Today kicks off the first day of our second annual 12 Days of Design! We’re delivering 12 days of design tips directly to your inbox to help you create your first, or next, textile design!
Sometimes the hardest part of fabric design is just getting started. It’s common to feel completely uninspired, but luckily there are a million ways to get the creative juices flowing! We’ll start this year’s series by sharing our favorite places and ways to find inspiration. How do you get inspired? Please share in the comments below!
Bright Yellow and Pink Pastel New York City Patern | Little Smile Makers
1. Visit a downtown: Hit the streets in a urban area to be inspired by the city buzz and bright lights!
2. Plan a trip to the zoo: Animals are the perfect subjects for your first (or next) fabric design.
3. Check out your local farmers market: Let the hard work and bountiful harvests of local farmers inspire you.
Come Hike With Me designed by Vo aka Virginia O
4. Go for a run or bike ride: Clear your head with a little fresh air.
Museum Animals, Dinosaur Skeletons | Boho Bear
5. Spend time at a museum: What better place to find inspiration than a place filled with historical creatures, beautiful paintings and creepy crawlies!
“C0ffee” Pots with “Black Coffee” Beans and Cream designed by Victoria Lasher
6. Your neighborhood coffee shop: Spend the afternoon sipping on a warm up of coffee and taking in the inspiring tastes, smells, and views at your local coffee shop.
7. Go for a long drive: Get behind the wheel and let your daily thoughts and cares go as you dream up an exciting textile design.
Cocoa with my Dragon | Miss Clover Brown
8. Relax with friends and family: The best ideas can come during a break–so take a few minutes to relax and chat with friends.
9. Look through old photos: Reminisce about the good ol’ days and create a beautiful design inspired by loved ones or a great adventure!
Air Plants in Hanging Glass Terrariums | Amy G
10. Visit a handmade market: Check out what other creatives in the area are making and what they use to motivate their work.
Relaxing with family and friends is very inspiring. Animals are also part of the family and can also be friends from the neighbours. I have always tried to design from when I was a kid but never got a chance to take a course. Being new in pottery I am incorporating what I know into every pot I make. I find it difficult to make a pot, bisque, dunk into glaze and glaze. I am on the right path with you here. I will catch two birds with one stone because I have always shied away from social media. And here we are! It is a venture.
Very cool, Jason!
I’m inspired in a variety of ways and its an organic process. Brainstorming is my favorite part of the design process and often less me down an unexpected path. I have a library of 100’s of inspiration photos that I source when designing and creating.
That's amazing! Pinterest is a great tool, but sometimes having a physical book where you store inspiration is the best!
since i was a child i always keep images in magazines and looked art books ,now i m a woman and i keep all my ideas and inspiration in big “dreambooks” and i bring images in my pinterest(excuse my bad english ,i’m french)!
Exploring a city is one of my favorite ways to find inspiration, too!
Botanical gardens are the best! Thanks for sharing, Diane.
I get inspired by music , and nature. I walk around the city looking for the small things that make me click.
It’s nature for me too – took a stroll round the Botanical Gardens today for inspiration – lots of photos to share …
Thanks for sharing Karen!
Nature’s patterns and reflections of shadow, light and color on glass and water have been the sources of inspiration for most of my fabric designs so far.
Thanks, Michael! We have to agree!! You can find so much inspiration in a few hours at a local museum.
Thanks for sharing, Trina! Nature is my favorite, too!
Nature is my best inspiration, especially trees, plants, rocks, moving water, mountains, canyons, and clouds, sunrises, sunsets, and tides. Sometimes man made objects capture my attention for a while, especially architecture, but eventually I go back to nature for inspiration.
Inspiration #5 has been so important to me! I can’t express enough how much I’ve learned from museums and historic places. Research is a most valuable tool!
MUhlenkott