Filling a sketchbook or journal full of notes, drawings, and musings is a practice that, given time, will lead you to a life full of inspiration.

Inspiration is a curious thing. Some people talk about it as though it is heaven-sent other's describe the life-long agony of it alluding them. If only inspiration would strike, they could then do something incredible with the lives they have been half-heartedly living. Neither of these approaches is likely to get you anywhere. If you want to create something brilliant, or for that matter, live brilliantly, you need to put forth a little effort. You have to seek as well as to collect, sources FOR inspiration.

When I was in art school, every class required it's own dedicated sketchbook as a part of the studio practice and for a good reason. Each semester, it was without a doubt that the students who religiously used their sketchbooks that presented the most insightful and sophisticated pieces at critiques. These students understood that sketchbooks are as much a tool for creating paintings and sculptures as their brushes and saws. Within the pages, they not only sketched and recorded research but worked through and refined facets of what became their most enviable ideas and long term projects.

My challenge to you is to get out. Get outside of your head, and maybe even your house. Go find things that interest you. Draw, analyze, and research them. If you want to be inspired, you have to do the leg work. Filling a sketchbook or journal full of notes, drawings, and musings is a practice that, given time, will lead you to a life full of inspiration.

Not sure where to begin? Follow these prompts for guidance.

1. Give yourself an hour to rip out pages from magazines. Anything that you are drawn to whether it’s an image or a word. Paste all of these into a collage and leave it alone. Come back in a day or two and give yourself twenty minutes to write down to write down your observations. Are there patterns that you notice? What color shows up most predominantly? What is the overall mood? Are there multiples of something? What do you think this collage says about your desires?

2. Grab your favorite thing from the kitchen. Describe its characteristics. Describe situations that you use it in most often. Work through what is significant about it being your favorite? Is it because it makes life easier? More luxurious? Comfortable? Beautiful? How can you add more of this to your own life?

3. Think back to one of your favorite vacations. Now, describe the atmosphere. What was the weather like, what music was playing, what kind of food did you drink, did you go with a big group or was it a solo trip, if you could bring one element of that trip home with you what would it be?

Looking for sketchbook recommendations? Just look below for the link to my favorite!

1. Rustico Big Idea Album _ for dreaming

2. Rustico Phoenix Water Bottle- for hydrating

3. Retro51 Tornado Fountain Pen - “Lincoln” - for creating

A special thanks to the team at Rustico for collaborating with me and creating beautifully crafted tools for all of us dreamers and explorers.