How do YOU get the creative juices flowing?

Does it sometimes bother you that you don't have as much control over your own creative energies as you would like to? Whether it's working on music, or art, or films, or writing, or whatever.

I'm talking about the days where maybe you got up on the wrong side of the bed and you make tea and then go for a walk, take a shower, try to get motivated bu can't do anything other than screw around online all day, and nothing comes to you until like, 11 PM, and you have to toss all your plans out the window.

How many people try to plan or structure their working process? Before you sit down to it, do you try to anticipate how long your energy will last? Like "OK I'll read for 30 minutes to calm the mind, and then I can write (or draw, or whatever) for about 4 hours I'll and then I'll probably need a break, at which point I'll do laundry, and grab a bite, and then that gives me another 2 hours before dinner." The problem with that is often things don't happen the way you plan them.

Do you work better during the day or at night? It seems most people work better at night, due to it's usually quieter. That's why I always write at night as opposed to the day. I stay up late and am alone and it's quiet.

And how do you do under pressure? Deadlines? Sometimes it's really exhilarating and kicks me into gear, but other times it's a NIGHTMARE.

Some of the ones I hear are popular are:

*Excercise. But sometimes after a good workout all the blood is in the muscles and not the brain and i either don't feel like working or have zero ideas. ...Not that I really exercise all that often anyway. >_>

*Marijuana. LOL - well, I don't smoke pot so I don't know.

*Food. A good meal seems to work for me. Sometimes it doesn't. I think it's kind of like a placeebo and a myth.

*Sex. I don't see how people can concentrate afterwards. o_O

*Showering. YES this one works, at least for me, anyway. I get all my best ideas in the shower. Unfortunately, by the time I'm out and ready to work, I can't remember exactly what I had in mind and it's lost. Now if they invent water-proof computers...

So what are some tricks or methods you creative peoples use to get the juices flowing? I know there's a lot of us here, so let us know. ~

Planning sucks lol.
What you said happened to me today.
I got up, took a shower/bath or whatver you call the process of pouring water on the body then applying stuff..., and then i was leik "Now wut?" The only good thing i did is figure how to get on chat.

No, i don't plan my work. I wait till i get exhausted of studying/playing. but usually i study leik 1-2 hours a day, which is pretty less but who cares as long as i score good, i read and play the rest of the day.

I don't stay up more than 11 clock, unless there's a good movie which extends till 12 or something.

Showers halp, but i just use me mind and think. Take a yo-yo, sit and keep playing with something in your mind and wala -it's there.

My advices may not help as i prefer not to think a lot (it's seriously a waste of time) so..yeah.
And my juices flow just fine, thanks for asking. It's not like i don't think and i'm half-mad or something, right?

It's usually after I go see a movie, play a game, or read a book that I'll get the most motivation. It seems like I'm always "OMG, that was so good, but I know that mine could be better if I get back to work on it". Afterward I usually head back to my computer, play some appropriate music for whatever scene I'm working on, and just write until I get tired of writing. So you could say that it's other people's works and video game soundtracks that get my creative juices flowing.

I would move this thread under the RMRK Creativity category, under "Everything Else", being it about creativity. 

Boredom seems to be my greatest inspiration.

When I have too much to do, I can't write anything. When I'm sitting around doing absolutely nothing, I start hearing melodies and chord progressions, so I grab my guitar.

I have the opposite problem.  I have too many ideas and too little time.  During holidays when I have the whole day to draw, sometimes I forget to eat.  Also, because there are always so many ideas in my head, it distracts me from doing other things.  So for me, it's not about planning when to draw since I've always got ideas and inspiration.  For me, it's about planning when to do other things like cook or do the groceries.

I would move this thread under the RMRK Creativity category, under "Everything Else", being it about creativity. 

I thought about it, wasn't really sure because it wouldn't get much attention there. We'll see...

Boredom seems to be my greatest inspiration.

When I have too much to do, I can't write anything. When I'm sitting around doing absolutely nothing, I start hearing melodies and chord progressions, so I grab my guitar.

I wish it worked that way for me. Although sometimes if I don't have any ideas, I just play some chords on the keyboard and sometimes an idea comes out of there. Almost similar =o

I have the opposite problem.  I have too many ideas and too little time.  During holidays when I have the whole day to draw, sometimes I forget to eat.  Also, because there are always so many ideas in my head, it distracts me from doing other things.  So for me, it's not about planning when to draw since I've always got ideas and inspiration.  For me, it's about planning when to do other things like cook or do the groceries.

I (almost) wish how that's how it was for me.

My greatest drawback, though, is that I can't write when I'm around other people.

Like, the ideal creative environment for me is in my own room, closed off, and with absolutely nothing better to do.

then I'd write a shit ton

I'm writing right now, cuz I'm bored, and I just came to a realization, though it may not apply to everyone.

I write pretty much completely in MIDI. Lately, I've been having some trouble writing. I just got a new laptop, a mac, and I put boot camp on it, so I can run my usual writing program (the one I'm most comfortable with) since it's windows only. So I've been stuck with the stock, crap midi. And I haven't been writing as much.

Well, I came home this weekend and I found my old, old external sound card. Not my best one, my first one, the best one is busted unfortunately.

Well, I installed her, and started writing.

I've been on fire for the last hour. I mean, the difference in the MIDI is marginal, it really only sounds a little better, but I guess it's enough to make me want to write more.



Apparently, if I'm stuck with shitty sounding MIDI instruments, I give up on writing, lol.

Maybe this will help some people. Maybe not. LOL K BYE

Comes naturally.


I usually get mine at night, somehow my brain is numb in the morning and noon.
Showering is I guess, a good source of some of my inspiration.
However, I can't force it out - so I just kinda wait for it to come.

As to deadlines, I usually finish it days before the day - so no pressure.

24 Hours getting ideas, yet sometimes lazy.

Music makes me get some ideas for like a creative scene, place, or some emotional scene.

A Good Movie also works fine, thou a crappy movie might make me mad.

Exercise, just walk around, but when I get excited I hit myself.

Studies & Listening to other's Philosophy or funny stuff/serious situations, sorta works to inspire me to create character's personalities, emotions, stories and reasons.

Nature? - I mostly get excited when I am at the Beach or at some place where it's green, so google is my inspiration and why I make Maps so great to be proud of (in my opinion)

Shower, I start singing, and sorta imagine swimmig and get ideas, as I get refreshed.

Good Meal - I dunno why, yes, works but little, not always inspires me, >__>;;

Video Games - Enough said, I get enough inspiration to actually think of making a better game.

Boredom - Even boredom can inspire me, from just doing stuff and seeing the final result gets me inspired

Drawing - I draw, but mostly Dresses & scenes drawings (G'rrr, curse my lack of skills to draw a Cool Monster or a realistic person!)

Watching a Fish/Bird/Dog/Whatever animal - I don't know why, but just by looking at my pets, I get overly inspired from how they act and behave.


Reading books, Internet comments, and wikipidia inspires me a lot, makes me feel creative to base something from either a person's problems, a Historical Event, or from the book I am reading.

<shrugs> I am a fan of collecting Legos, mostly from Star Wars, and I get etremely creative by breaking them up and building up my own costum ships, buildings, etc. >__>;;

Painting also inspires me, my randomness makes me quite happy about it.

Sugar, seriously, a lot of sugar makes one hyper, and when I hyper, I get over creative >__>;; next thing I know, I don't remember how I did whatever I made.

Ermm . . . I don't know what else, there's too many that I don't even remember at the moment . . .