Beware, Inspiration overload! by Kim Screen
Too much inspiration can be a bad thing. I know this may sound crazy but please stick with me. Here is what happens to me. I'm reading...
https://iskablogs.blogspot.com/2007/08/beware-inspiration-overload-by-kim.html
Too much inspiration can be a bad thing. I know this may sound crazy but please stick with me. Here is what happens to me. I'm reading my favorite blogs, design magazines, wedding magazines, or shopping at my favorite stores. Whatever it is, I am INSPIRED. I see cool things, I feel creative, I love it I love it. And so I continue. And then it happens: inspiration turns to intimidation. Let me explain, with a very real example.
When I was trying to decide what sort of business to start I would go shopping in LA all the time. I went to my favorite boutiques, I saw what was out there, I knew all the product lines - I even traveled to trade shows, design conferences, the gift mart, anything remotely / somewhat / slightly related to design. And as much as it inspired me (and it did!) it also depressed me. EVERY idea has been taken…or so it seemed. Furthermore, I started trying to copy - with a twist of my own, of course - the things I already saw "out there." My favorite was Hable Construction; I love those girls! So maybe I needed to make prints of my own and fashion them into fun objects too?
The problem, of course, is that it wasn't me. I had crammed myself with so much creative inspiration I (quite ironically) couldn't find own my own creative direction. I love that, in the end, the most grounding thing I know – my family – gave me all the inspiration I needed.
(this is my grandfather, the one who always told us we came from good stock!)
So go be inspired, but beware of overload. Know when to stop and to just be yourself.
When I was trying to decide what sort of business to start I would go shopping in LA all the time. I went to my favorite boutiques, I saw what was out there, I knew all the product lines - I even traveled to trade shows, design conferences, the gift mart, anything remotely / somewhat / slightly related to design. And as much as it inspired me (and it did!) it also depressed me. EVERY idea has been taken…or so it seemed. Furthermore, I started trying to copy - with a twist of my own, of course - the things I already saw "out there." My favorite was Hable Construction; I love those girls! So maybe I needed to make prints of my own and fashion them into fun objects too?
The problem, of course, is that it wasn't me. I had crammed myself with so much creative inspiration I (quite ironically) couldn't find own my own creative direction. I love that, in the end, the most grounding thing I know – my family – gave me all the inspiration I needed.
(this is my grandfather, the one who always told us we came from good stock!)
So go be inspired, but beware of overload. Know when to stop and to just be yourself.
