Creative block? Where do you go for inspiration?
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Music, in game rp, writing (and to lesser extent reading), and more music :) I also often get inspiration from my dreams oddly enough
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try browsing around Artstation
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Someone sent me this not too long ago... worth a watch!
I looked at your gallery and saw the wonderful render of "The Prodigal Son", so I thought you might be interested in this link to Rembrandt's Biblical works of art. I found it in a recent forum post, and it is art I want to explore, as well as landscapes and realms.
I'm in a block myself. For fantasy, I look at the DeviantArt group called Realm of Fantasy, especially the "Features and Collections" section in their Favorites area. I've been playing "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" and taking screen shots throughout, as I want to continue doing Lara Croft fan art.
And there is amazing art in the Gallery here, especially those that make it into the Top Recent Images!
Artstation, if anything, makes me want to curl up weeping under my desk. ;)
What I usually do when I hit a block is to pic a topic I never dared to try bevore. There are so many things in DS I never tried out really and have not understandong of, its worth learning and inspiration comes with the new tool now at hand.
I play some games, browse the various art sites for anything that sparks an idea, or just poke around my library to see anything that jumps out and me and roll with it. Don't try and force the creativity, let it flow on it's own.
I've been suffering with art block a lot lately. In fact, I have it right now.
I can't seem to get rid of it. To be honest, a lot of my stuff was inspired by a video game series called Devil May Cry. But ever since the announcement of the fifth game, my art output has dropped. To me, the fourth game ruined my favorite character and I don't find anything appealing about the 5th.
Then there's "real life" stuff too...
I keep thinking of that Barry Manilow song, "Tryin' to get the feeling again".
I normally do a Halloween render... But, Alas! My muse has deserted me (again - Although I'm not sure what/who it is or what it looks like).
I'm sorry that it's not a helpful post, but I hope you find the answer to your art block. :)
Something one can try, if having a block. Is to take a leaf from the RRRR contest (or perhaps even enter it *nudge nudge*). Simply number the products in your library, randomly draw a select amount of numbers (as an example, let's use 5 products) and than make a render with those products. It's better explained on the RRRR contest thread, but hopefully it make sense :)
Edit - found the latest RRRR contest, in case anyone want to read/enter etc :) (I think it's the latest atleast lol)
...RRRR is a great way to jump start inspiration (and possibly end up with a GC to boot). It used to be hosted here but moved to the Art Studio thread. Going to have to seriously update my product listing when I get everything back up and running again.
I don't get it often as I have several different reasons to create scenes and renders. The commercial reason is easy since I usually have directions on what they want. If I am doing it because i want it and nothing more, that is easy as well since I have a ton of ideas, even many variations on a single scene and usually it's the lack of a specific prop or figure that holds back those images. It's the "I need to create something moving for a gallery submission" that gets me more than it should. Its these kinds of images that require me to really think outside the box or find a different take on a scenario many others have done and make it unique and able to move users to like or comment. We have all had images we thought were awesome that got very little reaction and ones that were not anything special that users seem to connect with. that is when the block really hits the most for me.
I find inspiration in lots of places, sometimes at odd moments. I saw two girls with their feet in a fountain at the mall the other day and thought that would make a great render. I watched a YT video of a safari encounter with an elephant and wanted to recreate that in 3D. I am also a gamer and extract lots of mesh objects from the games I own and use them in render ideas. It works great especially for superhero images. I also find looking at real images helps.
My creative block is often with products.
Like, right now, I have almost a dozen half-finished shaders and sort of poking at which one inspires me enough to finish (which involves a bunch of work that isn't fun at all)
i usually sit on the pot in the bathroom. It helps a lot with the blockage.
For inspiration, I just follow, and/or browse the galleries of artists who are very passionate about their art, regardless of their specialty or choice of subject matter. Because their positive outlook towards their art is invigorating to me.
From my own personal experience with "creative block", it is caused by IRL stress from various reasons. Obviously, anything "creative" is unimportant for me to focus on during these times. Yet, it's also one of the few things I take delight in doing that ultimately helps me relax/ease my stress. (To be specific, the most relaxing and satisfying outlet for my creativity is drawing. But creating illustrations with DS is great too, especially when I don't even have energies to draw.) The creativity is always there for me, but I need to bring it out with motivation. And it also depends on what type of project I'm working on. Still, being around others who either encourage me directly or indirectly has helped me the most.
Music for sure. Listening now as I am working on a scene!
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Years ago when my sons were small, they had the most untidiest bedroom the world has ever seen. There are a lot of things I find that it's easier to do myself, but attempting to restore order in this chaotic room wasn't one of them and after nagging pointlessly at them to clear it up themselves, I'd end up 'supervising' while they did. Just me being there would have the required effect and so supervising would involve me sitting on one of the beds and zoning out and thinking of nothing at all. In those days, I used to write rather than render, but I had some of the most creative ideas I've ever had during those times. They've left home now (and are much tidier!), but I often wonder during particularly bad periods of creative block whether paying the neighbours' kids to make a mess and then have them tidy it up again while I take no notice of it all might produce some fresh ideas :)
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Heh, you should get a bear like the one I'm using in a render I've got cooking: https://www.daz3d.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=horror+toys Something tells me dogs aren't going to be eating him :D
The simple answer to the OP: is everywhere.
A news report; something framed in a car window or something passing the window; a conversation with someone; the title of something. The list can go on.
And whilst I think about it: exercise.
... Don't listen to music, or any other distraction: just think. Of course exercise (to me) is so bleep dull, and perhaps to others too, which is why folks watch screens and listen to music... But we do that anyway, whereas just thinking, in relative silence, or even close to complete silence is very different to the norm.
...thank you. I look at it as inspiration for dealing with life's situations when they try to get the better of you.
Wow, "seeing double" here after I post.
I find inspiration tends to come in either trickles or torrents, and often my best ideas used to come while doing something comepletely unreleated and letting my mind wander. It used to be that a lot of those ideas would get forgotten by the time I finally had a chance to sit down and create, but these days I take advantage of this nifty thing called a smartphone and send myself little memos about at least the nugget of the idea to my G-mail account. I also send myself lilnks to insprational stories, pictures, etc. That way, when I'm searching for ideas, I can just call up some of the ones I've had previously and see where that takes me.
Sometimes, I just need to take a break for a couple of days, kill some goblins (rpg's also have a tendency to inspire me as my preferred art is fantasy). Browsing through my content library is a good place for me to start as well. Reading, again fantasy or post apocolyptic stories in particular. Looking at other people's art doesn't necessarily inpsire new things for me but it does inspire me to try harder and get better. And it inspires me to learn all I can to get better. The exception is watching you tube videos of people creating, especially if its drawing and painting from start to finish. I tend to find that incredibly inspiring for some reason. Or watching people put together photomanipulation art.
I do sometimes get burnt out a little bit, as much as I love love love creating art, if I've done 1-3 pieces, seven days a week, for several weeks, I tend to need a day or two before I can really make art that I consider good enough.
I'm a runner and lots of times a good run without other distractions does wonders for writer's/art block.
I don’t get artist’s block too often, but I do like the challenge of making my own poses and doing things that haven’t been done before.