As an unknown artist, I’ve tried to utilize a number of the free online tools available to me to get my name out there. Plenty of pay-per-use services are also available, but here I’ll highlight the free services with which I’ve had experience.

1. Deviant Art - Pros: ability to make prints of submitted art, ability to comment on other artists’ images, Creative Commons license possible, social networking, tagging possible, Cons: Does not support RSS, Batch uploads not possible, upload process takes too long: uploading one image required 6 clicks, Title limited to 30 characters, checkboxes behave as radio buttons in the Fullview Size section, if dropdown menu option is changed in Fullview Size section, checkbox becomes unchecked/cannot add watermark to fullview/original size, ads present on free accounts (not sure about paid accounts), did not use other features enough to make a judgement
2. Flickr - Pros: supports RSS feeds, 3rd party application/add-ons supported, ability to print supported, Creative Commons license possible, social networking, ability to link photos externally without repercussion if done properly, ability to easily add notes to photos, ability to moderate comments, ability to comment on others’ photos, social networking, batch editing, flagging photos as safe, moderate or restricted, ability to flag photos as photo, screenshot, or art/illustration, ability to hide photos from public searches, ability to add HTML descriptions to photos, ability to geotag and tag photos Cons: tied to Yahoo! account, unlimited uploads require a paid Pro account
3. MySpace - Pros: supports RSS feeds, bulletins, social networking, ability to comment on others’ sites, ability to moderate comments Cons: No nudity in the photos section. No batch editing/deletion of photos. UI not at first intuitive to move photos between albums
4. Montana-Artists.com - Possibly the least friendly of all sites reviewed here, which is a shame, as it has the potential to be something great.
   • Cons: submitting artwork is completely un-intuitive, the first step being to “submit artwork”, but there is no option to upload an image until after submitting details about the image being considered. The message that displays after the first step in submitting a piece of artwork for inclusion on the website is: Your new artwork has been submitted, and will be reviewed by one of our Quality Control Specialists to verify that the information entered is appropriate and acceptable. If their [sic] is a problem with the information, you will be contacted by our staff to provide a more suitable substitute. You must also upload at least 1 digital image file to the web site manually. Please send us the highest quality material that you can. The web site will resize the artwork. If you are sending a photo, slide, negative, diskette or CD please send them to: (no address is listed) Once this has been completed, one must upload an image, and even when the image has been uploaded, it does not display on the site, but must be approved by an admin.
5. Picasa - Never used, not enough information to make a judgement, though it seems somewhat useful. Support for direct export from Mac’s iPhoto seems to be a benefit.
6. Missoula Cultural Council Artist Directory - Pros: free directory listing, easy interface to post listing, anyone can suggest an artist Cons: One admin responsible for approving all submissions, submissions are not immediate
7. Digg - Used infrequently, not enough information to make a judgement. Supports RSS.
8. Facebook - Used infrequently, not enough information to make a judgement
9. Blogger - Pros: friendly and intuitive interface Cons: yourname.blogspot.com instead of yourname.com

Have others of you had similar or different experiences with any of the above sites? Can you warn us against sites not listed here? Can you recommend sites not listed here? Give reasons, rants and raves in the comments.

Every day most of us are challenged to use our creativity in some fashion. Maybe we need to become a magician and meet an impossible deadline, or figure out how to make six rolls of sod cover an area that needs eight rolls. Or maybe we’re staring at a blank computer screen, a new text document page open, cursor blinking, awaiting our fingers to touch the keys in a stroke of genius to write that winning proposal, that amazingly heartbreaking poem, the next great American novel or a Grammy Award-winning song. The blank canvas awaiting paint. A glob of clay awaiting shaping. A difficult conversation with a spouse or mate. Whatever creative challenges we each face during our daily lives, sometimes we get stuck, find ourselves in a rut, and allegedly unable to get to the next level. We are uninspired. How do we inspire ourselves?

Recently, I received an email from a friend asking that very question. “How do you find inspiration to create?” he wanted to know. He was embarking on a new project and had hit a wall. I thought that it was courageous of him to ask someone like me, an unknown artist on the other side of the country, for advice. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I’ve talked with other musicians and artists and asked them where they find their creativity and inspiration when they’ve got a block. I’ll focus this How to Find Inspiration article towards artists, but it can be applied in many different walks of life.

1. Deep Observation. Of self, of your surroundings, your thoughts, goals, successes and failures. I like to start outward and work in. Grab a notebook or sketchpad and head to a place that inspires me. Sometimes it’s out in nature, near a river or up in a mountain. Other times, it’s as an unnoticed face in a crowd as I people-watch. I write down thoughts and ideas as they come to me, and I go back later to reflect on the initial bursts of idea in more depth. I think about how the external themes I’ve recorded may apply to me, and then eventually ask myself how those themes can be expressed with intimate personal depth but still apply as a universal truth.

2. Other Artists. When I feel uninspired, I go to the library and sit on the floor with art books sprawled around me. I always like to choose some favorites, and a few that are unfamiliar. I keep a notebook of ideas that sometimes includes rough sketches of an idea, but always a line or two about a project I want to start. Sometimes, it isn’t the library, but the Internet where I look at inspiring artwork. Drawn!, Flickr, DeviantArt, PhotoJojo, a random Google search, The Wooster Collective, or even a place like Bighappyfunhouse. In the case of my friend, the musician, I’d try head to the record store and browse via the headphones music with which he’s unfamiliar. Ask friends to make mix CDs of new music that they’ve been listening to with which you may be unfamiliar (so that you can use it as a jumping-off point for your own creativity, of course, not to pirate music. And, if you like the stuff on the mix CD, go out and buy the original). Go see some live music of bands or genres with which you aren’t familiar. Always explore the unknown genres of art, music, whatever when finding yourself uninspired.

3. Other Types of Art. If you are a visual artist, go listen to some live music or see a play. Watch a ballet. Check out some performance art. On a budget? Check your weekly independent newspaper, often there are many free cultural events happening around town that you can take in and help fill your creativity cup.

4. Collaboration. Nothing fuels creativity like collaborating with someone else on a piece of art or a project. The major challenge when collaborating is to let go of all expectations, and allow the process to create the art along with you. It’s one of the most challenging things I’ve ever tried, but when it works, it’s a lot of fun and also very rewarding. One of the big problems for many folks when collaborating, including myself, is not only letting go of expectations, but also of ego. When you collaborate, you have to be humble and open to new input and the ideas of others.

5. Experimentation. I work a lot with collage and abstract paintings. A while back, I was tired of the art on my walls that I’d made, and tired of what I was producing. I had some huge canvases that I’d gotten for free, some time on my hands, lots of paint, and no ideas. I decided to try something I’d never done. They reason I think that the paintings were successful is that I gave myself permission to fail. Sometimes in life you may think that you do not have that luxury, but, as James Joyce said, “A man of genius makes no mistakes, his errors are volitional and the portals to discovery.” By experimenting and playing, I found some things that worked that I knew I could apply in the future, and things I didn’t like so much that I likely won’t try again.

6. Deadlines. Sometimes, there is no way around it. You have to git-r-done and you have a specific cut-off point that if you miss it, you could die. Figuratively, of course. The death might be one of public embarrassment, missing a deal at work, or closing doors in the future. Last year, I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated to make art, so I created for myself a deadline. I agreed to do an opening in June with a very short notice. I pulled it off, and the June show lead to a July show, which led to an August show that bled into September. With each show, I learned something about the process of putting a show together, but I also found myself feeling more creative and making more art.

7. Money. There is no way around it, Shakespeare’s got to get paid, Son. There will always be rent or a mortgage to make, car insurance, utilities, groceries. A person needs money to live. And sometimes when I know that I can make money by making a certain piece of art, that motivates me to make the art. If, after I’ve made it, I think it has any less passion or is in any way inferior to my other work, I don’t continue down that path. But money can be a strong motivator and inspiration.

8. Nothing. Sometimes there is absolutely no way I can get motivated or inspire myself. It’s at those times that I “just show up”, as was suggested in The Artist’s Way. Show up at the page. Write. Paint. Collage. Sing. Whatever your chosen art, show up at your specific “page” everyday and make your art. Practice makes perfect, and repetition breeds habit. Habits breed lifestyles, and if you are an artist, it is a lifestyle choice. I met Garrison Keillor once at a reception in Akron, Ohio after having heard him speak, and, at the time, I fancied myself a writer specifically. I was not focused at all on making visual art. I asked him, “What advice do you have for an aspiring young writer?” He said, “Write.” That’s it. Do it every day.

This list is, of course, not an exhaustive list. It’s a jumping-off point and can easily be added to. I invite you, especially artists, to share in the comments what inspires you to create, and how you become and remain inspired.

Donate and Support the Artist

If you found this article useful, please consider making a small donation. I accept donations in any amount, none are too small or too large. All donations and gifts will be used to further my artwork. Donations are easy to give online, via Paypal or if you would like to work out any other method of supporting your local arts, please contact me directly via email.