego maniac. It took me a long time to realize this and accept it, but in the end I realized that it is completely ludicrous to think that your work is going to be absolutely spectacular every time. Instead it is far more likely that you are going to make plenty of mistakes in the course of your career, but drawing upon these mistakes is what it takes to progress as a designer.

The harder thing to realize is that doing less than stellar work from time to time does not make you a bad designer. Clients will compromise projects, time will run out, and budgets will dry up leaving you with a solution that most likely works and is acceptable by the client but doesn’t achieve your internal goals. This is going to happen, but what is important is that you pushed yourself along the way and learned something in the process.

Some Alternatives to Inspiration

Continually pushing to find that bit of inspiration that will make the project is not sustainable, and will most certainly lead to burnout. Instead, I have devised the following list of tips that have helped me get past creative block without frantically searching for that spark of inspiration.

Get out of the office for a while – As time continues to go on, and your deadline gets closer stress can really start to pile on making it even harder to think clearly and fueling your need for an instantaneous solution. If I can’t figure out a solution often times I try to reset my thought process by doing something completely unrelated for a while.
Give yourself more time – Inspiration is a very compelling idea because it comes quickly. The truth is that if you aren’t able to find an optimal solution to a design problem, then you either need more information to frame the problem or more time to fully grasp it. Sometimes just knowing that a deadline is a bit in the future can help you free your mind.
Start over – for me this means going back to the sketching process and starting all over again with a completely new approach. I make sure to clear my mind (sometimes letting a couple of hours pass if possible) and start on a completely fresh page to try and deviate as far as I can from my previous attempts.
Ask others for perspective – If you have access to other designers they can often be of great help when you find yourself in a tough spot. The outside perspective of another designer and their thought process can often help you develop ideas that you can build from.

These ideas might not be new, but they have helped me avoid the desperate search through visual “inspiration” sites at the last minute of a deadline. If you have any tips or tricks that help you without searching for that spark of inspiration please share them in the comments below.

07/28

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16 Responses to “Inspiration or Hard Work?”

Philippe Gauthier
July 28th, 2009 at 9:38 pm

Very interesting post! What your saying makes a lot of sense, the spark does’nt always come and when it does’nt, it’s good to have backup solution that will help you to achieve your goal!
Dusan Vlahovic
July 29th, 2009 at 9:22 am

Good article. It’s important sometimes to get out of the computer and go for a walk or something, clear your thoughts, and come back later. IF you’re working and trying too hard you’ll over-burn and don’t do anything anyway.
Andy Brown
July 29th, 2009 at 7:19 pm

It’s refreshing to see this article. Striving for continuous perfection is hard work, and the techniques stated here are great reminders, especially when you get all too consumed in a project.
James Kurtz III
July 30th, 2009 at 6:16 am

True. The spark doesn’t always come. Sometimes there is too much pressure for it to arrive. However there are ways to cultivate a spark worthy environment. Check out “A Technique for Getting Ideas” by James Wood Young.
Jonathan Patterson
July 30th, 2009 at 5:34 pm

The biggest factor that makes me produce bad work is lack of time. I need to have lots of time to let my mind wonder and think about what I’m creating and what I want to create.
Zinni
July 30th, 2009 at 10:18 pm

@James,

Thanks for the heads up I will check it out.

@Jonathan,

I think time is a trade off against how much information you have. If the project is well defined and the goals of the client are spelled out clearly I find it far easier to come up with different ideas in a shorter amount of time. It is when I have little to no information that I really need the time to come up with something successful. Thanks for the great comment!
Andrew Keir
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:41 pm

Starting over is always hard. Once I’ve invested some time into an idea I find myself wanting to make it work even it’s shaping up like it wont.
Lisa Mikulski
August 9th, 2009 at 7:36 am

My biggest deter from inspiration usually comes from clients who make a lifestyle of waiting until the 11th hour of a deadline. Sometimes however, that is exactly what can cause a stroke of inspiration.

Nevertheless, I find inspiration to be “a happy accident.” Usually hard work gets the job done and often when really focusing on a project…the hard work brings about the inspiration.
Ryan Bollenbach
August 24th, 2009 at 9:05 pm

Hello,

This article is really brilliant! I love the tips towards over-coming creative blocks in alternative ways.

In the past, I have went out for the office at lunch and this has been a huge help. It helps me come to terms with large design and development problems.

The “Give yourself more time” tip is awesome too! I have to admit that I don’t do this enough.

Awesome article!

Thank you very much,

Cheers.
discount web design
August 28th, 2009 at 1:50 am

great post, thanks for sharing it.
LA Woodarts Designer
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:17 am

An excellent reminder to step back sometimes. It’s amazing how often the business part blocks the creative. Thanks for the list.
Vim
September 7th, 2009 at 2:55 am

This list is always a good tip however its something that most designers already know, finding inspiration can be hard, but to get good ideas i find that being positive always work.
Benny
September 20th, 2009 at 4:07 pm

Great post and good tips!
I also have this problem from time to time, having trouble finding that perfect ‘inspiration’ for my design project. Right now I’m reading Getting Things Done by David Allen and it has helped me out quite a bit already.
He describes his ‘natural planning model’ which consists of:

1. Define purpose
2. Outcome visioning
3. Brainstorming
4. Organizing
5. Identifying next actions

In short this means when we try to do something (for example design a landing page for a website) we should always think properly first using our common sense. Especially point 1 and 2 helped me. By defining the problems on a sheet of paper and visioning my outcome, I got the things done easier and with better result… of course it doesn’t make the work easier, but it helps. In short: what I mean is, sometimes a creative block can also relate to needing to do better planning or thinking.

I agree with going outdoors in the sun or doing other things helps too. Don’t stress and just have fun designing.
Web Design Australia
September 21st, 2009 at 3:58 am

Forcing yourself to work on something when you’re stressed won’t give you the results that you want. Sip a cup of coffee, breathe deeply, take a walk, do anything that could renew you.
theComplex
September 28th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

@Lisa - I have the same issue.

And sometimes I get so caught up in how irritated I am at that client that the “inspiration” or even desire to “work harder” is killed. This post is definitely a good reminder to “reset” and regroup AWAY from the computer for a while. My mom’s always telling me to “take a break, walk around, get away from that screen a minute!” - I will have to do a better job of implementing this.