Browsing and collecting reference is a part of the creative process. There’s always new and interesting galleries, or visual collection tools, each touting its unique curation or better organizational features. There’s obviously a large and in-demand market for more inspiration all the time.

Yet distractions, even those we consider 'productive', greatly diminish our potential for creative output. In our pursuit of the new and aspirational, we’re giving up time that could be used to improve our own skills. Every moment spent exploring endless visual feeds, is a moment lost from refining our craft or going deep.

> "In such a culture, we should not be surprised that deep work struggles to compete against the shiny thrum of tweets, likes, tagged photos, walls, posts, and all the other behaviors that we’re now taught are necessary for no other reason than that they exist."
>
> Cal Newport

It's human nature to compare, to measure our work against that of our peers. A certain degree of this comparison can motivate us, or provide a creative spark. We’re all of course to some degree, Stealing like an Artist. But when the scales tip towards overindulgence, it's no longer finding inspiration or curating a vision. It can become a source of jealousy or worse, self-doubt. The kind that leaves you frustrated, and wishing you had someone else’s gig. The risk is being so caught up in what others are doing, that we overlook the potential right in front of us.

Balancing the act of seeking inspiration with focus on creation is an ongoing struggle. It’s possible our creative wandering is killing our potential. Is all this gathering, collecting, and attaining inspiration improving the work in front of us, or is it just procrastination?

Inspiration Overload

Designer

Crafting unique high quality assets & mockups.

Assets & Tools

Select Clients · Nike, Meta, Instagram, Microsoft, Snap, Steelcase

Associate Design Director

Sr. Lead Brand Designer

Select Clients · Google, Pinterest, Spotify

Art Director

Select Clients · Business Insider, Patreon, Vimeo

Michael Novia

2024