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5 Inspiration Hacks for Creative People

zenhabits.net — “I think writer’s block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if you sit down at the keys long enough, sooner or later something will come out.” - Roy Blount Jr.

Who dugg this? Made popular Feb 12, 2008

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  • dave122, on 02/12/2008, -2/+32Why is anything and everything considered a "hack" these days?

    Speaking of which, I found this sweet hack yesterday. I can re-use a water bottle, by wait for it. filling it up with tap water!

    Seriously. wtf.
  • cotaskmemalloc, on 02/12/2008, -1/+28Buried for use of 'hack' in title.
  • vpshockwave, on 02/12/2008, -1/+23It's ADVICE. NOT a bunch of hacks.
  • aaapples, on 02/12/2008, -1/+9Buried out of spite.
  • FredSpeaking, on 02/12/2008, -1/+9Buried for suggesting that a cookie-cutter blog entry could help me find inspiration.

    I'll sooner have Maddox tell me "5 Great Ways to be More Humble."
  • bamafun, on 02/12/2008, -0/+5great post and I agree with (Digger Iraq) steping away and coming back to it helps a lot sometimes ! =)
  • aguitarhero, on 02/12/2008, -1/+5I haven't got time to read it, I got to go hack some food.
  • crila, on 02/12/2008, -1/+5oh you forgot one: DRUGS!
  • employeeno5, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4Inspiration hacks?
    First of all, "hacks"?
    Secondly this article goes on to describe that surrounding yourself with creative material is good for creativity and lists different mediums as though each one is doing something differently unto your creative-self than the last.
    Front page? Really?
    People who subscribe to and write about notions like "inspiration hacks" are uninspired and uninspiring people.
    Being creative is simply hardwork, practice, and trying to keep your work honest with a strong sense of self.
    This is close to the most pathetic front page digg I've ever seen.
  • inactive, on 02/12/2008, -2/+6Very well written article, excellent for any aspiring author, columnist or even bloggers.

    Gotta be careful not to confuse writer's block with burnout though. I think the worst thing that writers do (e.g. Roy Blount Jr. quote in the description) is force creativity or insist on production at a given time. For creativity to be most effective, it is better to allow it to flow naturally. If you focus on an area of expertise and find yourself at a loss for words, chances are you're overwhelmed or trying too hard to push when you should be relaxing.

    I find relaxation, stepping away from the keyboard, taking trips or breaks most useful. If you can't think of anything to write, you probably need to step away for a bit and free your mind of all of your worries or take care of the life issues that are screwing with your head. Once you clear that stress, return to the keyboard or notepad and give it another shot.
  • weiwuwei, on 02/12/2008, -1/+4I find that movies that question the nature of reality such as The Matrix, Waking Life, and Peaceful Warrior, help me to think more creatively.
  • zombiedepot, on 02/12/2008, -1/+4This article was obviously written by a cyborg.
  • ThinkBox, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3This was a good post, I enjoyed reading it...

    But, is it just me? Or are half the blogs I see out there are just about how to write a good blog?
  • mStudios, on 02/12/2008, -3/+5Good post! Other things include ACTIVITY that includes other people. Play some volleyball. Talk with the woman who packs your grocery bags...
  • silvanov2002, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Music and a nice cold alcholic beverage always does it for me.
  • inactive, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2AWESOME! Two msaleem submissions on the front page, one directly after the other. Amazing.
  • DeQuinceysDiet, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3"I’ve found films such as Rudy, The Pursuit of Happyness, or my personal favorite, Finding Forrester, to be incredibly helpful"...okay then, goodbye. You and I could not hang.
  • GregLoire, on 02/12/2008, -2/+4Yes, "hack" describes my feelings toward the author of this article quite well.
  • Hangly, on 02/12/2008, -0/+26. Life?
    Maybe its a personal bias of mine, but I think art that is inspired by other art is usually... not good. If you're not drawing primarily on your own experience you're probably creating something hollow that will neither resonate with you or with anyone else.
  • Supernova36, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2I agree, this bugs me so much!
  • Skitzzo, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1You've got to be careful mixing writing an alcohol though, impaired judgment is never a good thing when you're putting something in print.
  • JoeNapalm, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2Did...did you just use "gr8" while giving other people writing advice?

    -Jn-
  • thosemoose, on 04/17/2008, -2/+3seriously, I love ZenHabits -- but almost everyday this week a ZenHabits article is on the front page, just bookmark the page, okay?!
  • tringtring, on 02/12/2008, -2/+3Nice and insightful article...as the saying goes, it's all in the mind, but you know what, while perhaps reading a gr8 book or listening to soothing music could give a writer the creative urge, I feel the best technique is to simply start it off, and nine times of of ten, this very act of starting off proves to be the inspiration...just do it, I guess!
  • dorkus999, on 02/12/2008, -2/+3Wow, buy a magazine...see a movie...read a book...this is some deep stuff. Never would have thought of any of those.
  • SabrinaHeaven, on 02/12/2008, -2/+3These are hacks all right--hack tips! Fishing for ideas in other people's work is no better than waiting around for inspiration, productivity-wise, and it's borderline unethical.

    I did say borderline. Sometimes I think I should say "***** it" and start submitting articles to magazines. This is a perfect example of drawing inspiration from a blog post. Instead of griping about these terrible tips, I could compile my own list of "7 Ways to Supercharge Your Creativity" (or some terrible title like that) and sell it.

    I'll post two here.

    1. Transcendental meditation. Read David Lynch's book for more information. To sum up: You know how you always get great ideas when you're in the shower or on the toilet? Same thing.

    2. Spend time with small children, preferably your own. Children are not always fun, creative, or intelligent. You can mitigate that somewhat by raising them yourself.
  • aintIill, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1perspective is subjective. i think these were some good ideas to work through writers block.
  • Alfonzo, on 02/12/2008, -2/+3Buried for shameless use of the word "hack"
  • givemereplay, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2***** you and your hacks.
  • cphelps, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Same here.
  • republicker, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1yea the most popular one probably.
  • tony23, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Let me see - Roy Blount Jr, who has written at least 21 books and 2 screenplays, and has written professionally for years. Piers Anthony, author of at least 111 books, says " How do I manage to avoid writers block? Well you see its actually very easy, you keep writing."
    You, author of _what?_, say "For creativity to be most effective, it is better to allow it to flow naturally."
    Whose advice do you think I'm going to take?
  • edwartica, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Just glue your but to a chair, and start writing! Mind dump - and you're bound to come up with one or two good ideas to expand upon.
  • Goobernutz, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Amygdala hack? ...maybe.
    Inspiration hack? ...it just ain't possible. Buried.
  • inactive, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1art?? oh really ? art and movies you find inspirational? wow,he is really breaking some boundaries here. truly a monumental article here.
  • Cheeseman1208, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Wow, that buffer overflow hack for inspiration was great!
  • Lisa0411, on 05/11/2008, -0/+0Here's a godsend for all you newsletter creators and content producers! Now you can blast through your writer's block and keep the relevant and informative articles coming on any subject with this instant wiz. High quality articles Guaranteed! @ https://paydotcom.com/r/9912/sabre23/18048921/
  • mahlerfan999, on 02/13/2008, -1/+1What you said is highly misleading. There are many great writers that have written only a small handful of works. For every prolific author like Dumas, there is an author like Stendhal known for only a few novels.

    Why are you even mentioning Piers Anthony in a discussion about creativity in writing? All he does is slap together a bunch of puns and recycle the same plot line that he always uses it and calls it a novel. And then repeats 100 times over. That's not what I call an example of creativity and artistic expression.
  • rexykik, on 02/12/2008, -2/+2I used some bury hacks on this one.
  • myNeonSun, on 02/14/2008, -0/+0Sun! Yes, the SUN =)
    Also walking trough the night city w/ some good tracks in your ears..
    Hitchhiking to a never-seen before place.. and talking w/ the old domestic citizen there. Hug them and go back.

    These moments make my mind alive.
  • blueclip, on 02/22/2008, -0/+0Wow, kind of a heated zone in here... I thought the article was inspirational and gives you a fresh way to look at things that you may do every day: like reading that National Enquirer while waiting on line at the supermarket. Nevertheless, here's another RSS feed subscriber!
  • FancyFrancie, on 02/19/2008, -0/+0This was very helpful. I was looking for some ideas. I wouldn't have though of magazines or tabloids. Thanks so much!
  • inactive, on 02/12/2008, -2/+1I have msaleem blocked. Why the ***** am I still seeing his spam?

    Seriously, this idiot sits on ***** digg all day submitting *****. How do I stop his stories from appearing on my page?
  • cotaskmemalloc, on 02/12/2008, -4/+2Hahaha, that made my afternoon. ++digg

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