5 Best Apps for Creatives to Boost Creativity
Every creative needs inspiration from time to time
Whether you’re an illustrator, designer, photographer or artist, every creative eventually experiences periods where ideas stop flowing. Feeling uninspired, losing motivation or becoming overwhelmed by endless sources of inspiration can make it difficult to start your next project.
Fortunately, there are plenty of apps for creatives designed to help organise ideas, improve focus and spark new inspiration. We’ve rounded up five of our favourite tools that can help you overcome creative blocks and get back into your creative flow.
Mindly: Get Organised
Life happens, and without somewhere to organise your thoughts, ideas and growing to-do list, creativity can quickly become overwhelmed.
Mindly helps place all your thoughts and project ideas in one place, using visual mind maps and hierarchical structures to organise your “inner universe”. It’s a fantastic tool for identifying where your ideas connect, spotting creative opportunities and bringing structure to projects that previously felt chaotic.
With an intuitive interface available on both Apple and Android devices, Mindly is one of the best apps for creatives looking to organise ideas before bringing them to life.
Brain.fm: Improve Focus
The relationship between music and creativity is well documented.
A 2020 study published in Psychology of Music found that listening to music can improve divergent thinking, the ability to generate ideas beyond conventional expectations, while also increasing dopamine release, helping improve motivation and creative exploration.
Brain.fm builds on this research by creating scientifically designed music and background audio to help users reach specific mental states, whether that’s focus, relaxation or creativity. Available on iOS, Android and desktop, it’s an excellent option for anyone looking for apps for creativity that support deep, distraction-free work.
Behance: Find Creative Inspiration
Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist encourages creatives to study, credit and build upon the work that inspires them. Behance has become one of the best places to do exactly that.
Adobe’s creative platform allows graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, fashion designers and artists to showcase their work while discovering inspiring projects from creatives around the world. Whether you’re searching for fresh ideas, building your portfolio or connecting with other designers, Behance remains one of the best apps for creatives and an invaluable source of inspiration.
If you’re developing branding or apparel concepts, check out our our guide “What Are the Best Fonts? Readability, Branding and the Science Behind Fonts” that explores another important part of the creative process.
Word Palette: Challenge Your Creativity
Sometimes creativity needs a challenge rather than inspiration.
Word Palette uses intelligently generated prompts to help writers break through creative blocks and explore unexpected ideas. By scrambling text and generating unusual combinations of words, it encourages experimentation and helps users move beyond predictable thinking.
The app also allows users to add their own articles and stories as inspiration, making prompts feel more personal and relevant. Currently, Word Palette is available exclusively for iOS.
Procreate: Turn Ideas Into Artwork
Sometimes the best way to find inspiration is simply to start creating. Procreate has become one of the world’s most popular digital illustration apps thanks to its intuitive interface, powerful drawing tools and professional-quality results.
Whether you’re sketching ideas, illustrating artwork or developing concepts for merchandise, Procreate offers everything needed to move from rough concept to polished design. Available exclusively for iPad, it’s an essential creative tool for artists, illustrators and designers alike.
If you’re preparing artwork for print, head over to our blog “Photoshop vs Illustrator: Which is Better for T-Shirt Design?” that explains which program is best for logos, illustrations and print-ready files.
Creativity Starts with Action
Every creative works differently. Some people need structure, others need inspiration, while many simply need somewhere to begin.
The right app won’t create great work on your behalf, but it can remove distractions, organise your ideas and help you maintain momentum when creativity feels difficult to find.
The most important thing is to keep creating. Inspiration often appears after you’ve started, not before.
Once you’ve developed a design you’re proud of, custom t shirt printing is one of the easiest ways to turn digital artwork into something people can wear. At ICON Printing, we help artists, designers and creative brands bring their ideas to life with premium custom apparel.
When you’re ready to turn your artwork into premium custom apparel, contact ICON Printing at sales@iconprinting.com or simply Get a Quick Quote online to start your next project. We’d love to help bring your ideas to life.