Where Do You Find Inspiration?

My hero, Grace Coddington once said 'Always keep your eyes open.  Keep watching, because whatever you can see can inspire you'.  (Side note: I am so saddened that she has stepped down from her position at VOGUE, she is beyond irreplaceable at the magazine).  Working in on R&I, or in any creative endeavor requires a lot of idea generation.  Someone once asked me, 'do you ever get stuck?'.  Truth is, of course, I am human and it can happen, but luckily it doesn't last for that long.  Inspiration can come in many different forms, here are just a few ways that when I need it I can find it.  Tell me, where do you find inspiration?

1. Go somewhere or do something new. This doesn't have to mean booking a trip somewhere exotic, I tend to get a lot of my ideas close to home.  For example, I will go to a boutique that I have never been or head to a museum to get ideas.  I will also go out of my way to walk down a different street. Luckily here in New York, things are always changing, something new is always around the corner. 

2. Look at materials.  I love incorporating different surfaces and materials other than the typical black and white surfaces.  For ideas I head into a craft store or hardware store, there are so many ideas tucked into each aisle!

3. Go vintage. Nothing inspires me more than a vintage magazine.  If you follow R&I on Pinterest (follow Vintage Editorials here), you might have noticed that vintage holds a soft spot in my heart, the dresses, the poses, just everything.  

4. Go outside.  When I am stuck, I try to get outside.  This might sound like a typical response, but if I can look go outside, sit on a bench and just watch the clouds for a few minutes, it uusally recharges me and ideas begin flowing. 

5. Go to my happy place.  I am a person that is easily happy, so whether it be looking through a magazine, photographing flowers, the flower market, walking around New York or Brooklyn, coffee shops, I go there and feel at ease.  I have found that when I am in a state of calm, ideas come to fruition.  Stress is the worst for when you are trying to generate ideas.  

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