Creative Clarity Series
Published on April 21, 2025

The Creative Journey, Part 1 of 12: Starting with Informed Inspiration

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Hello, lovely crafter! Today, I’m releasing Part 1 of 12 of the Creative Journey Series. I am so proud of this series, as it’s a deep dive into the life cycle of the creative art experience. I hope you will read the tips and insights, and decide where you are in the journey, gleaning any help that you can to guide you through to the next step. Enjoy!

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3 Phases: Intro and Quick Links

The Creative Journey Series has an over-arching theme of 3 phases, each one with 4 parts, making the whole 12-part series. Here’s a quick overview again of the 3 phases, just so you know where you are in the journey. I’ll be adding this intro reminder at the top of each part through the series and hyperlinking Parts 1-12 as I go.

Phase 1, Imitation and Inspiration: Steps 1-4 are a deeper dive into Phase 1 of the Creative Journey. You can read more in my series post Creative Clarity, Episode 2: Phase 1 of the Artist’s Journey and a Deep Dive into the Realm of Copying

  • Part 1: Starting with Informed Inspiration (You are here!)
  • Part 2: Imitation as a Creative Superpower
  • Part 3: The Ethics of Proper Copying
  • Part 4: Signs You’re Ready for the Next Phase

Phase 2, Innovation and Identity: Steps 5-8 break down Phase 2 of the journey, which is the topic of Creative Clarity, Episode 3: Phase 2 of the Artist’s Journey and How to Beat Creative Burnout

  • Part 5: What Style Really Means
  • Part 6: Experimentation and the Messy Middle
  • Part 7: Surviving the Burnout Phases
  • Part 8: The Power of Finding Your Unique Voice

Phase 3, Integration and Ascension: Steps 9-12 will be a dive into Phase 3 of the journey, but this episode of Creative Clarity has not yet been released. I will be sure to release that episode before we begin Step 9.

  • Part 9: Sustaining Your Style
  • Part 10: Cross-Pollinate through Fusion and Play
  • Part 11: Staying True Despite Style Challenges
  • Part 12: Artistic Evolution – Never Stop Growing

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Part 1: Starting with Informed Inspiration

Before you sit down with your yarn and hook, and before you open your sketchbook or make your Pinterest board, comes the little voice in your head that tells you it’s time to create something. This is like an “art spark” that gets you to pull yarn or look for patterns. It’s that inkling of a creative pull to get your juices flowing and imagine. But then, instead of igniting a fire, that art spark gets buried under a landslide of input.

This post marks the first step in the Creative Journey, when you need to gather inspiration and consume art in order to get yourself started. The problem is that these days, it’s impossible not to be run over by a barrage of information and a loud cacophony of artistic voices the moment you start to look for inspiration. How do you make sure your inspiration is well-shaped and informed?

Let’s walk through that.

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Too Much Information

Today’s creative world is loud. You can scroll endlessly through tutorials, reels, color palettes, and studio tours. There’s no shortage of advice, and no lack of inspiration, but more often than not, all of this input leads to analysis paralysis instead of creative clarity.

Sometimes artists spend excessive time on the computer or phone, when that time could be spent actually creating artwork. The more artwork you create, the more likely you are to make good stuff, because remember, only about 10 percent of your art will be great. If you’re scrolling endlessly, you aren’t taking the time to make the terrible work that leads to the great work.

“You are a mashup of what you let into your life.” – Austin Kleon, Steal Like An Artist

What we need is a filter. In “How to Stop Information Overload from Crushing Your Creativity”, Mark McGuinness suggests applying the 80/20 rule: focus on the 20% of inputs that provide 80% of your clearest inspiration. This is your signal. The rest is just noise.

Information overload can leave you exhausted and with a sense of defeat, paralyzed and not knowing in which direction to take your first step. It can feel impossible to stay on track. If overwhelm sets in, start with a plan. Identify three to five absolute priorities when it comes to your inspiration choices. This way, you can easily eliminate artworks that don’t fit the criteria.

Example Inspiration Priorities

  • Composition
  • Value
  • Shapes
  • Color
  • Edge
  • Perspective
  • Texture
  • Content

Don’t try to look at everything. Look for patterns in what consistently catches your eye, then use that to narrow your search. Try to envision what kinds of art or color stories keep pulling you back, even days later. Delving into inspiration with intention will cut down the time spent, and help you quickly sort through to the real informative pieces.

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Working with Intentional Limits

Inspiration doesn’t always strike when you’re scrolling. More often, it arrives during moments when your brain is finally quiet enough to process what it’s taken in, like when you’re washing dishes, taking a shower, or walking the dog. If you limit your scroll time by setting boundaries, you leave more time to do other things and process what you saw during the inspiration hunt.

Make sure to have at least five to ten different sources of inspiration when you start. If you stick with only one or two artists for your inspiration, your work will be too similar to their work. Pick these sources and stick to them for the time being.

Now that you’ve limited your sources amount, next you can limit how much time you spend. A tip from a Medium article, “Mindful Consumption”, recommends setting a 20–30 minute window to collect inspiration, then walking away. When you return with fresh eyes, only the strongest ideas will stick. This concept of returning with fresh eyes is absolutely crucial to the creative process.

“We don’t need more time. We need more space.” – Jocelyn K. Glei, the Hurry Slowly podcast

Literally, set a timer. Limit your inspiration hunts to twenty or thirty minute chunks of time so that you can let your brain digest everything. Later on, when you search again with fresh eyes, you can have a clearer idea of what you are looking for, and narrow down even further.

Austin Kleon said in a recent interview, “If I had to boil down my message for everyone, it’s just to find a time and a place every day and go there and see what happens,” he emphasized. “If you could take 15 minutes every day and spend it doing something that you really wanted to spend time on, I think the compound interest of that over time is just amazing.”

The 3×3 Rule

This little helpful tool is a fun way to practice limiting your search.

  • Pick 3 artists to study
  • 3 techniques to try
  • 3 sources to return to

Then create something from just those 9 seeds. This rule of constraint will be a great help to narrow things down and keep it moving to the art.

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Choose Fewer, Better Sources

Not all inspiration is created equal. When you’re just starting, I hate to say it, but less really is more.

Choose sources wisely. Pick four or five sites or places to find inspiration, and then dive into those sources only. In “How To Manage Inspiration Overload”, Brad Soroka recommends hand-picking only a few go-to sources. This gives your creative voice room to emerge, rather than being diluted by too many outside influences. It’s finding a middle ground between too many and too few sources. 1-2 sources, and you will find your voice is just parroting someone else, but too many sources and you flood your mind.

Browse several different techniques within your chosen art form so that you get a wide range of possibilities for inspiration. You can always niche down later on.

Here are six curated platforms to explore:

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Come Back Here Often

Though this is “Step 1,” it’s also a home base. It’s the place you can return to when you feel overwhelmed, burned out, or directionless.

“You don’t have to know what it’s going to become. Just plant a seed.”

This part of the journey doesn’t end. Each time you begin again, you’ll revisit these 3 principles: what to take in, how much, and why.

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Creative Voices to Follow

These artists and writers speak directly to this part of the journey. When choosing inspiration artists, if you’re feeling unsure of your ability, ask yourself what you would do if fear was eliminated from the equation.

  • Austin Kleon (Steal Like An Artist) – Helps normalize imitation and curating inspiration intentionally. I highly recommend his blog as it is very creative and inspiring. austinkleon.com
  • Jocelyn K. Glei (Hurry Slowly) – Thoughts on slowing down to think and choose deeply. jkg.co
  • Jenny Odell (How to Go Nothing) – Attention as a form of creative resistance. jennyodell.com
  • Rick Rubin (The Creative Act) – Silence, simplicity, and tuning in to creative instinct. We will be covering this book in a book report later!
  • Twyla Tharp (The Creative Habit) – Ritual and discipline as tools for creativity. Another book on our book report list! twylatharp.org/index.php/bio
  • Cal Newport (Digital Minimalism) – How to make space for deep work and focused thinking.

10 Bonus Tips for Starting Strong

  1. If it inspires you but makes you feel small, it’s not the right inspiration right now.
  2. Copy with intention. Recreate one favorite artwork or design in your own materials.
  3. Use creative constraints. Try limiting yourself to 3 colors or one technique.
  4. Archive without attachment. If saved inspiration no longer lights you up, delete it.
  5. Follow your mood. Start by identifying what feeling you want to create.
  6. Create before you collect. Even 5 minutes of making changes your input lens.
  7. Don’t mistake learning for starting. Watching tutorials does not equal doing the work.
  8. Look outside your medium. Let music, poetry, or fashion spark new ideas.
  9. Think in seeds, not blueprints. One idea, one shape, one color is enough.
  10. Leave breadcrumbs. Write a quick note at the end of a session to restart faster next time.

Thank you for reading this part of the Creative Journey Series! Next Monday, we will look at Part 2: Imitation as a Creative Superpower. Part 2 shows what to do after you have gathered your inspiration in Part 1. There, we will see how copying isn’t a shortcut; rather, it is literally how we learn. This step reclaims the act of imitation as necessary and productive. I can’t wait to dive into this nuanced topic.

Hope you have a great week, and happy crafting!

Rachele C.

Order my crochet pattern book: The Art of Crochet Blankets

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