Image from iainclaridge.net

I’m not afraid to admit it: I rarely have an original idea.

And this blog post is a perfect example. As I was reading Emily’s latest musings on inspiration, it got me thinking about how my own creative process works. More often than not, the ideas I come up with are born only after I have seen/read/heard something from someone else. Most people work like this, right? Don’t get me wrong, I never want to outright steal an idea, I just like to start with a well-established ball of clay and mold/spin/tweak it until it’s my own. That’s right folks, I’m a tweaker.

I’m also the collage queen. The very first picture I ever ripped out of a magazine was of Gwen Stefani (back when she was covered in henna tattoos and wore a bindi) on the cover of Seventeen. Ever since then, when I see a person, place, or thing that strikes my fancy, I rip it out and paste together with others in a way that expresses what I am all about.

Gwen Stefani, style icon

And while there will always be a place in my heart for print, my latest obsession is something called ImgSpark, a web tool that lets you create an inspiration board of sorts (up to 1GB), for any reason you please.  I’ve started harvesting digital photos (its pretty easy, you just right-click on a desired image wherever you happen to be on the web to add it to your library.) Every image is inspiring to me in some way: be it by color, design, or general message…

Part of my collection

I can use it to get my creative juices flowing whether I’m looking for a new tattoo design or trying to decide what color to paint my bathroom. Check out my collection so far. Others might aspire to be completely original, but I’m OK with being inspired.