"Inspiration comes from everything around us."

[mg33]

In the book 72-dpi, there's a quote by Eddie Pak, who is featured in the book. He is an Art Director for a company called News Cooperation.

"Inspiration comes from everything. The problem is not where to obtain it, but where not to."

I don't think I've ever read something about inspiration and art that made as much sense as that does, and is that straightforward. Yet at the same time, even as it's bluntly straightforward, it's a very deep and involved thought.

When you think about it (or don't, depending on how involved you are able to be with the world around you-some people have that gift, some people don't) you can possibly see the dilemma there. Inspiration for creating art is all around us, able to be asbsorbed into our minds. As I see it, it's absorbed involuntarily, it makes some form of impression on us no matter what. But that impression can be so brief if we don't realize what we've seen.

With that comes the second part of the quote. If we are able to get inspiration from anything around us, certainly not everything around us is a worthwhile form of it.

So often I see people on message boards asking for suggestions on how to come up with a design or a layout for a web site they want to create. It seems that more often than not the common reply from someone is, "Go look at this site, this site, and this one." How, though, is that a succesful method for gaining inspiration? I've never thought of it as even a decent approach, certainly not for someone who is conscious of their design and though processes. Granted, we really can't avoid letting a web site we view make some kind of impression on us-but just as with what I said above, the impression we allow it to make on us is the difference between it being retained or passed along. I've always felt that when people suggest looking at other web sites (especially when it's suggested so quickly) it's a direct representation of their own process. Though I really try to avoid a sudden judgement of a person, there's a message in their suggestion that is sometimes very obvious: They let the work of others dictate how they do their own.

Without getting into another discussion all-together about site copying and such... Those types of approaches always give me the impression that the person has either never really figured out a way to look beyond the computer, or they really refuse to because the results of such exploration and experimentation are unknown-unlike the general assumption that if they design their site based on the look and function of an existing site on the Internet the visual and functional results will be close to similiar and thus a "sure thing." But what do we miss out on if we take this approach? Of course, examining the function of a particular site is valid-the nuts and bolts of something can be common to another thing to make it work. More or less this is about a visul approach.

I think this is where the quote of Pak's comes in very well. Where should we not look for inspiration? Though it's a matter of my opinion, the computer is the last place we should look for inspiration, especially when we have a goal of creating something that best represents ourselves and the ideas we have.

I'll pick this back up within the next day or two. Hope to see a few responses.

mg33

[killabry]

I look at anything in my room for inspiration...

Looking helps for interfaces. I like the human body and staring at my hands sometimes gives me ideas on form and line.

[Bnott]

Man that was one of the best thing I have ever read! =) Man I never thought about things that way. Man you have just changed a lot for me. I used to look at other sites for weeks on end trying to get ideas but still I have nothing. But now I have a whole new approach on things. I think you should write yourself a book on that stuff because for sure I would buy it. =)

Bnott

[The Neoracle]

Ah yes, an now you have hit on a point that many have debated year after year in the design community. Is there really a point to websites like designiskinky.net and k10k.com and points to magazines like cmyk and the like and points to books and books of other people's work. Do they really help anyone? Or, is the design community really in a self-destructive cycle. Are new ideas created or is it really the same thing over, and over, and over? In fact, there is a conference dedicated to this topic. It's like the Fresh Conference or something. Here's the link: http://www.designiskinky.net/fresh/intro.html
Also look at their newest issue "Drink More Pop" it's exactly what your talking about. I wish I had time to express my views on the situation at hang, but I've unfortunately got to do work and lunch is over. I'll come back by for your response to the above links. Peace,

[mg33]

Neoracle,

I love DIK and also k10k, I"ve got a list of sites I check a few times a day. I like that pretty much all the links DIK has are usually pretty cool.

I can see how people debate this in the design community, and the simpliest thing I can come up with is that many people are making cool stuff, and people need to see what they've done. I think the dilemma is how designers let what they've seen effect them, which takes us right back to my first post in this thread.

I really like seeing other sites people have done, love being amazed by the ones that are amazing. But some people know the point, though, that they need to get away from sites they're looking at the second they feel it's going to have a big impact on what they're doing. I've had that happen, it's hard having had broadband for the last two years where I can always check something out and not have to wait for long download times. Sometimes it's been like something stung me and I immediatly got off the Internet because I knew something was going to over-influence me.
I just don't think everyone can do that, though. There are people out there scouring the Internet and design sites like you've mentioned looking for just the right site to have that impact on what they're doing-in a visual sense.
And the ironic thing is, I'm sure this happens by people who are really conscious of their desire to be great at what they're doing and learning. Yet, they're not finding the path to a form of originality and methods within themselves that can allow them to come up with ideas on their own.


mg33

[The Neoracle]

I so know what you mean. I hate it when I tell myself, this reminds me of (insert cool website or design here). I wish it was as easy and just trying to be original and "finding the path to a form of originality and methods within themselves that can allow them to come up with ideas on their own," but isn't that the real trick here? If we could all do that, none of those sites would be cool now would they? Just some stuff to chew on, I'd love to chat with you on AIM or the like some time. Send me an email or something. Peace,

[Redline]

"Inspiration comes from everything. The problem is not where to obtain it, but where not to."

this is an interesting topic!
I dont think there is anything wrong with using another site for inspiration. By discussing this we need to look at the definition of inspiration.

inspiration n 1: arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity 2: a product of your creative thinking and work; "he had little respect for the inspirations of other artists" [syn: brainchild] 3: a sudden intuition as part of solving a problem 4: arousing to a particular emotion or action [syn: stirring]

I am one of those who looks at other sites for inspiration, but purely for inspiration. Something to spark, arouse or help me to initiate my own thought process and ideas. It may come from an image, or a colour scheme sometimes just a font.

The diffference comes when designers go and look for ideas, concepts. they see a design they like or an effect on an image or a photo and then proceed to re-create that with a bit of their own flair. This becomes copying which I see as the problem. this lacks originality.

Inspiration does come from many places. I find inspiration in all sorts of places often I find after work when Im driving home, at this time my mind seems to be starting to switch off to all the meetings, creative sessions, arguments with my project manager, Im not quite totally relaxed but find this is my best creative time.

But the other time which I find inspiration is when Im suffering a creative block, deadlines creeping up I may go to a site such as coolhomepages.com, design is kinky or kioken.com and Ill look at the sites and may see a site in grey and green and think that works well... and then I go off on my own. My design may not even end up grey and green but it gets my mind wroking creativly - THATS inspiration and there is nothing wrong with that! It by no-means stops my originality...

"If we are able to get inspiration from anything around us, certainly not everything around us is a worthwhile form of it."

Why not? Of course everything around us inspires, thats why we are designers, artists and creative people. We have the ability to turn anything we see, ugly, tragic, everyday life, happiness etc into a work of art. Wheteher we are walking down the street, surfing the internet, sitting in our rooms or sleeping, what makes us good designers/ artists is that we take what we see, interpret it, let it inspire an idea, and then take our medium and comunicate it to others artistically.
Once again it comes back to the definition of inspiration or maybe how we use it.

regards,
redline


"if a painter wishes to see beauty that encaptures him, he has the power to create it.
If he wishes to see things that are truly grotesque or are laughable, or are truly pathetic, he is the lord and master of them... Whatever lies in the universe - in essence or imagination he has first in his mind then in his hand"
Leonardo da Vinci

[Edited by Redline on 06-17-2001 at 05:43 AM]

[Redline]

Originally posted by The Neoracle
[B]is the design community really in a self-destructive cycle. Are new ideas created or is it really the same thing over, and over, and over?

I think new ideas are created everyday, but creative originals are battling to be seen and noticed with more of those who copy and re-create or enhance.. The internet is still a fairly new art medium I think its still a fair way off its full capabilities.

In fact, there is a conference dedicated to this topic. It's like the Fresh Conference or something. Here's the link: http://www.designiskinky.net/fresh/intro.html

Ive already bought my tickets I cant wait, it looks really interesting and has some great speakers, rare for Aus!

[squink]

what a typical mg33 post! it's been awhile since u wrote one of these!

[vespa]

Humans need to recognise and be recognised, which is why the web is a hall of mirrors.

The problem with getting your only inspiration from links from deziney sites like K10K is that every designer in the world goes there too...

But deconstructing something you admire will lead you to why you like it, and hopefully this will be something a little more considered than "i like 45 degree angles". If you take your reasons for admiring someone else's work as a bouncing point and throw at this everything else that inspires you, including yourself, you will get something completely different at the other end unless you are Dolly the Sheep.

(The sound of bahhhhing in the distance is almost deafening)

[Jackal105]

"Inspiration comes from everything. The problem is not where to obtain it, but where not to."

An interesting quote, as I haven’t read the book 72-dpi so its hard to read the correct context from it but it sounds like it’s part of every designers practical design decisions. Where to draw inspiration from, is it fit for the purpose? Is it appropriate? Will it communicate your message without layering other metaphors or meaning that cause interference? Exposure, proximity to all forms of media art and history greatly enhances our opportunity to use our imagination, nothing else excites the mind more then to see inspiration in places, in the form, the colour the sound the smell of every day life.

“If we are able to get inspiration from anything around us, certainly not everything around us is a worthwhile form of it. “

Fitness of purpose may not apply but like anything what makes something worthwhile to inspire us, its in how we apply this ‘trigger’ to our imagination. In a site I have just finished, I found an Image by Dali completely compelling and I drew many ideas for my project from this image which bared no relation to the emotion, communication intended by Dali to the viewers of his painting.

Where people ask for inspiration, “…suggestions on how to come up with a design or a layout for a web site…” this is worrying as inspiration IS all around us and any designer worth anything will have no trouble in finding inspiration. Not to say it comes immediately but through thought, questioning and re-questioning ideas and possibilities. We all need helping hand to guide us what inspires us but overt, blatant examples particularly for designs of the same medium more often deter originality and invite appropriation of other people ideas.