Sources of Inspiration as a Fashion Student/Professional

Inspiration for artists and creative individuals can very easily be called their oxygen. It is equally essential and a must-have for them. But, unlike air, inspiration may or may not be available so easily. Moreover, it can be fickle and inconsistent; mostly because it is something that you cannot create and something that is not exactly there. With inspiration, you have to find your way to it, while at other times, it comes to you. You see? It is a funny business, but well, it is necessary for us as fashion students or working professionals. Without the right stream of the muse that pushes our ideas and gives our creativity a direction, it is impossible to create something truly impactful. Now, we know that inspiration is a natural element and we cannot exactly create it. (Except, sometimes!) But, as fashion students or professionals, we cannot wait around for inspiration to hit us with deadlines bounding us every other day. So here, we can only resort to something that every other person in the industry does—create your own sources of inspiration or really invite it over. For this, you get to know first what drives your creativity and what exactly serves as a thinking board for you. While there are some elements that are common to every creative being, some can be slightly more subjective. So, if you take a virtual stroll through the below, you’ll only be reminded of all the possible sources of inspiration that you could use every time your inspiration needs an awakening. - Artist Work This is something most professionals do - seek inspiration from fellow artists’ work. In your case, fashion designers, stylists, or any other professional whose work really calls out to you, can be your muse. We all have our role models and favourites in the industry, after all, right? So, look their work up online or in magazines, papers, etc, for an added dose of inspiration. Of course, you must stay within the boundaries and not overstep to avoid plagiarism, intentional or unintentional. Oftentimes, we may end up copying certain elements of others' work without realizing it. So, it’s best to only seek ideas or prompts to fuel your own creativity and retain your own individuality in your work. - Nature Nature has, time and again, proven to be the most reliable and powerful source of inspiration for everyone - whether it is for a creative individual or someone simply seeking inspiration for the free flow of thoughts. We call nature a go-to for this purpose. It never disappoints and certainly has a lot to offer.

Source : Unsplash.com All you got to do is spend some time around nature every time you hit a creative block, whether it is in the mountains, the beach, or even a park by your building for that matter. The point is to expose yourself to as much nature as you can. Worst case scenario? Look up some naturistic visuals on your computer or watch a nature documentary. This simple trick can be quite effective in rendering you the right lead for your work.

- Society While on one side, we’ve got nature, on another, we’ve got civilization in its rawest and evolving form. People, the society we live in, our lifestyles, humanity, etc.; every single element that our society comprises, can also serve as an inspiring element. It doesn’t take much here - all it takes is for you to really just dive into what you already know about society, as a reminder. Another tip? Don’t try too hard. Just think of what you like and dislike, what you could change if you could, and what you think is the future of our society, and let your inspiration come from these thoughts. - Personal Experiences This one could never go wrong! We’re all a combination of our memories, experiences, and values. So, let those thoughts out loose and into the open. Then, pick one of your most vivid and concrete experiences- could be with a person, with society, with a phase of your life, etc. Pick that experience and build on that with a solid dose of creativity. While many sources of inspiration are external, this one is all you, so you have complete control over this as well. - Fashion Shows Here, we’re talking about live experiences from fashion shows. And when we say fashion shows, we don’t just mean the collection but also the overall vibe of the show, the overriding theme, or maybe even a celebrity appearance at the show. Either of these elements can pose as a starting point for your designs, leading them to materialization. While usually, your designs come first and then other aspects of it, here, it could progress backwards.

Source : Vogue.com - Fashion Reads Even if you’re not a reader, this could still be your muse because when we say fashion read, we don’t just mean fashion biographies, educational books, and novels revolving around fashion but also magazines. Fashion magazines are just as heavy on written content as they are on visual content, which makes them easy reads for non-readers too. And well, if you can read then there’s nothing more inspiring than fashion books. We’d also suggest reading non-fashion novels and books too. Who knows? A character could inspire your next design. - Movies/Series Like we said earlier, inspiration can come to you anytime and anywhere. Even while you’re ending the weekend with a movie or a Netflix series. A character, a plot twist, the storyline, the set, or of course, the characters’ styling can end up giving you that eureka moment you’ve been waiting for. All it takes is for you to be open to such random inspiration and ideas while you’re doing something, anything. - Music Like every other creative rendition like movies, shows, designs, etc, even music can be an effective source of inspiration, more so, a very delightful one. There’s not a single person who doesn’t melt at the tune of their favourite music. No matter what the genre is, no matter the language, music has a way of letting your imagination flow and how! Sometimes, it may inspire daydreaming, sometimes an idea, and sometimes, it could simply bring back memories. Whatever it may do, it can lead to a series of ideas of one. We would say, let your thoughts flow unabashedly and let your music make magic!

- Celebrity Fashion Now, this is a given and one of the most common elements of inspiration for fashion students and professionals especially. Today, we have access to celebrity fashion in every way right at our fingertips. One click on social media platforms and you can access your favourite stars’ style, as well as fashion influencers’ and their stylists' too! All in all, there is no scarcity of inspiration when it comes to celebrity fashion too. So, when in need of immediate inspiration, simply scrolling through Instagram can prove to be an efficient starter!

Source : Unsplash.com Nevertheless, we would say, keep a small ideas book handy at all times. Since

inspiration can come to you at any time anywhere, it’s best to have a pocket diary to

document those random inspirational moments as references for later. Now, go get

that little book ready, you!