Where Does Your Inspiration Come From?

Way back in my career, when I was being interviewed by Calvin Klein , he asked me the question, “Where do you get your inspiration from?” It’s not my answer that I want to blog about, but what he said. Calvin said, “I get my inspiration from people on the street… what they are wearing and how they style it.”

Back in the day, as I like to call it, we designers did not have a World Wide Web of images available to us. We went outside and explored the streets, snapping pics of signage, graphics, cars, buildings, people, colors, textures and whatever struck us. We visited factories to find the latest techniques. We traveled to Paris, London, Italy and Los Angeles (from NYC) rummaging through flea markets, trendy shops and old print shops for anything that sparked an interest.

Today, we have the Internet, we can Google a word and find thousands of images. One can even discover fully developed inspiration boards. I find though, when I go out and explore the real world “live in-person”, inspiration is taken to a higher level and the designs are much more original. Inspiration is spontaneously evoked…. and outside, this feeling of clarity and possibilities seem to come more naturally, without intention.

Inspiration can be found in your computer or by just looking out a window… but best to take it further and go for a walk… even if it’s just around your block.