I love being creative, and I love when I get a great idea – I feel a giddy rush, and I can’t wait to get my hands on my tools and start working on the idea.  If I can’t get to my workbench, I’ll sketch out my inspiration in a little notebook that I keep by my side just for such moments.  Inspiration can come to me at any time, and in any situation, but there are a handful of places that inspire me more consistently than others.  Here’s my top 5 list of great sources of inspiration. -Robyn

My top 5 sources of inspiration:

5) Pinterest.  I love looking at fashion boards and dreaming up jewellery designs to match outfits.  The same goes for sites like Wanelo and Polyvore – sometimes I like to assemble outfits that go with Drakestail designs, but it’s also fun to assemble outfits and then challenge myself to accessorize them by creating something new.

4)  Random people.  I have a day job, working downtown, and commute by bus and walking.  While I’m out and about, I surreptitiously check out what other people are wearing, and think about how I’d wear the same outfit – what shoes, what accessories, and so on, would I wear with it?  It’s a fun exercise

3) Books.  I love to read, so much so that that’s part of how I chose to take English Lit at university.  The best books are ones that I can completely immerse myself in, to the point where I can envision myself standing next to the narrator, or being the narrator, drinking in the world around me while I act through the plot.  I sometimes get ideas based on the descriptions of character’s outfits, especially if I’m reading period pieces.  Sometimes I get ideas based on the mood of a book, or the personality of a character.  A good book is a complete world, full of details to be inspired by.

2) Nature.  I hear this time and again from people, to the point where I sometimes roll my eyes.  Of course everyone is inspired by nature.  There’s a lot to be inspired by. Sweeping landscapes, creatures big and small, the curve of an ocean wave, the jewelled colours of exotic flowers.  Nature is everywhere, and impossible to miss.

1) Other creative people.  I love to read biographies of musicians, artists, and entrepreneurs.  I love hearing about their thought processes, about how they are inspired, and how they live through their creativity.  Reading an autobiography is like that person sharing some of their creative spark with me, and I feed off it.  I also love reading about the habits that creative people build to keep them inspired and working on their craft.

What inspires you to get creative?