Where I Get My Inspiration

After a brief design rut, I decided I needed to find inspiration for my beads. I have always loved color, the brighter the better, and generally stayed within the same general color palette for most of my beads.

That all changed with a recent trip to Alaska, where I fell in love with Tklingit totem poles and their graphic colors and patterns. I took loads of pictures of them (and believe me, they're everywhere) and couldn't wait to try and duplicate elements of what I saw.

Feeling pretty good about how totem pole beads turned out, I decided inspiration could come from anywhere, in any medium. I found the perfect source for new ideas in a birthday party catalog I got in the mail. It had pages of party decorations for kids and two caught my attention: bandanas and camouflage. I figured they would be fun to try, and here are my finished designs. I must say I'm happy with both of them and love the fact that lots of creative license was used in the design.

Now when I'm in a design slump, all I need to do is look around me for inspiration. Where do you find yours?