If you think designers have an endless supply of creative juice and they'e always able to come up with an amazing design in mere seconds, think again. Even those God has blessed with the gift of creativity draw a blank every now and then. While many people have heard of writer's block, they may not be as familiar with creator's block. But the dilemma is real. This type of block is often described as a barrier to inspiration. While it's common for creative people to experience this inability to access their creativity for a day, here and there, for some it can last weeks, and even months.
Thankfully, for most, creator's block can be overcome and one way to do it is by getting inspired. So the next time you're looking at a blank canvas or computer screen that's just waiting for your next masterpiece, here are some great resources to use for inspiration.
Dribbble
Dribbble is like a show and tell for graphic designers. They can show off and promote their best designs and illustrations. Anyone who considers themselves a graphic artist—from typographers to icon artists—can share small screenshots of their work and current projects.
Fun fact: one of the co-founders of the company, Rich Thornett, describes himself as a "pro basketball wannabe trapped inside a software developer's body." Hence the name Dribbble.
Pinterest is a wellspring of inspiration for people of all ages. Whether you're looking for ways to make patio furniture out of pallets, or hoping to find the best Paleo recipes on the planet, Pinterest is bound to have exactly what you're looking for. A gold mine for DIY enthusiasts and moms looking to cook healthier food, this site is also a great place for artists whose creative tanks are nearly empty.
Some of our favorite boards for creative ideas for designers include:
- Inspire: Graphic Design
- Inspiring Graphic Design
- Inspiration: Graphic Design
- Gorgeous & Inspiring Graphic Design
- Artistic Inspiration Graphic Design
With over 50 billion ideas to explore, you are bound to find inspiration on Pinterest.
Behance
This website claims to be the leading online platform to showcase and discover great work—and it just might be. Who are we to say? Similar to Dribbble, Behance is actually part of the Adobe family and if you have paid for a Creative Cloud membership, you can get a free subscription to Behance Prosite. But don't worry, you won't have to pay anything if you simply want to check it out for inspiring ideas. Besides bringing designers, developers, and creative opportunities together all in one community, the site also has other nifty features including:
- A blog
- App registration
- Portfolio review week
- Creative career tips
You could really get lost in the plethora of online portfolios on Behance, but it will be time well spent if you come away invigorated and inspired.
CreativeShare
Developed by award-winning artist Bob Barancik, he also created the traveling art video exhibit called Art Not Hate as a way to promote creative responses to conflict. Much of the artwork on the CreativeShare website are paintings, but if you're hoping to find inspiration here, you're likely to be inspired in more ways than one.
The website states that the purpose of CreativeShare is to "promote a more innovative, open, and humane society through interdisciplinary collaboration." Along with a blog written by Bob Barancik, the website also features a video and audio library, an art gallery, a list of exhibits, and a digital dialog series that seeks to inspire Americans through art to become creative and life affirming participants in the human race.
