Life Lessons

A post about Inspiration and how to use it productively

I've found that when I take random bursts of inspiration and stick with it, I create my best works. Oftentimes, whenever I hit a new season in my life, I have a drastic change in my emotions and outlook. This often drives me to desire to create something that goes through my mind from into a new perspective. The key to having a solid outcome in each one of my projects is that I follow through. I must be consistent in my efforts and time until I’m finished with the project. In the past when I would let my feelings rule my artistic work ethic I would only come up with ideas. I would never finish the project end goal I had in mind. Creating a solid body of work takes time, effort, and consistency. You must work through every emotion and season you go through. 

Another thing I spend most of my time thinking about is coffee. I’ve learned that if I want to feel rejuvenated by a cup of coffee, I must take the time and effort to make that the outcome despite how I may feel in the moment. There have been several times when I had the time to make myself a complex cup of coffee but not the energy—from time to time I chose to push through those feelings and produce. 

When it comes to taking your mind off things from burnout you must take breaks. Breaks allow you to have time for rest and refueling your brain and body. This can range from about anything from a coffee break to taking a walking down a blissful street. I’ve found that when I become agitated after a full workload, taking naps or taking a walk helps me to slow down and rest my thoughts. It even allows for more brainstorming and fresh thoughts when I come back to my work. 

I usually would let the way I felt control when I would create art or coffee. This would slow me down and allow for more burnout and “art block”. This is why I often had trouble with daily drawing prompts. Sometimes I would decide to stick with it for a small period. When it became inconvenient, I would lose momentum and then end up dropping the project. Another reason I would walk away from these projects was likely because I did not see the value behind it and how it would affect me and my skills. It often felt like a waste of time and redundant. In a sense it was. I’ve now discovered more intriguing but also practical methods to grow my skills through things I love. 

One idea that spoke to me from the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear was that to change your habits you must first change your beliefs about yourself. You must change the way you see yourself and your “identity”. Habits must become a part of your identity. You must “believe” that you are already the kind of person to act a certain way habitually and consistently. 

This idea allowed me to better put my professions, ambitions, and lifestyle into perspective. Every time I am responsible and organized with my money, I’m financially responsible. Every time I introduce myself in conversation and ask meaningful questions about the other person, I am a networker. Every time I make a bunch of coffee drinks at home for my friends, learning more through each trial and error of the process, I am a coffee expert. 

I am dedicated to my craft and connecting with others who are like-minded. Naturally, a conversationalist dedicated to their craft will spend most of their time set for constructing their craft, and networking. I am dedicated to brewing the best coffee and creations for my clientele. I wish to share a part of my personality through my products. As an artist, I show the beauty of Creation and people through my drawings and paintings. Each face of a person tells a unique story and shows it was created and intentionally rendered. 

Everyone is made to work and live differently than another. Perhaps the opposite approach that I took might motivate you more instead. Your experience is unlike any other. The experience is your own. It often helps to share your experiences to allow growth through yourself and others around you.

As always, thanks for reading my Coffee Beans! I look forward to our next post about my thoughts on drawing people!