[NitroPhysix]

Hello

So Ive spent years on developing the skills with computers from repairing/networking right up to webdesign and some what found my place with webdesign its all i know now and used to enjoy it very much!

I can come up with the ideas and build a project which would be some what inspirational to others around me and yet i find myself unable to finish it as i quickly loose interest in the project a few days down the line.

I tried starting a project today and have lost all hope of inspiration, theres no burn anymore, no excitement, no enthusiasm to carry on.. Whats really going on? Whats wrong? Ive spent years learning and implementing the skills.

No enthusiasm to work.. or finish a project, enthusiasm is the key to building the best website it could possibly be.

Whats happening and how can i fix it and become interested in webdesign again? What really motivates me about webdesign... Its not money thats for sure.

- Me

[MikeChipshop]

I think it happens to the best of us.
What you need to do is find an area of web design that excites you again. This sounds a lot like me and i started then dabbling with WordPress (but obviously it could be anything) and i became more excited by everything again.

You just need to find what it is that'll spark your interest again.

[NitroPhysix]

MikeChipshop, on 30 January 2012 - 05:09 PM, said:

I think it happens to the best of us.
What you need to do is find an area of web design that excites you again. This sounds a lot like me and i started then dabbling with WordPress (but obviously it could be anything) and i became more excited by everything again.

You just need to find what it is that'll spark your interest again.

Thats a very good answer and come to think about it i enjoy more designing than coding.

[MikeChipshop]

NitroPhysix, on 30 January 2012 - 05:12 PM, said:

Thats a very good answer and come to think about it i enjoy more designing than coding.

Get yourself over to the inspiration galleries or trawl through 'What are you working on' thread on this forum and set yourself a task of creating something beautiful.
If you could find someone who would like to code then you could get yourself on sites such as theme forest, or just do PSD mock-ups.

[NitroPhysix]

MikeChipshop, on 30 January 2012 - 05:15 PM, said:

Get yourself over to the inspiration galleries or trawl through 'What are you working on' thread on this forum and set yourself a task of creating something beautiful.
If you could find someone who would like to code then you could get yourself on sites such as theme forest, or just do PSD mock-ups.

I need to meet more web designers and coders in my local area, I think this would be a great oppotunity and get the motivation going again

[MikeChipshop]

Absolutely. That's the reason why i spent a lot of time here. You can chat about new ideas and test things out on other people.

Obviously real life is good to though

[nfc212]

Leonardo Da Vinci had the same problem.

I also get like this. I start a project, do all the tough stuff, then switch off move onto something else and think "I'll come back to that tomorrow" and tomorrow takes about 3 weeks or so to arrive. I think I like the adrenalin rush of the initial challenge. Once I've got that out of the way I'm looking for another.

I have to force myself to stick with it or I never get anything finished.

[nfc212]

NitroPhysix, on 30 January 2012 - 05:17 PM, said:

I need to meet more web designers and coders in my local area, I think this would be a great oppotunity and get the motivation going again

You'll meet a lot of ex one's in this neck of the woods. Going down like flies in a RAID factory.

The exodus to DIY sites at 1&1 has really knocked this industry back locally, particularly at the bottom end of the food chain.

[NitroPhysix]

MikeChipshop, on 30 January 2012 - 05:15 PM, said:

Get yourself over to the inspiration galleries or trawl through 'What are you working on' thread on this forum and set yourself a task of creating something beautiful.
If you could find someone who would like to code then you could get yourself on sites such as theme forest, or just do PSD mock-ups.

The thing is you also get this feeling like your not good enough, theres people better than you so why bother.. Im realy struggling here, should i find another hobby?

[MikeChipshop]

NitroPhysix, on 30 January 2012 - 05:35 PM, said:

The thing is you also get this feeling like your not good enough, theres people better than you so why bother.. Im realy struggling here, should i find another hobby?

There a very famous quote that states
"No matter what you do, someone will do it better". It doesn't matter if you're not at the top of your field. Otherwise i wouldn't get out of bed in the mornings at all!

So long as you enjoy it and others can appreciate it, then that's all good.

[nfc212]

NitroPhysix, on 30 January 2012 - 05:35 PM, said:

.................. theres people better than you so why bother.. ?

There always is. However on the other hand there are probably many more who are much worse and they bother.

If you should ever doubt your abilities, bookmark these and pop along now and again just to remind yourself how bad it could be.

http://yvettesbridalformal.com/

http://anselme.homes...m/AFPHAITI.html

And the Pièce de résistance

http://www.cowdance.com/

[NitroPhysix]

nfc212, on 30 January 2012 - 05:43 PM, said:

There always is. However on the other hand there are probably many more who are much worse and they bother.

If you should ever doubt your abilities, bookmark these and pop along now and again just to remind yourself how bad it could be.

http://yvettesbridalformal.com/

http://anselme.homes...m/AFPHAITI.html

And the Pièce de résistance

http://www.cowdance.com/

I remember the days LOL awsome links

[nfc212]

NitroPhysix, on 30 January 2012 - 05:45 PM, said:

I remember the days LOL awsome links

See nothing like the Cow Dance to raise a smile in the gloom.

[nfc212]

nfc212, on 30 January 2012 - 05:48 PM, said:

See nothing like the Cow Dance to raise a smile in the gloom.

This page in particular is a classic.

Had a Bad Day Cow Dance

Not sure who had the worst day, the cow, the designer or the poor sod of a visitor.

[SamDavy]

About 6 years ago this happened to me i would start an idea which for the first day i would spend hours working on sketching up ideas then i would stop, frustration and boredom took over it felt i was doing the same thing over and over.

But then! I started to work with other designers on projects and just random ideas, sharing a vision with another designer keeps you motivated. It's a dark hole everyone falls into i have good friends who animate for a living and they call it the animation blues, abit of Web-building blues my friend.

[NitroPhysix]

SamDavy, on 30 January 2012 - 06:34 PM, said:

About 6 years ago this happened to me i would start an idea which for the first day i would spend hours working on sketching up ideas then i would stop, frustration and boredom took over it felt i was doing the same thing over and over.

But then! I started to work with other designers on projects and just random ideas, sharing a vision with another designer keeps you motivated. It's a dark hole everyone falls into i have good friends who animate for a living and they call it the animation blues, abit of Web-building blues my friend.

I wish i had friends round here that were like me

[SamDavy]

Welcome to the internet! I have friends online who i also work with, yes it's harder and the only way of communication is they'ol keyboard. I think you feel abit lonely, you have ideas but you just get board working on your own.

This post has been edited by SamDavy: 30 January 2012 - 06:47 PM

[NitroPhysix]

SamDavy, on 30 January 2012 - 06:40 PM, said:

I think you feel abit lonely and you have ideas but just get board working on your own.

Thats exactly the problem.

[MikeChipshop]

NitroPhysix, on 30 January 2012 - 06:43 PM, said:

Thats exactly the problem.

Plenty of people on here in the same boat. It's about having dreams and just thinking "sod this i'll do what i want".

I'm currently in the boat where i've had to put all my personal projects on hold and it's really damn annoying!

[SamDavy]

Think that's bad! I fly to Afghanistan at the weekend, my current job doesn't allow me to design as much as i would love to, 6 months with ideas in my head.

[Sogo7]

We are the astronauts of cyberspace,
often working in a vacuum & half crazy from the isolation.

[mattds]

I thought this just happens to me!

I have a folder on my computer with about twenty unfinished projects, i like to revisit them from time to time and reminisce

But seriously i think this happens to every "creative worker" at some point.

[porkchops]

This happens to the best of us from time to time.

I have a couple of things I've found useful, depending on how stuck I am.

• If I have a project that I have to start/finish and am time constrained then I usually find myself looking through stuff on Dribbble. Sometimes you only need a little push to get going, so seeing something you like or seeing something that solves a design problem you are facing can often give you that push. Another thing I do is just browse. See what other people are doing. I was working on a website once and seeing a fantastic logo design just inspired me to progress. It can come in odd forms.
  
• Try doing something else creative. Play an instrument, draw, paint, whatever you like to do that isn't design related. Sometimes getting the brain in the creative mode is what it takes.
  
• Sleep. It's almost always a good idea to take a short break from design work, especially if you are stalled out in the middle of a project. Take a day away from it, maybe a weekend, and sometimes that is enough.
  
• Try taking an extra hobby. Find something that gets you away from your design office, computer, workstation, etc.
  
• If you're really having trouble feeling inspired or motivated, just stop designing for a while. If your livelihood doesn't depend on regular design work, take a couple weeks or a month away from it. Maybe do something else for a while.

Be patient, inspiration waxes and wanes. If you spend a lot of time (3-6 months, perhaps) without being inspired maybe you in the wrong hobby/career path? I know a lot of people are attracted to web design by the low barrier of entry and high potential income (much to my chagrin) and some people choose a path because it seems like the right idea at the time. Most people I know who are happy with their jobs have worked 3 or 4 different careers before their current one. No shame there. Doing what you love is incredibly important.

This post has been edited by porkchops: 31 January 2012 - 02:13 AM

[wewyr]

I find myself in this situation a lot. Working on my own is not good for my motivation. I manage by doing tai chi during the day, in between 2hr chunks of work. I'd reccomend finding something else that you can do that really stimulates your mind and body. Maybe get up early and go for a long walk or swim in the morning.

[evu]

I think I'm in the same boat. I've been picking up and dropping learning design every few months for the past two years. I love the industry and when I think about it, it's really the only thing I wish I did for a living(aside from being James Bond, but that's a hard job to get).

I seem to get burnt out, I think absorbing so much stuff just blows my mind up. I'll go from reading 2 books a week, watching every tutorial/seminar I can get my hands on, constantly reading blog posts/forums to not even having the desire to click the PS icon. I've been a member on here since 2009 and if anyone's familiar with me, they'll see I disappear for a couple of months every so often.

I was thinking the same thing, "what's up with that...", it's at least comforting to know other people do it too +1 Porkchops, your post reassured me!

~evu.

[brightonmike]

I honestly think this is a bit of a drawback of freelancing on your own. You've got to self-motivate, all of the time. That can be very difficult for the best of us at times.

I don't know what your setup is, but perhaps you should look to find yourself a business partner? Get working with someone who can help kick some life into you!

Or, do some agency work, outsourced. Then when you get work, ask if you can do it in their office. They may be cool with that and then you're surrounded by similar people who can encourage you.

[NoClass]

I find if I'm stumped for ideas I wander into town, sup a coffee and mosey round the shops, parks and library ... normally something will pop out or trigger my mind into a chain of thought / inspiration.

Also if creatively I'm stumped I get on with the bread and butter updates for clients sites until I think of something. Existing sites very rarely need any additional inspiration, same old colours and branding etc - the monkey work.

Bouncing ideas is good too and this forum should help ... my wife just smiles and nods when I'm excited about a new method for something or SEO results from the latest projects are great and I try to explain how it's done ... it's frustrating as you need another designer to understand what you're talking about.

If all else fails I hear there's a type of mushroom that lets you see ideas floating in the air

I will agree; it's a lonely life ... I wanna be James Bond too!

This post has been edited by NoClass: 16 February 2012 - 09:15 AM

[MikeChipshop]

brightonmike, on 16 February 2012 - 09:09 AM, said:

I honestly think this is a bit of a drawback of freelancing on your own. You've got to self-motivate, all of the time. That can be very difficult for the best of us at times.

Very much the case. I surround myself (virtually) with motivated, creative and plain crazy people that keep me feeling motivated myself. Sometimes it's good just to take a break from web design for a bit and just watch the world.

[brightonmike]

I quite like the idea of putting work aside for 2 weeks, getting on a train, taking my passport, and seeing where I end up and just how inspired I am at the end of it.

[Jason Dexter]

brightonmike, on 16 February 2012 - 09:20 AM, said:

I quite like the idea of putting work aside for 2 weeks, getting on a train, taking my passport, and seeing where I end up and just how inspired I am at the end of it.

An ounce of weed and some LSD normally does the trick for me

(IM JOKING, before the cops bang n my door)

Since moving away from design and into online marketing, I still have the same problems. But I have self employed friends who suffer from lack of motivation every so often.

I think the key is to get into a routine. Get up at 9, finish at 5 and leave the work in your office, whether its a virtual office or physical location.

Even if you have no work planned, still go to work at 9 and do some work for yourself, send out e-mails, book keeping, marketing, social networking, phone calls. Finish at 5 and then leave all work related matters where they belong.

It's easier if you've worked that 9-5 for a while beforehand, as its something you dont shake off straight away.

My point is that motivation and inspiration go hand in hand sometimes and whn you're lacking that inspiration, spend a few hours on something else, or have a lunch break and clear your head. I walk the mutt with some quality songs on my phone. Much better than just sitting there and trying to muster up the inspiration you need

[historygirllfc]

Great thread and a lesson to everyone I think in drawbacks of working on your own. I get this sometimes as I'm self-learning I get bored and find something else to do. There are great ideas on here about how to get motivated again.

[Matthew Stocker]

This is exactly what is happening to me atm design wise.

I think of something, then for the life of me try and get it into a workable way, then give up after spending hours on it, just to come back to it a few days/weeks later.

Normally when I'm pooped out, I'll try and do something different. Go somewhere new etc.

[webdesigner93]

mmm i must honestly say this dont happen to me, i always like finishing projects i start and even making some money off of them which i have recently such as submitbannerusa.com which is my oldest project i have finish... but only thing i can say is keep the bigger picture in mind.

[Gibson]

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration.

[baz connolly]

Keep going as others suggest I would pick something to specialise in and dive right in. I design, build and do everything the client needs but dont seem to get the recognition for it. I was talking to a guy last week who gets £700 a day contracting as a php developer. He only works a few days a month looky sod!

try and find what you know the most about and learn every single thing there is to learn.

Good luck anyways I know exactly how you feel

[deezo]

Gibson, on 27 February 2012 - 07:43 PM, said:

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration.