What's inspiring you right now?

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What's inspiring you right now?

When I was pregnant I was a bit concerned about keeping up with my design schedule. I was particularly concerned that I would struggle with inspiration. Creative work is very fulfilling, but requires an extra effort and I was worried that taking care of a baby would leave me too tired to really come up with anything. What I did not expect is my actual reality: I'm drowning in ideas and can't find time to get to them all. Even without a baby it would be impossible. It's truly a situation I have not experienced before.

I think a lot of my ideas are coming from YouTube. I didn't watch much YouTube before Magnus was born, but I started when I was sitting around feeding him all day and night. I figured if I couldn't craft I might as well watch others do it. And now I'm a little bit obsessed. I've started two hybrid projects based on specific videos I watched on YouTube, and there's not really an end in sight.

Jordan and I are also watching a series on Netflix called "Abstract" about different designers, and I think it's also giving me some things to think about. Because I really needed more things to think about! smiley

What's inspiring you right now? Have you gone through extreme creative bursts before? Or droughts?

I'll have to try YouTube. I've been in a drought and am on Pixels Scrapper to look for inspiration. I am starting to design layered templates again, and am looking forward to seeing how they do on PS for the CU designer blog train. The blog trains on PS are helping me to get my mojo back. I've decided not to sell in any stores, and am looking to focus on PS with my designs and just do it for a hobby rather than making money out of it. Just for the pleasure as many designers do on this site. I can imagine that it can be quite rewarding to share your wares free to the public.

I'm so glad that you are floating in a lot of creativity. That's so nice!

I was in a creative drought the last 6 months due to a medication I was on but it's all coming back now since I stopped taking it! We (viva artistry) usually use art to inspire us or looking at the Somerset magazines. They are so amazing and gives so much inspiration. I did see that series Abstract too...love it. I adore the Chef's Table series as well Blurred Lines. Enjoy your time with your baby! it goes by fast. Next week, both my girls leave for school and I am at home by myself (husband works overseas 2 weeks out and 2 weeks back) so it will be interesting how I do this by myself for the first time in 20 years.

@Marisa - That's great you are flowing with ideas! I dont think I was too creative when I had my first. But he was an extreme handful so that's probably why. The rest of my babies didnt affect me that way. Have fun with all the new inspiration for you!

@Sharon - Sorry about the creative drought! I totally understand. Hope you find the inspiration you are looking for.

@Vivienne - Happy to hear your creativity is coming back. I think designing/scrapping would be a great way to help fill that time.

Right now being sick since April 1st is killing my creativity. I had about a week and a half where I was getting over it and then caught a head cold and by Monday it will be 2 weeks. I dont normally stay sick with a cold for so long so its pretty crazy. Dont help hubby was gone this past week for a work conference in Vegas and my oldest at home and daughter were sick as well. But my toddler had all our energy combined plus some so Im plain wore out. smiley Still waiting for my flood of creativity to come back myself...pretty sure it will when the sickness lifts. And I'm so glad my hubby is coming home today! I dont know how you do without your hubby for a whole 2 weeks Vivienne!

I'll have to check some of those shows out. I hadn't heard of them before.

I discovered that I CAN do artsy and art journal type layouts and now lots of things catch my eye that I never would have thought of because I just didn't feel I could do that work. Even poor quality photos can become a work of art, so now I can't even clean out my files without thinking about what I can create. Too much stimulus and too little time!

I wax and wane between creative bursts and droughts. When I'm in a drought, I try to not force myself to create but it is a great time to work on photographing and extracting. After extracting a few things, I'm usually so excited that I want to create a kit to put them in.

I've been watching Abstract too! I inspire myself by trying to stay ahead of the design trends. Youtube is a nice source of what is "in". So I play around with the ideas I learn there and apply it to whatever piece of work I am doing at the time. I know time is a very rare commodity, being a mother of 2. It's so frustrating when you have all these ideas and no time to even look at your desk, let alone sit down and create. I deal a lot with depression so there's times where I am too upset to work on anything. So when I feel I'm lacking creatively, or just in a funk, I look to see if there's a new skill I can work on, or an easy project that doesn't take too long to complete. Small goals... big rewards. I think I can speak for anyone who designs anything, we always feel like we can be doing more, and doing it more efficiently. It's not always realistic.

Such truth! I've been trying to adjust my expectations and celebrate the things I do get done.

Quote:
I think I can speak for anyone who designs anything, we always feel like we can be doing more, and doing it more efficiently. It's not always realistic.

You are so right. My children are mostly grown now - the eldest is 25 and recovering from some serious neurosurgery so he is home still, the youngest just finished his first year of college and has a few more years here until he's done - are mostly self-sufficient, but there are still the demands of family and work. It's hard to juggle them all. Can't wait to retire in a couple of years!

Hey Marisa! Would you mind leaving a few links to some of your favorite you tubers or you tube videos? I always feel frustrated and overwhelmed when I try to look design videos up. I would really love to see what is inspiring you!

YouTube is definitely an inspiration! When I lack mojo, it helps to see someone else create beautiful things. Art Journaling really helps me too: just playing around with art supplies gets the creativity flowing and sparks a lot of ideas. Last few months I have had so little time that I had to make a choice for one or the other, instead of trying to juggle all my hobbies all at once. I joined an online art course which really got me going full speed ahead, so I joined a second one soon after the first smiley After a month of painting and art journaling I am slowly circling back to scrapbooking and designing again: with so many new ideas that I don't know where to start!

@Rachel: I mostly watch paper scrapbookers, which has definitely inspired me to make real paper projects, but is also influencing my designing.

Some of my favorite channels:

Suze Fish
Caylee Grey
My Little Journal
Paige Evans (I'm obsessed with her mini albums)
Missy Whidden

Also, I love these cakes: Man About Cake

Paint is inspiring me lately. I got a sudden urge to get back to scrapping because I was looking around for layout ideas and saw that the layouts with paint and artsy looks got my attention. And now i'm having fun with brushes and overlays. Then I found Kimeric Kreations (so sorry I saw she passed last year) and downloaded about 500 of her clusters. That gave me a kick to start my daughters positive affirmation book.

I mostly find my inspiration in vintage items, traditional duties, and just small things...as simple as words or feelings.

I look for ideas here on PS...look at things and maybe an element or a shape or subject can increase that inspiration.

I feel it doesn't have to be a big idea...and I think we all know even the smallest memories or the smallest gestures can make all the difference in anyone's day.

I have a strong German heritage. Lots of farmers & seamstresses. So I tend to be drawn to those. I actually cross stitch and dabble in other types of needlework so I always am stitching something. So just the smallest stitch can create inspiration....or the way some fabrics shimmer in the light.

Lately I've been binge watching home makeover/decorating shows, and because of that, I'm now on a shabby chic/grungy-ish/vintage kick (which will no doubt start showing in the graphics and papers I'm working on).

Needless to say, those shows are great for colour and style inspirations.

smiley