“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up” – Pablo Picasso
Ain’t that the truth. You are most creative as children. Then you grow up – trained to be an adult that will blend into society. Suddenly your lacking that vivid imagination. Most of us anyways. I don’t think Picasso or Van Gogh had problems there. This was my struggle until I better ultilized the resources of the internet and increased my exposure to new avenues for ideas and inspriations to flow.Get Creative Inspiration
My solution to keep myself fueled and up to date, was to subscribe to a bunch of design blogs and take the first half hour of my day to comb through the articles. If I liked multiple articles from one person, I would bookmark their website and follow them closely. I get a lot of inspiration from other artists and their works. Call it stealing if you will. Read Paul Arden’s, ‘Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite’. It made me realize there is no shame in “stealing like an artist”. Everything is a remake, history repeats itself but with a new twist. You catch my drift. Just as long as you aren’t blatantly, copying stroke for stroke and word for word. Like the people that stole and replicated my website. That’s going a little beyond inspirational and headed straight for plagarism.
“Every new idea is necessarily a transformation, a re-contextualising or a mash-up of other ideas. Acknowledging that will set you free.”Source: supraliminal.net So I am all about getting inspirted by brilliant works and minds – but I am not for outright stealing. When I get a project, my first move is to check out the competition, then check out what stellar works of art are out there. There are a couple of places that I check out. Google doesn’t cut it anymore. Here’s my list, Pinterest – Pinterest’s layout of articles helps for a pretty visual and makes scanning ideas easy. Sometimes I get colour influenced by images at a quick glance or scroll, and I am not even aware I am doing it. Has that ever happened to you? Instagram – I love Instagram for the it allows for a showcase of your works and thoughts. My heart goes pitter patter when I see accounts that are colour co-ordinated and have a branding theme running through it. It’s like looking at a brand book. My toes curl, just thinking about it. Dribbble – Dribbble is my second last place to search for inspiration if I am really in the pits. Behance – I use Behance for real quick searches, as a last resort.
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I’ve learnt that a really good designer, always shares his or her tips and tricks. Like a ‘pay it forward’. They can do this without fearing competition or being stolen from. Because, while people can copy you or try to be you, they NEVER will be you. Why? Because we are all unique. I like to call it the ‘circle of design’. Get your insiration, put out some awesome work and then don’t forget to share your knowledge. That’s why I have this blog and my YouTube channel. It’s not the easiest to maintain when you are juggling several hats, but it isn’t impossible either. I am of the firm belief that you require three kinds of people in your life. a. People who are really good, better than you. They act as mentors or guides to help you progress. b. People who are on the same level as you. Your peers. c. People who aren’t as good as you. People you can mentor and guide. While I find the online visuals and art work quite inspirational, I find meeting new people and developing relationships, just as inspirational in my work.“Routine kills creative thought” – Scarlett ThomasBe sure to find your creative process, but never be afraid to try something new. The results might just surprise you.
