One of the most challenging aspects of being an artist is the constant need to find subjects to work on and stay inspired and creative enough to determine what to work on next. As a creator, I know the struggle. So today, I will share with you how to find prompts for your next art project and keep your inspiration fueled.

At different stages of your career, you will have different goals. As a beginner, the more you create, the better your skills will develop. So, I would prioritize consistency and practice over subject choice. However, if you are an experienced artist and feel like you already have an established art style, and focus more on sharing your work, then your subject choice matters a little bit more.

Let’s find prompts that would work for you at both stages of your career:

How to find prompts for your next art project as a beginner?

To practice the most, you would need a constant stream of ideas. And to help you out with that, I have assembled a list of articles that you may want to take a look at:

But let me also add more ways for you to find ideas as a beginner all the time.

Who is the most significant person in your life? Can you paint them in a way that reflects their character? Focus on capturing energy instead of focusing on the details of what they look like. Remember, the more you challenge yourself, the more creative flow you can assure.

Have you been on any trips lately? Could you capture them in a painting? Again, you can paint your destination, the memory of something that happened during the trip, or the food you had on your trip. You might as well journal your trip.

Try painting an ordinary subject in an interesting way, or a complex subject in a simple way.

Can you copy the style of your favorite artist?

Paint a representation of yourself in anything but human form. (For example, if I were to paint myself, I’d make myself into a safe space where you can try different things and where time doesn’t exist).

A picture from my travel journal for inspiration

How to find prompts for your next art project as a more experienced creator?

When having an art style or recurring subject that we always work on, we become more limited in choosing our subject.

I personally created a system to help me generate ideas in the same niche/style, and I followed it for years until I grew out of the style and decided to switch. And the way I did it is by approaching my projects with a main focus on: technique, subject, color, etc.

Let’s say you are an artist who loves painting bodies of water. I would start by creating a Pinterest board and pinning every idea that includes bodies of water. This will give you a more diverse range of inspiration. I would also diversify my work to cover further categories such as: aesthetic paintings, emotional ones, topics of debate (environmental changes and water waste). On the other hand, I would try new art mediums, so instead of working on paintings all the time, I would try sculpting or mixing media.

Again, you can draw inspiration from the same articles I have shared in the first part of this article and adapt them to your way of working.

How to find prompts for your next art project?

Conclusion

How do you find prompts for your next art project? I am curious to know. Make sure you share with me ways in generating ideas and keeping your motivation up and running. Enjoy creating <3