How to find inspiration?

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I often have the opportunity to teach business people and university students from different fields. When talking about professional topics such as copywriting, media communication, personal brand management and content marketing, I will inevitably mention the topic of writing inspiration.

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 specifically rely on inspiration when creating, such as cartoonists, writers, lyricists, etc.

Every time in the Copywriting class, I will talk about inspiration with my classmates. Inspiration is difficult to copy and often comes from accumulation in life. Therefore, for friends who often need to create, I would encourage everyone to develop the habit of getting rid of relying on inspiration-otherwise, what should I do if I 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, having said that—for non-professional writing friends, maybe it doesn’t really need to 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 find inspiration, I have listed six methods below to briefly introduce to you:

1. Observe the slogans or promotional copy of other manufacturers: It is always a good way to refer to and learn from other people’s practices. Of course, it is not a direct plagiarism, but a way of learning and innovating. 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.
2. Go to convenience stores and hypermarkets: I often encourage 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.
3. 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 Target Audience (Target Audience). Leadership expert and author of the best-selling book “Ask First, Why?” : Subvert the golden circle theory of inertial thinking and activate 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!
4. Watch TV, movies, newspapers, and magazines: Although fewer people now watch TV 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!
5. 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 find colleagues and friends to discuss together. 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!
6. Take a break: Well, if you really can’t come up with a specific plan, don’t try too hard, why not take a break first? 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.

Simply put, if you want to find inspiration, you need to rely on daily accumulation. The process of collecting inspiration might as well start by 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!

💡 Do you want to write copy that will get more people to like it? Come and read “Read slowly and understand in seconds”.

💡 Photo Credit: Johannes Plenio 💡 This article was originally published on the “Content Hacker” website and was updated in May 2019.

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Further reading

• Observation techniques: finding inspiration in casual details
• How to collect inspiration for writing? Please do this with me
• How to seize fragmented time for writing

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☕️ Invite Vista to have a cup of coffee

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