Password to Inspiration

If you're like me, then you have about 20 different passwords currently operative in your life. Its the information age (or have we moved on?) and I guess I've played along by opening a loooong list of accounts in various networks, some of which have been long forgotten. I've got a couple of emails (all with different passwords), I'm on facebook, I had to open a myspace account just to send someone a message (they were too busy to respond though) and I have forgotten the password to the account, I had an account with some blogging network some years ago and I dont even remember who it was with, I have got two current blogs at the moment, I've got websites and online stores that need login information, I've got credit card and bank accounts that i manage online (and cant afford to forget those passwords)........................at this stage, I think its safe to say that I'm neck deep in a pool of passwords. (did I mention that I'm still learning to swim)

Anyway, in my designing business, I find that for different projects, inspiration happens in diverse ways. Inspiration for designing a bag happens quite differently from inspiration for designing a necklace or a watch. Sometimes, when I have been successful in creating a new bag, I feel like I've got the password to "inspiration for creating extremely wicked bag designs", however, when I sit down to draw up another design in some weeks time, I come up with a blank and get the "ooops i've lost my password" feeling.

I'm still in a learning process (aren't we all?), but I've found that I dont really have any passwords to being inspired, heck i'm not sure that there are any existing passwords at all.
Sometimes inspiration is like the wind, and when it blows your way you get into a creative frenzy and come up with some extreme stuff....some other times, inspiration is elusive and you find it only by playing hide and seek.

Here are some ways that I currently get inspiration to design stuff:
1. when shopping for supplies, I come across some gem stones that I MUST HAVE...just by looking at some stones, I'm pretty sure what I'm going to do with them. In such cases, I like to say I was insired by the gemstone (or the material). The necklace below was one of such. As soon as I saw the fire agate, I knew what I wanted to do with it. Its a simple design and I love the colours.




2. Sometimes I have some beads that I want to work with, but I just find that I cannot decide on a design...I might work on it for 2 hours and find that I keep taking it apart because I haven't connected with anything that I have come up with. I find that leaving that particular project and working on something else can help clear my head, and when I get back to it I might have some luck. other times, sleeping on a project for a few days until I wake up with a light bulb moment brings all the luck I need with the project.
Sleeping on a project has also been a good strategy when I am working on a good design, but find that I have gotten stuck somewhere. This happened with my "map of Oz' clutch bag. I had done the front and back pieces but I couldn't join the bag because I had tried out an unfamiliar design and it would not join the same way other designs joined. I spent a couple of hours trying different strategies unsuccessfully, toyed with the idea of tearing the entire thing apart and opting for something I was more familiar with, then I decided to leave it for a few days.
I ended up waking up a couple of days later with the solution, and it worked!
Check it out below.




3. I find that lack of inspiration or creativity can stem from being stale. By being stale I mean not having any fresh projects that are challenging, or not having any new skills in the trade. Learning something new can inspire me to create new designs. To make sure I get inspired for my next season release, I'm investing in some major wire wrapping training and I will definitely push myself to try challenging projects.

4. Checking out what other designers are up to can also inspire creativity. I find that some talented designers challenge me and make me want to push the limits, think out of the box, try to incorporate new and unfamiliar materials into my designs. So I try to check out people that do stuff that are similar to what I do and also those that do stuff that are way different to mine or who use materials that I have never thought of using.

Here's one designer that I stumbled across who I admire her work. Her territory is totally unfamiliar to me but I think her stuff are cool. She creates jewellery with maps, boardgames and other stuff. Check her out! her website is www.zanneavenue.com