By the River of Tears

Chidokai Sunset

Concept Environment 2

Cross Canyon

Dinner

Fantasopolis 1

Follow the Path

I Found Them

Island 1

Jungle Outpost

King and Queen

Landscape

Landscape Speedpaint

Last Patrol

Radio

Red Tree

Stockholm 2100 A.D

Temple of the North

Uncharted Waters

Here are some portraits that I found on DeviantArt. I generally want to stay away from just “beautiful” portraits and choose something that has a little bit more going on, a little bit of a mystery or intrigue.

Please support the artists by checking out their profiles on DeviantArt!

Sohm

Counter Clockwise

Now is the only time I know

Face a Face

Lovefool

Are you a friend or foe?

Silence

Peer

Please Stay

Looking Sharp

Parched

Maya Herrera

Years

Nasia

Dread

LogoSpire

logogallery

logopond

Logo of the day

Logo Faves

logofury

LogoGalleria

Logo Lounge

Lo8os

If it takes you hours of searching to find some information then chances are there is a need for it on the internet. Why not write about your results after you’ve found the answer?

Then use the most relevant keywords and your article will get top rankings very fast (because you don’t have a lot of competition).

Ask a question

Perhaps you have a question that you would like to answer, or would like to explore something that you wouldn’t otherwise. Perhaps you’re a designer looking to know more about html/css development. Use this as an excuse to research and learn about it. Your learning experience will help others who are doing the same.

Use forums

Answer people’s questions

This is a great way to find topics to write about, especially if you’re stumped. Go to the forum and search for some questions that you can answer. Write a post and then submit the link to the forum. It’s a great way to get people to your site without annoying moderators with links that would otherwise be spam.

Suggest a topic and ask people’s opinions

If you have an idea but you’re not sure if you should write about it (it could take a lot of work, there’s a lot of competition, etc.) ask some people in the forum. At best, they can suggest some aspects that haven’t been well documented and at worst they will stop you from wasting your time.

Ask for suggestions

If you can’t think of any ideas then ask people at the forum for some. Everyone is there to learn or provide some advice so this is the perfect place to ask for help.

Here are my favorite forums

Designers Talk

Site Point Forums

Boagworld Forum

Keep a notebook.

Jot down ideas

I don’t know about you but most of my ideas come to me when I’m away from the computer. That’s why I always have something to write on. Whether it be my ipod, a small notebook or just simple bank slips.

I Also have a repository of ideas that I can refer back to when I’m stuck. I have a three ring binder that I use to hold all my post ideas. Some of them I’ll probably never write, but they’re there to inspire new ideas.

Flesh out post on paper before sitting at the computer.

I like to sit down with my notebook and outline my post on paper first. I do my research online and then outline all the major sections, getting it down to the very essentials. I’ve found this saves me a lot of time and clarifies my writing.

Here are some ideas to get you started

• Just say what’s on your mind.
• Write a tutorial.
• Tell a story.
• Post a differing opinion about someone else’s post (but do it respectfully).
• Interview someone in your industry.
• Review a product or website.
• Attend an event and write about it.
• Ask a guest to post.
• Make a list.
• Do a case study.
• Conduct an experiment and post about the results.
• Run a poll.
• Discuss any mistakes you’ve made and how you learned from them.
• Take a large topic and write several posts about it.

Further Reading

Starting a Blog? 12 Ideas for blog posts

25 Blog Post Ideas and Stimulators to Get You Unstuck

Your thoughts

Do you have any tips or tricks for writing posts? Feel free to post them in my comments below.

This is on of my favorites. It has a simple interface and features some of the best designs on the web. Now if only one of my designs would get on there. . .

Design Meltdown

This website categorizes every website by color usage, design themes, design elements etc. It’s very useful if you’re looking for a way to design a specific part of a page. Like dates for example.

Template Monster

OK, this isn’t a design gallery technically but it does have a good collection of professional templates.

CSS Heaven

This gallery crams in 21 web designs on each page, a great way to browse quickly. My only crit is that the thumbnails could be a bit larger.

Unmatched Style

A beautiful gallery with nice thumbnails. Need I say more?

Stare-At

This gallery focuses on graphic design rather than web design. It has examples of photography, illustration, advertising oh. . . . . and web design!

A Site A Day

I love the name of this website. It says all the right things. Unfortunately it hasn’t been updated in a while. Regardless, check it out.

Best Web Gallery

This is a nice site with a lot of beautiful work. My only crit is that the thumbnails don’t give me a good idea of what the interface looks like (which could slow me down in a production environment).

CSS Elite

This gallery is absolutely gorgeous. It’s easy to use with nice padding between the thumbnails and a conveniently located category menu.

What are your favorites?

Post your favorite web galleries below! I might even include them in the article .

Ideas don’t usually come to us while working, it’s those “in between” times that’s lets our mind become creative and generate new ideas. Jot those down in a notebook. Usually we can only remember something for a few minutes, especially if it’s just a passing thought. A notebook is a good place to put these down so that you can refer to it later.

Read

Find a book that you’re interested in and read it regularly. Even for just 15 minutes a day. Chances are you’ll come across something that you’ve never thought of before. This will encourage you to think in a different way which will encourage inspiration. Try to take notes too, it’s a really useful resource once you’ve finished the book.

Write

Is there something that you’re particular passionate about? Then start a blog and write about it! Chances are there will be people out there who will be just as interested as you and are craving new sources of information. Writing will also get you thinking differently about your topic and perhaps open new avenues for inspiration.

Learn something

Take some time and investigate a new technology or technique that you’ve heard about. Or if you haven’t heard anything then search online to learn what’s going on. This will motivate you as it will broaden your horizons and make you feel empowered.

Experiment

Take what you know, or don’t know and experiment. It doesn’t have to be anything useful, it can be a ball bouncing on the screen or an unorthodox way to use CSS. Don’t concern yourself with perfection either, this is just an excuse to play. Doing so will familiarize yourself with whatever you’re doing (especially if its new to you) as well as inspire new ideas.

Get away from the Computer

It’s easy to get boxed in if you sit at the computer for eight hours a day, seven days a week. You should drop everything for a while, get away from the computer and spend time with family and friends. Once you do get back to work you’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle new problems.

Start some personal projects

Doing just client work, or work for your boss is great for bringing in the cash but it might not necessarily be very motivating. Start your own personal projects and work on them in your spare time. This will increase your enjoyment in your work, keep you motivated and who knows, maybe it will be a hit!

Make long term plans for current projects

Usually, in the beginning, a project has a period of rapid growth. Then once it’s released it begins to stagnate. Come up with some ideas in the beginning that you can implement in the future. That way, you don’t have to do all the work at once and you have a list of “new features” that you can depend on.

Get involved online

Participate in online forums, make contributons to questions and get actively involved in conversations. Chances are you’ll make several new friends and tap into a new wealth of ideas and inspiration.

Go to conferences

Conferences are a great way to get the inside scoop in your industry, plus you’ll find tons of people who are interested in the same things you are. There is a lot of activity going on with many bright people, go up to some and introduce yourself, you might even start a new partner or business relationship.

Get Out of your Comfort Zone

Break out of your normal routiene and embark on an adventure that tests your boundaries. Go on a road trip, explore new technologies, try a new sport. This will leave you feeling empowered and motivated.

Closing Comments

These are just some of the things you can do to help you get motivated, please feel free to post any additional ideas you might have in my comments.