#like a weird flowstate

[cyber-corp]

Had the strangest half-dream the other night. I was in this strange and dim office labyrinth (covered in post-it notes) and I’d wake up, and then immediately go back to the dream office because of how heavy my eyelids felt

[jupiter-reimagined]

My brain is empty, FBI Agent!Kali has dipped.

mine is too;; brain quiet

[stephaniebuer]

I’m often told that I should make a time-lapse of my drawing process, start to finish. So I tried it this week, got about a day and a half in and I just couldn’t do it. I enter this meditative, flow state when I draw, I know it’s magical and imperative to the process but I had no idea how tenuous it was until I turned a camera on. I just couldn’t enter that quiet state and without it I wasn’t connecting with the drawing, with myself, or the landscape I was representing. It was like we couldn’t hear each other, or speak to each other. I know it sounds cheesy but it’s true! I was troubled by it all night. So I stopped filming and my drawing and I are flowing again 〰️〰️ I wish I could share my weird process with you all on this platform but it just wasn’t working. I’m still boggled by how quickly the camera shut down that magical, art making space. It’s just too personal I guess ✨✨ . #studioramblings #flowstate #meditation #portland #oregon #drawing #charcoaldrawing #charcoal #realism #fineart #contemporaryart #representationalart #landscape #landscapedrawing #art #stephaniebuer #artist #artistsoninstagram #nakiacreekfire #pacificnorthwest #wildfireseason #artmaking https://www.instagram.com/p/ClAJEEBvmsA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[rufftvlive]

Reposted from @kidsquidy 1200 micrograms . Wanted to explore a more fluid and warped space with my skulls. Felt like breaking the monotony and also kinda wanted to bend reality in a way. Weird feeling I know, but I think this piece pretty much represents my mood. Love how it turned out. Lemme know what you think in the comments below. . . #illustration #art #design #popsurrealism #popsurreal #darkart #darkartist #creepyart #opticalillusion #warped #trippy #liquid #flowstate #mickeymouse #darkwave #blackwork #macabreart #lowbrow #lowbrowart #creepy #deathmetal #popculture #darkpop #surrealism #surrealart #digitalart #digitalillustration #inking #sketch #madewithwacom (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGxL7UAhW-o/?igshid=1fl8s5yo0mwl9

[inkingoutloudproject]

9 best writing tools to help you get the job done (masterpost)

There are two kinds of writers: those who can just reel off thousands of words at a time with almost no prompting, and those that can’t. The former is one of the rarest creatures on the planet, so it’s likely you fall into the latter category.

The good thing is that there are some perks to being a writer in the 21st century, as opposed to sitting hunched over a dark writing desk in a freezing English winter in 1750 with only a candle to light your page. One of those perks is unlimited instant coffee, and the other is the internet.

Ah yes, the internet, full of weird and wonderful things – some helpful, some not so much. There are loads of tools out there to help writers get the job done, all it takes is a quick google to find that out. But which ones work? Which ones are good? Which ones are incredible?

Try these ones out under the cut!

Wordcounter – online

This simple tool makes it easy to check whether you overuse certain words and phrases in your writing. Is everything your character does “lovely”? Is every evening “misty”? If your writing sounds repetitive, this app can really save your bacon.

Flowstate – iOs/OS X app – £4.99

“@inking_outloud it's called Flowstate - basically you set a time and if you stop writing for more than 5 secs in that it erases everything!”

This one came in from a reader, and it’s great. As Nat so eloquently explained, you set the amount of time you want to write for, and if you stop for more than five seconds within that time, it deletes all your progress. Absolutely brutal, but perhaps you just need a bit of panic in your life to get the job done.

Tip of my tongue – online

What was that word again? You know it exists, and you’ve been through everything you can think of to remember it, but it just won’t come to you. This ingenious tool fixes the problem that plagues our puny human brains and helps you find exactly what you were looking for. Saves a lot of time (and a lot of frustrated groaning).

Readability score – online

Sometimes we get a little carried away with our sentence length, or perhaps utilise overcomplicated vernacular in our prosody (see what we did there?). Unless you’re writing for an academic paper or trying to confuse people on purpose, these things can make your audience work a little too hard for your meaning. Readability score rates your work based on how easy it is to read for the average human. Sorted.

5k per hour – iOs app

“@inking_outloud I like 5k per hour app. It's iOs only but it converts word sprints into words per hour.”

Another reader suggestion, this one easily converts writing sprints into longer sessions, aiming to have you writing 5,000 words in an hour. You can also track your progress, and the app gives you rewards for hitting milestones. We all love rewards, right? We’re gonna go treat ourselves after this article. See you later…

Bear writer – iOs app

This pretty and minimalistic app is great for keeping track of all your ideas or for making your text stand out. It tracks character count and word count, and the serene setting makes getting distracted a thing of the past. A lovely little app.

Focus writer – desktop app

Tried and tested, Focus writer is an excellent way to just switch off from the world and get writing. It runs in full-screen mode and has an incredibly minimalistic design, giving you nothing but the space to write effectively. You can choose your background and some music to accompany you if you wish, or not. Have it your way!

Write Rhymes – online

If you like poetry this tool is both a lifesaver and a little bit of a cheat. Just start writing in the app, click a word you want to rhyme, and it comes up with suggestions for you based on how many syllables you’d like. Now what rhymes with purple…?

(DID YOU KNOW: there are actually two words that rhyme with purple. Curple, which is the rear of a horse to old Scots, and hirple, which means to limp. You can have that for free! You’re welcome.)

Random things list – online

Inspiration is a difficult thing to understand, but it’s something we’re always looking for. When you’re really stuck, a quick exercise to get the creative juices flowing is simply to generate a few random objects and try to incorporate them into an idea. It can get a little zany, (leg warmers and a rubber duck?) but that’s where the fun is.

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK COMMUNITY for critiques, prompts and loads more!

What are your favourite tools to use when trying to write? Are you old fashioned, and all you need is a pen and paper? Or do you love to get every gadget going?