Inspiration can come from anywhere...

September 4, 2009

I’d like to share a little bit of my inspiration process with you today. It’s very easy to look at a singular item and think to ourselves, ‘I like this, I don’t like that’… but pulling together a cohesive brand presence incorporating the look, the energy, the spirit, and the voice across multiple mediums can sometimes feel frustrating and at times even impossible. Especially when you have a myriad of stakeholders and agendas.

One thing I have always tried to maintain in my creative process is to constantly be open what’s going on in other creative outlets. The cool thing is that inspiration can really come from anywhere. For example, the curves and lines of a brochure piece might be inspired by the lines of a clothing design; a color composition for a new corporate identity might be inspired by an abstract painting I saw in an art gallery. Inspiration can essentially come from anywhere. Even the most brutal designs inspire me – I want to do it better.

Almost everything I see and do gets digested (either consciously, subconsciously or superconsciously) and comes out in my work. Designers, like painters, sculptors, writers and musicians, have a distinct way of looking at the world around them and translating what they see into something new and beautiful so that others can learn to appreciate it. Everyday I feel blessed to have the opportunity to explore my creativity through my work, and I don’t think that is something that everyone can say.

Painting above by the amazing Marie Danielle LeBlanc (my idol and not so secret crush).

Posted by Craig Blackburn

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• Comments (2)

• Greg Douglas said:

  Very true! I also just read an article yesterday about getting inspiration for a project, just like perseverance in an endurance sport comes down to staying focused on something long enough to get the results you need.

  When that the project looks complete and you feel you’ve given it all you’ve got, you go back to it once more and keep working through it. At that point, usually due to exhaustion, the brain scrounges up the last ounce of glucose in the blood stream and comes up with that miraculous feat – the perfect result.

  Whether you’re writing sales copy, coming up with a new campaign, designing a brochure or logo, or tackling a logistical problem, this approach can get you the result you need and deliver exactly what your client is looking for.

  • Your most creative work comes to you when you are pushing yourself the hardest…When your brain is on fire!
  • This is when your best ideas flow through you!
  • You must keep pushing on – and work through the fatigue.
  • William James was the first man to tell us that we have several layers of fatigue… Push through the first layer – and suddenly you are like an exhausted runner receiving a second wind… Keep going and you’ll push past another layer of fatigue and yet another… This is where your best ideas get through! Now your brain is cooking! Now you are on fire! A newer and higher form of energy can take over – that is even more powerful than the first supply of energy!

• Craig said:

  Maybe that’s why I’m never happy with my work…I’m getting too much sleep!