OPEN-UP & MINDFULLY COLLECT YOUR INSPIRATION!
You might ask yourself, how to approach inspiration in art and design. Do you tackle questions about how you get and stay inspired, how to start your creation, your experiments, your observations?
You might know what you want to make, but you don’t know how you want it to look like…
Sometimes this is a very common state of mind. Look for clues around you that will help you kicking-off with your creation. Consider things you may be inspired by… like a certain era in time, in arts, in nature, in music… Think of a subculture you might relate to like Goths, Hippies, Punks, SteampunkSteampunk is a subculture on its own right! It is a subgenre..., and New Age… Get inspired by your love for someone, your anger at something? Whatever that is, be mindful of it and GET YOUR INFO!
The power of subcultures
If for example you are intrigued by the look, the music or the attitude of the Punk subcultureWhile exact definitions vary, the Oxford English Dictionary ..., then you most probably have heard the expression: Punks NOT Dead… and surely, it has so many reasons to keep living forever. On the other hand, maybe you don’t really have anything, in particular, you would like to research. You might just start wondering around all sorts of triggers, exploring what you like, what makes you feel good, what makes you smile, or cry, anything that triggers your interest. The process is still the same. Opening-up and collecting data is the way to get inspired. Getting closer and understanding the core values of groups, of given eras, finding information about the roots, the origin of whatever that is and documenting things through visuals is the answer! Even elements from times that seem far away and something not personally witnessed can still be brought in your present creation and still shout NOW!
Trust yourself
You own your present. Your personal touch and living would consequentially shape up the majority of your ideas and designs. Trust yourself; what seems boring to you now, it may actually be intriguing for others. Mark the ZeitgeistZeitgeist is the spirit of the time. It is the moral and the... you are inspired from. The art parameter in your creations is becoming stronger and more appealing when it portrays the culture of a time, of a given era. There’s so much to be captured in a creation from a political, a cultural, a technological, and an economic view in our world. All these elements, in relation to the feelings you wish to create with your artwork (like love, fear, nostalgia, anger… whatever that is) will be combined together, capturing the Spirit of a Time through your unique lenses and your fantasy. Are you a romantic, are you a dreamer? Have you watched Titanic and the Pirates of the Caribbean again and again? If so, check out the origins of the Romantic Movement and Romanticism! Collect images, sounds, remnants that will help you understand deeper the essence and the way of thinking of that era and how music and visual arts expressed a need for a social change.
Visionise
Get the water running! Get your sketchbookA sketchbook, is a working pad with blank pages which is use... More. This precious little tool can really become your bank of ideas… anything that sparks your interest, your desire, or draws your attention, should be filed in there. Get the visuals, stick them in, take your pen and just note down key words, note down what you value in visuals the most, your ideas, your vision, scrap your journey into crafts. Sketch… keep rough sketches and feel free to express yourself in any possible form and way! You do not really need to be a painter, in order to sketch. This sketchbook is just for you! Your precious little book of scrap, your precious little book of inspiration. Define your mission for any creation, open-up, collect and mindfully feel inspired!
Enjoy your journey to Getting There! Wherever that is … dare to explore new roads and create your own trails!
Photography Artemis Papamarinopoulou