If you are tuning in for the first time in the series, you should check out the first five weeks of Blogging 101 information.
How to grow your blog.
How to keep up with Blogging.
How to handle incoming emails.
How to make money blogging.
How often should a blogger post?
How to cope when comparing yourself to others.
Today’s question stems deep for me because I get asked this question a LOT! I have never had the problem of coming up with ideas, for me it is having the time and money to be able to do them! I am lucky to have a creative brain, and my husband thinks I am crazy for it at times. He is the realist who helps me figure out how to make my visions “real,” and that’s the part the sometimes doesn’t pan out. I can always come up with an idea, but making into full fruition is sometimes impossible.
Here is a typical conversation in our home:
Brooke: Can we build that?
Dan: No.
Brooke: Why not?
Dan: Because we don’t have the right tools.
Brooke: How much would that tool cost?
Dan: We would need an entire wood shop of tools to build that.
Brooke: Why?
Dan: Because you can’t build things out of mid air.
Brooke: Lame.
The End.
Now check out what these ladies said about this week’s question:
Mandi from Vintage Revivals:
Sometimes I do wonder that. It’s usually after I do a really cool project and then as I sit back and really take in what was created I wonder how I never thought of that before. I think that creatives will always create. New things trigger inspiration everyday so I think the question should be not will you run out of ideas but will you stay in tune with your creativity? I have learned what fosters my creativity and what makes it so that the ideas that I come up with are organically mine. I love pinterest but I can’t be on it very much. I get caught up in the beautiful pictures and suddenly I am convinced that I need to decorate my entire house in all white. Then after I step away I realize that I don’t want to decorate my entire house in white, I just loved that image. Be true to yourself and you will never run out of ideas, because you are always changing and growing as a person.
Tauni from Snap! Oh boy. Doesn’t everyone think about this sometimes? DIY bloggers have the hardest job ever…- Read. I am not as good at this as I used to be, but I try to read trendsetting blogs and magazines, as well as visit visually stimulating sites like online magazines and Pinterest.
- Listen. More often than not, your readers will tell you what they are interested and want to see.
- Get out. Going outside, doing new things, meeting new people are all very inspirational
- Keep a list. I keep a notebook with me at all times to capture the things I am thinking of and what I want to post in the future. If I don’t write it down, it’s likely to be forgotten.
Easiest question yet! In short… now way! ha!
Beckie from Infarrantly Creative
Yes every week I think this is the week my creativity will die. But eventually I get another idea. I think the more you think creatively the more creative you become. When I first started blogging I rarely ever had an original idea. I copied a lot of the talented bloggers out there. But the more and more I created the more creative I became. I think that thinking outside of the box is a learned skill. I also think you need to take creative risks at times and not be afraid of failure. If there is no fear you are more apt to try new things and see things differently than everyone else and that is what makes you creative. But, at the same time, don’t be afraid to take another person ideas (giving credit where credit is due of course) and giving it your spin on it. There is nothing that excites me more than getting one of my readers to create…even if they copy my project exactly. My blog exists to encourage others to do it themselves. 
Donna from Funky Junk
Total opposite issue here. Too many projects I redo creates LOADS of blogging. 🙂 But I do have a theory. Stop trying to think of what to blog about. Rather, be offline creating and living, which creates blog posts. The only time I get into a bind is if I spend too much time online. Have nothing to blog about? Get offline, make life happen and you’ll never run out of things to say.
I like Beckie's comment about thinking outside the box being a learned skill. That will stick with me. I might need to practice that one!
Great advice – love Donna's perspective, I can spend hours on line following what others have done which is time I could have been using creatively off-line. I don't think I'll ever run out of ideas, but I worry I won't have time or enthusiam for it. Also I've started carrying a notebook and my small camera everywhere, I make notes and take pics all the time to inspire me. x
The "can we build that" conversation happens almost daily at our house!!
I sometimes wonder if I'll ever run out of ideas or stuff to post about, especially since our game plan involves renovating just one room a year. But I have a list going about 20 things long right now…with more being added all the time!
Great tips! I love what Mandi said about staying off P interest b/c she'll want to paint her entire house white! Hilarious but true!!! 🙂
I have so enjoyed this series, I haven't commented every time, but wanted to drop in again and say thank you!
Carol
I'm new to your blog, and love it! After going through all of your 2010 posts, I have a big to do list of fun projects 🙂 I have a few questions for you….
I am renovating a piano right now, and have followed all of your how to steps, with kilz primer and krylon spray paint, I'm painting it gloss black, and have put 3 coats on, and see that it is easily going to need at least 2 more, how many coats of spray paint is too much? I am taking the time to make this look really good, and don't want to have too many coats that it looks bad.
Also, I think I read in a post of yours that you sometimes consider glazing as a finishing coat, but with my piano I'm not going to glaze, should I put a top coat on the gloss black spray paint?
And lastly do you have a tutorial of re-upholstering a love seat size sofa? Or know of one out there that you could direct me to?
Thanks! You have inspired me to look at old furniture in a different way 🙂
bpdually@yahoo.com
Michelle
THANK YOU Brooke! I am so glad you helped me out, I was kind of 'on hold' with my piano till I heard what you thought, wish me luck 🙂 I forgot to take a before picture, but yes I will definitely send ya a picture when it is all done (as long as it looks good 🙂
Your awesome!! Thanks so much!!
Michelle
Michelle,
My rule of thumb is that you have to keep spraying until there are no longer "stripes" on your project. Black spray paint seems to stripe more than other colors, so I've had a hard time getting those stripes to disappear. If I were you I would consider putting a poly-acrylic clear coat on top of it.
Go slow, shake your paint cans REALLY well, and keep spraying until it looks even.
If you don't shake your cans thoroughly, the sheen won't be even.
Don't be afraid to sand between coats with 220-320 grit sand paper if you feel a little gritty-ness (is that a word). 🙂
Good luck. Please send me pictures when you are done!
As for the loveseat….nope I don't have one, and I haven't seen one. (Maybe I should do one in the future.)
thanks so much for this post. i'm a new blogger, and i'm running out of ideas already!
one way i come with new ideas for my blog is by thrift shopping. i find some real treasures and they inspire me to change my house for the better. give it personality. i find that one man's trash truly is another's treasure. i've done some great things with thrifting. i haven't necessarily blogged about them all yet, but once i start positioning things in my home and really start adding personality, i'll be posting a lot more 🙂
i'm trying to do a 'room by room' approach. this gives me something to blog about – inspirational ideas for each, as well as progress photos.