How to be Inspired
How to experience inspiration without it turning into comparison, overwhelm or self-criticism
You might think that’s a typo because surely creatives are aiming to be an inspiration to others… ?
We are all influenced by the things around us and sometimes for neurodivergent creative folk it can be hard to engage with other people’s art because it might distract us from developing our own creative work or we might avoid exposing ourselves to it because of how it might make us feel.
Inspiration isn't always the problem for us - we can get inspired by the tiniest things but can also get overwhelmed easily by “too much input”. We may not always notice we are getting so filled up with other people’s output/content that it leaves no room for us to ponder what these things mean to us; how they’ve changed us and what we want to do with that information- if anything.
Street Art from Upfest 2026
The Inspiration Comparison trap
Sometimes another artist's work brings out our insecurities like a mother effer. We don't just see what they've made, we see everything WE haven't made and all those missed opportunities. Let us count the ways:
* seeing someone younger, more successful, more productive
(What! they’re like 19! I’ve wasted my life etc)
* feeling inspired and inadequate simultaneously
(WOW that’s amazing! I will never do that…etc)
* wanting to go home and make something adjacent immediately
(I’m not waiting til the end of this- get out my way you squares-I’ve got an appointment with my muse! etc)
* feeling urgency
(Oh god, oh god, I HAVE to get on with this why haven’t I done this yet aghhhh etc)
* feeling behind
(See? Everyone’s doing their stuff, except me, I’ll never catch up, there’s no point etc)
* hypercritical thoughts
(Actually, do you think she’s a bit out of key? How did she GET this gig? It’s not even a good venue is it?… etc)
* self-critical thoughts
(Yeah, and this is why you’ll never be able to pull this kind of thing off… etc)
* comparing timelines
(Hang on a minute, they studied at the same time as me and they’re doing this but I’m still here not doing that? Brilliant… etc)
* feeling threatened by someone doing what you'd like to do
(I hate them, how dare they, who do they think they are to do this… etc)
At these times, I think it’s good to try to remember there is room for everybody, creativity is a human resource and it’s never-ending really (the neverending storrreeee!- (sorry)). People are people so someone might be doing something similar to you but that doesn’t mean your version has less value because of it.
Also, all the above are things which might well stop a neurodivergent artist from continuing with their art so it’s important to recognise this is indeed a thing and there’s stuff we can do to mitigate against it.
What is the significance of the string? Upfest 2026
Why are you bothered?
If something is striking a nerve with you- eg annoying you, nagging at you- that's interesting information.
Instead of:
"Why aren't I doing this?" or “Who are they to do that?”
Try:
* What am I feeling right now?
* What exactly is bothering me about this?
* What do I admire about this?
* What am I jealous of?
* What does this make me want to do?
We are often triggered by things in other people which we either admire or aspire to but aren’t doing ourselves- it’s worth interrogating those feelings a bit to see if there’s something to learn about what you want.
Street Art in progress Upfest 2026
Inspiration needs translation
Lots of people experience inspiring things but they won’t always get moved or inspired to translate the meaning into their own lives or allow it to shape or inform their own work.
Think about something you've experienced recently.
A gig | A song | A conversation | A film | A painting | A walk | A special tree
Then ask: What did it make me feel at the time?
Excited? | Moved? | Annoyed? | Envious? | Curious?
What did it make me think about?
What did I take away with me?
What does this tell me about what matters to me?
What does it make me want to create, explore or try?
What could I do with this idea right now or soon?
The Five Whys
If you want to unleash your inner 5 year old try the 5 why’s:
Keep asking why until you get to something that feels true and useful for you
Why is this interesting to me?
Because…
Why?
Because...
Why?
Keep going- the truth is out there.
Often what starts as something like: "I liked the lighting at that gig" ends up becoming: "I want my performances to feel more immersive" which is something you can use.
St Audries Bay in North Somerset- A Waterfall coming out of a tree on a cliff edge onto a beach- an impossible beautiful thing
Capture it before it disappears
We get inspired, then forget. Totally normal for an ADHD type brain, but there are things we can do if we want to remember and it mostly involves:
1) having a place where you can capture your thoughts or ideas and then
2) making regular time to check your captured inspiration moments
3) using and developing them
Here are some suggestions:
-place: voice notes | inspiration note | lyric ideas note | photos | screenshots |
-time: monthly inspiration review- during a commute/bus/train journey/in waiting mode
-development questions: to help review your inspirations
* What inspired me this month?
* What patterns or themes do I notice in the things I’m interested in?
* What do I want to explore further?
In the moment- the difference between being able to recognise what something makes you think about yourself or your own art and staying immersed in it can mean taking a moment out to capture your thoughts or feelings so that you brain knows they’ve been acknowledged and you can re-engage.
This is why you CAN have nice things
Engaging with other people’s art doesn’t have to be a performance review in reverse. Someone else's music, writing, painting or performance is not there to torture you and ask why you haven't done the same thing (yet). I absolutely know it can feel that way though.
Sometimes experiencing other people’s work can leave us feeling energised and ready to get back to our own art. Sometimes it can leave us feeling a bit flat, jealous, behind and like we shouldn’t bother trying to do our thing.
The goal is not to not have those reactions, we all do- the goal is to notice them and not let them stop you moving forward.
If something inspires you, pay attention to it
If something annoys you, pay attention to that too.
If something makes you think "I wish I'd made that", there's probably useful information hiding in there somewhere.
Being inspired isn't just about feeling good- sometimes it's about discovering what matters to you and sometimes it's enough to simply (try to) enjoy something.
You really, honestly can't be good at everything and newsflash: you don't need to be. This can be hard with that inner critic bossing their way into your thoughts but sometimes saying words mentally or out loud (put your earbuds in and pretend you’re taking a call- everyone else is walking around talking to themselves so they won’t notice) try:
“I’m really enjoying this experience!” or
“this is an interesting experience for me” or
“I give myself permission to be immersed in this"
It sounds ridiculous but you’d be surprised how much permission it can give your brain to get Mervyn to pipe down (that’s what I call my inner critic- sorry if you’re reading this and you’re actually called Mervyn).
But yes, it can give you a moment of peace to immerse yourself in whatever you're experiencing instead of immediately turning it into a judgement about yourself.
Watchet- A cool place to visit
TLDR:
So to recap- to get inspired:
Remember what you experienced
Note what you felt or thought
Notice what stayed with you
Then decide whether you want to do something with that inspiration or not- it’s ok to enjoy stuff without analysing it or turning it into homework for you.
Inspiration is often already there in the things you’ve seen and done recently or in the past. The challenge is noticing it, processing it and finding a way to use it that works for your brain and your art.
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My Spring Inspirations/ Springspirations?
Here are a few things that have inspired me recently. None of them are song ideas at the moment- these are moments that stuck with me and made me think differently about my own creative work.
Going on an adventure to find a waterfall underneath a tree on a cliff edge on a beach on a sunny day in the UK-
What did this mean to me?
It made me think of Rio where I had my honeymoon and also looking up at the tree roots exposed, looking kind of impossible but still holding- made me wonder- wow!… but for how long?
Underlying themes: Endurance in the face of adversity, visible roots/structure? Enjoying things before they disappear…?
Hearing a talk from some playwrights about how they used different processes to turn their personal experiences into something that keeps the underlying themes but has distance from the original inspiration-
What did this mean to me?
I’m really interested in this concept at the moment- how as artists and creatives we can use our experiences to curate an output which holds the essence but not the direct facts of the source.
This blew me away- I loved how Poulomi had captured the sound of the moor winds
I accidentally stumbled upon this multimedia exhibition on a day out https://www.eastquaywatchet.co.uk/articles/always-coming-home-by-poulomi-basu and found it sort of unexpectedly transporting but while I was inspired by the whole experience it was the sound design which was integral to my immersion in it- disturbing, compelling and beautiful
What did it mean to me?
I think the idea that you could explore something through multiple different mediums as an artist and not just the one you’re used most familiar with is very interesting to me and something I’m exploring for a scripted stage musical show idea at the moment
Spotted- in the little library in my local park- don’t worry, I’ll put it back
Finding this book in my community library and going down a rabbit hole of exploration about the exhibition and film
https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/all-of-this-unreal-time-max-porter
What does this mean to me?
I like discovering things by accident and letting my ADHD brain have a little walkabout and I’m still processing the actual art/content itself so it feels like there’s more to discover.
