Where are you, Inspiration? Why can't I find you?
- Bran B
- Feb 22, 2017
- 6 min read
Inspiration: How Do You Get It?
This is a topic that comes up often in every group, video, and podcast that I follow. It is something that I think most everyone who does anything creative asks themselves, especially when they first start. This is not meant to be a sure fire end all answer, but to give suggestions about ways to help yourself find inspiration or to fill the void when you need to get something done, period.
I have found for myself that I don't really have a go to thing for trying to get inspired. Most of the time I just allow myself to be slapped in the face by the gracious hand of the muse when she thinks I need it. These moments come from almost anything; music, movies, books, a road sign, a product description, whatever happens to be the spark for that flame.
While listening to Black Sabbath, I turned the character from the song 'Iron Man' into a construct hailing from a Frostgrave like territory in a world I am working on. As I was reading 'Aftermath: Life Debt', I thought it would be fun to run a scenario much like the one the party begins that book with. Passing the time on my commute to work with a podcast I heard them talk about a post-apocalyptic world and thought it would be interesting to run a campaign like this set in a fantasy world rather than a modern or sci-fi setting.
These are just some of my examples and they incorporate a few things that many people often turn to for a sort of guidance. Music, movies, and books are the most common things people to turn to when wanting to push out an idea. I want to make “such and such place” so I'll watch “this” movie, or listen to “that” music, and for a lot of people that is just fine. Some people have specific things they listen to or watch when they want to become inspired. Those things might not even have anything to do with what they are working on at the moment. It is just a way to set the mood for those people and put them in the preferred state of mind. The point is that there are many options one can take advantage of in the world, and every one of them should be exploited.
I personally have a hard time forcing myself to be inspired when I just want to be. This can make it difficult if I have a timeline for when I want to be done. As a result, I tend to try to keep many methods of note taking for when I get hit by that fist of the muse. This allows me to come back to it later with less of a need to force an idea, I only have to expand on what is already there.
I have also found that if I am trying too hard to make a piece of work come out, it is not the best work I can produce. When this happens, it sets me back even further because I am often compelled to redo the work. When I am unable to catch a moment of inspiration, I find it is best to just move on and to do something else. If you choose to do that for yourself you might just find that piece you were missing while you're washing dishes and singing along to a tune. Anyone who is a fan of 'The Big Bang Theory' might recall the episode where Sheldon is working on an equation. He tries many different ways to force the right sequence onto “paper” to little avail. The stress and lack of sleep drive him to one of my favorite moments in the history of the show, the ball pit. Bazinga. Out of desperation, he takes on a job at the restaurant where Penny is employed resulting in an accident which finally solves his problem. I think this illustrates the point I was trying to make above about taking a moment away from the dilemma to clear your head. This would also be a wonderful time to meditate if you groove with such things. A time to take a moment, to breathe and to allow the thoughts to freely flow from your mind clearing space for new ones.
Asking yourself questions about what you want to accomplish can bridge things together when creative juices refuse to flow. These questions can include, but should not be limited to:
How big is this world?
What are the ecosystems?
How many races/creatures/monsters are there, and what are they?
Will it have a monarchy, empire, barony, what sort of government, if any?
How many towns are there? Is travel between them easy? Hard? Uncommon, merchants aside?
How many main NPCs will there be?
Where/how will the adventure begin?
Will the PCs know each other prior to starting out?
Will there be a main villain? If so, is he external or connected to any of the PCs?
If you are working on an aspect of your world or the whole thing, it can sometimes be helpful to turn to some sort of guide. There are many resources which can help you fill in the voids of your world. Name generators, tables for building a dungeon and populating it, as well as premade character sheets, these are just a few of them. A quick search online will bring up just about anything you can think of or you can also write up and roll your own tables.
Other good sources for campaign development are cards. A new product, 'Index Card RPG' by Drunkens & Dragons is a good way to build a scenario or expand your world. He talks about doing this near the end of his video introducing his work and ways to utilize it. Wyloch has a video where he goes into his process using the website for 'Magic the Gathering' to find ideas to use. As controversial as it might seem, tarot cards can also be a wealth of inspiration to draw from. This is because there are many different kinds of decks with their own artwork and stories, especially the oracle style decks. Some of my favorites are the 'Faerie's Oracle' and 'The Heart of Faerie' from World of Froud, 'The Phoenix's Deck', and the 'Amy Brown Faery Wisdom Deck'.
Speaking of artwork, the guys at Tabletop Terrors have suggested using deviant art to find ideas a time or two. A simple Google search can also provide an excellent portal to other worlds. Concept art for movies is not only interesting to view, but can often be a good place to get your own concepts churning. The unused visions in these often have greater insight into the world it was supposed to be.
Going for a walk in your community or a local park (especially if it has a wooded area) is good practice to clear your head, but it can also provide the perspective you need to bring to your own world. Pay attention to how people interact with one another to get an idea of how NPCs can work and behave within your world. While in the park take notice of the trees and other plants, the colors that appear naturally. See how they move in the wind or the way they grow up to the sun, sometimes twisting around themselves and objects to get where they want to be. A la J.R.R Tolkien, who was almost toddler like in his walks, stopping often to examine the flowers and plants and would pay attention to every detail.
While out and about, make a visit to a museum (if there is one available in your area). Take in the classical artwork, the ancient relics of times forgotten, the architecture, new and old, everything these treasure vaults have to offer.
If you don't have a museum, the local library is a great place to substitute for this experience, with its vast troves of knowledge. There you can find books full of art reaching even further throughout time than most common museums. Each book acts as its own portal to a different place, real or imagined. This would also be a good time to brush up on some history. There are many events in the past that can build an exciting encounter, people who would be inspiring leaders or inventions that have shaped the world for good or bad.
To roll this around to its end, I think it is crucial to talk about things that can be done when the strings of creativity remain elusive. This is an opportune time to do the boring tasks which can hold a project up and make it difficult to start. This is a trick I am pulling from 'Black Magic Craft', as it was a suggestion in his video for this exact topic. Roll up some characters to use as NPC's or PCs for future games. This enables you to be ready for random games, or that unexpected RP situation players like to dive into. While doing this, story elements have been known to develop by accident. Write up some tables for game mechanics you want to try, or magical treasure you want to dole out. If crafting is your thing, this is a good time to cut up individual blocks or shingles for your buildings. Clean up and organize, maybe there is that piece you forgot about that can become the hook. You might even consider “window” shopping for new miniatures to flush out just the right evil warlock you didn't know you needed. Just remember when all else fails just find some way to be productive and occupy that time.
Until next time.... live to roll.
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