What to do if you have no inspiration? Vista gives you six tips for gathering inspiration
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Just this Monday evening (October 30th), I just taught the course “[Social Marketing Branding] (http://www.metacreat.com/2017/10/vistawith.html)” to a group of students from different fields such as publishing, tourism, study abroad, training, sales and human resources. In this course, topics such as social media, personal branding, content marketing and community monetization were discussed.
In the process of introducing content marketing to students, the topic of writing inspiration will inevitably come up. What is inspiration? According to Wikipedia’s Introduction, inspiration is a creative thinking activity based on one’s own experiences. Inspiration usually only appears in the mind for a moment, usually in culture and art, where inspiration is particularly needed. Wikipedia also mentions that certain professions particularly require inspiration when creating, such as cartoonists, writers, lyricists, etc.
Every time I take a copywriting class, I talk about inspiration with my classmates. For friends who often need to create, I would encourage everyone to develop the habit of getting rid of reliance on inspiration - otherwise, what should you do if you really need to create but have no inspiration?
Rodin once said: “Any sudden inspiration cannot actually replace long-term hard work.”
Writing is indeed a long journey that requires constant accumulation, output and polishing. Of course, for non-professional writing friends, it may not really be so strict.
What to do if you have no inspiration?
Next, let me share with you what to do if you have no inspiration? Is there any way to help us “squeeze” it out?
Let me show you a picture first. This is one of the slides from my Copywriting Class.
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Regarding how to collect inspiration, I have listed six methods to briefly introduce to you:
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Observe other manufacturers’ slogans or promotional copy: It is always a good way to refer to and learn from other people’s practices. Of course, this is not to directly plagiarize, but to develop ideas and innovate through reference. Also, we not only refer to the practices of our peers, but occasionally we can also cross-industry to observe some works in different fields. For example, if you are engaged in the tourism industry, in addition to regularly observing the promotional strategies of some travel agencies or airlines, you may also wish to pay attention to the development of traditional industries, and you may be able to find some connections.
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Go to convenience stores and hypermarkets: I also often encourage my students in the copywriting class to go to convenience stores or hypermarkets when they have nothing to do. This is not to encourage everyone to consume, but the pulse of these fields is very fast. If you observe carefully, you can see many interesting new things. For example: Are there any new slogans posted in the store? What promotional items are placed on the checkout counter? Let me give you another example. Yesterday I went to a FamilyMart convenience store and saw a notice posted on the table in the rest area saying “FamilyMart coffee cups can be sent across stores” (https://tw.appledaily.com/new/realtime/20170719/1164395/). From this notice, I discovered that [FamilyMart] (http://www.family.com.tw/Marketing/index.aspx) has recently been vigorously promoting their app and attracting coffee-loving customers with a large number of discounts for sending cups.
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Make good use of keywords such as “how” and “now”: I often lead everyone to play the “sentence-making” game in copywriting classes, and encourage students to think from their perspective and start by solving the problems of the target audience (TA). Leadership expert and author of the best-selling book “Ask First, Why?” Launch your inspirational leadership” author Simon. Simon Sinek told us that if we want to know how to capture consumers, we can use “operation” and “inspiration” to drive them. Therefore, when you have time, make good use of these time-sensitive and rendering keywords to come up with ideas!
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Watch TV, movies, newspapers, magazines: Although fewer people watch TV now than before, and everyone is accustomed to obtaining information on the Internet, TV, newspapers, and magazines are still important media, and there is also a lot of information that may not be published on the Internet, which deserves our attention. As for movies, they are not only affordable entertainment, but also an observatory of popular information. Watching more movies when you have nothing to do can also help inspire you!
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Find other people to brainstorm: Sometimes we rack our brains and can’t come up with any good ideas. At this time, we might as well discuss it with colleagues and friends. There is a proverb: “Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang.” Brainstorming through the power of a group is also a very good and effective way!
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Take a break: Well, if you really can’t come up with a specific plan, don’t be too reluctant. Why not just rest and relax for a while? I like to walk and observe the people and the pulse of everyone’s lives while walking. I also found that many writers and musicians like walking, such as Charles. Charles Dickens would take a regular three-hour walk every afternoon, and his observations during this process would be directly written into the story; and Ludwig van Beethoven would also wander for a while after lunch, and he would not forget to carry a pen and paper with him so that he could record when inspiration struck.
To put it simply, the process of collecting inspiration might as well start with observing the things around you in life. Stay full of curiosity, capture your various reactions to the world, and finally don’t forget to think and act!
When inspiration beckons us, don’t forget to take a pen and paper or use a computer or mobile phone to record it immediately! Some people say “Inspiration is the precursor of thinking”, just recording inspiration is not enough! We still have to go through quenching and polishing before we can sublimate the sudden inspiration into the flesh and blood of creation.
Physicist Wang Yening once said: “Innovation requires a certain amount of inspiration. This inspiration is not innate, but comes from long-term accumulation and full-time dedication. Without accumulation, there will be no innovation.”
Finally, I would like to share these words with everyone!
★ Featured image credit: Ashes Sitoula
Further reading
- Vista teaches you how to build an inspiration database: read more, think more, record more, and you will have amazing ideas at your fingertips
- Copywriting power is your “cashability”: before turning ChatGPT into a godly teammate, you must first make yourself stronger
- Four steps to play copywriting magic
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