How do you get inspired to do your artwork? I mean, is there a routine you go through? Do you have to clean your desk or work table? Maybe you get your proper tools out and all in order, or maybe you meditate or do some sort of physical exercise first?
I like to pull out some of my art reference books. So for example, if I am going to work with ink I look at the artwork of several masterful artists who use ink. If I am going to use collage, I will look at the work of a handful of masterful artists who employ collage in different ways. I try not to look only at one artist’s work because I do not want to “parrot” that single artist.
The internet is very helpful in this pursuit. You can google the names of supplies, materials, techniques, styles, or individual artist names and in an instant – tons of material is made available to you. Once you find it, you may benefit from assembling desktop folders of similar reference materials, so you can return to them when needed.
My goal is to look at a collection of artwork that is better than mine, and I feel that experience is much like an athlete who enjoys training with athletes who might be faster, stronger, or more skillful. By doing so, my goals are stretched, the bar is raised, and I feel my resulting work will likely be stronger. In other words, I am challenged to put in my best performance by placing myself in this field. You may also want to try this idea.