Where Inspiration Comes From

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I find that it is easy to get sidetracked and bogged down by the everyday hub bub of dealing with clients, staff and balancing workload all while trying to keep a creative mind so I can continue to inspire my team. To combat this, I invest in myself by pushing myself in the following areas:
Curiosity
I have started paying more attention to the individuals surrounding me, especially colleagues and direct reports. I ask questions about their work, in and out of the office. It’s interesting to hear about talents and hobbies you wouldn’t otherwise know about unless you ask.
Who knew that one of my colleagues is a pilot and another an interior designer and yet another a jewelry designer outside their day jobs as graphic designers. I find inspiration in hearing about how others motivate and amuse themselves.
Follow Industry Veterans
In addition to regular consumption of art, design theory and music, I stay inspired by following industry podcasts. Listening to veterans speak candidly about their careers helps me to learn from their mistakes. There will always be challenges and 90% of success is mindset. Having foresight into any process is an advantage.
Twitter is a great place to discover the mentors of your favorite artists. I recommend The Collective podcast by Ash Thorpe. The Skool Rocks by Blind Films is an honest window into the business side. Sean Wes has come great career-related teaching on his podcast as well. Staying inspired often means staying relevant.
Seeking Samples
I’ve always been inspired by design work produced by other in-house teams and agencies. I often ask our printers to bring me samples of print work they produce for their other clients. I also attend the paper shows such as the Paper Expo at the Art Directors Club in New York City, plus I cruise the sites like CommArts and AIGA to check out their inspiration sections.
I encourage my staff to peruse other’s work as well, as solving a design problem can become much clearer when you see how others have handled a similar situation. After all, we are visual people so why not seek visual inspiration whenever possible.


 
This POV brought to you by a member of Boom Ideanet, “Instant bandwidth for the creative department of the future.”
 
 
 

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