{"id":49232,"date":"2018-05-29T10:30:11","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T17:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/?p=49232"},"modified":"2018-05-29T10:30:11","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T17:30:11","slug":"uncommon-sources-creative-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/blog\/uncommon-sources-creative-inspiration\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Uncommon Sources of Creative Inspiration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bored with Behance? Seen everything on Comm Arts 1,000 times? The next time you\u2019re looking for inspiration for your design, advertising, or marketing project, check out a few sources from off the beaten path to get your creative juices flowing.<\/p>\n

The World of Fashion<\/h2>\n

Cutting-edge fashion synthesizes culture and history, often while pushing the boundaries of engineering. Here are a few contemporary designers who are also considered creative geniuses.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Late British designer Alexander McQueen<\/a> pushed the envelope for form and function in fashion: the iconic knuckle-ring clutch and Lady Gaga\u2019s famous armadillo boots are masterpieces of industrial design.<\/li>\n
  2. Avant-garde Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo is loved for her sense of whimsy and elaborate construction. Believe it or not, this look<\/a> that Rihanna sported at the 2017 Met Ball is one of the designer\u2019s more accessible pieces.<\/li>\n
  3. You could describe Rick Owens\u2019<\/a> signature style as \u201cmaximal minimalism,\u201d but his clothes demonstrate how far you can go just by playing with proportions.<\/li>\n
  4. Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen<\/a> takes an architectural approach to fashion design, often creating her own textiles. She\u2019s even collaborated with famed architect Rem Koolhaas on 3D printed shoes<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  5. The Mulleavy sisters (otherwise known as Rodarte<\/a>) tend to polarize critics, but they\u2019ve won fans with their painstaking handiwork and intellectual approach to fashion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Retail Stores<\/h2>\n

    Even though it feels like everything is online all the time, 94% of all retail sales are made at a physical store<\/a>. And the retailers who want to keep it that way are pulling out all the stops to attract and engage their customers.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. You\u2019re probably already studying Nike\u2019s ads; why not dig a little deeper and be awestruck by what they\u2019re doing<\/a> that\u2019s breathing new life into retail?<\/li>\n
    2. Rebecca Minkoff\u2019s New York flagship store takes personalization to new levels and aims to be the future of retail.<\/li>\n
    3. Grocery stores aren\u2019t very sexy, but the national chain Kroger is integrating cutting-edge technology<\/a> that delivers personalized pricing and offers to cement the value of brick-and-mortar shopping.<\/li>\n
    4. High-end appliance retailer Pirch has created an in-store experience<\/a> that makes shopping for ovens and refrigerators whimsical and fun.<\/li>\n
    5. Take a trip to your local Apple store and just poke around. The design is equal parts art, science, and magic, offering up a uniquely immersive experience. The New York store<\/a> has been named one of the world\u2019s most beautiful shops.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Board Games<\/h2>\n

      Board game design is like an elaborate exercise in creative problem-solving. While the humble board game can\u2019t come close to matching the innovative bells and whistles of their digital counterparts, playing a game (and studying the packaging) can help get you out of a creative slump.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Saturday Night Live<\/a> is a board game. Who knew? With its vibrant colors and iconic images, you might even buy it for the packaging alone.<\/li>\n
      2. Over the years, you\u2019ve probably seen Cranium<\/a> a million times at Starbucks, but it\u2019s worth checking out, especially because it was designed to foster creativity.<\/li>\n
      3. Take a look at these 15 reconceived chessboards<\/a>, and imagine how you could breathe new life into the traditional way of doing things.<\/li>\n
      4. Creativity is often tied to ego, so why not make something where you have no expectations? Sagrada<\/a> is a competition to build the best stained glass masterpiece.<\/li>\n
      5. It\u2019s more of a parlor game, but a few rounds of Exquisite Corpse, the collaborative game where people take turns blindly assembling a story<\/a> or an illustration<\/a>, can get you excited about collaboration.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If all else fails\u2026<\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Go to an immersive theater event\u2014imagine being one of only two audience members in an elaborate, six-hour production<\/a>.<\/li>\n
        2. Find a museum with interactive or hands-on exhibits. Think the International Spy Museum<\/a> in D.C. or the Please Touch Museum<\/a> in Philadelphia.<\/li>\n
        3. Sit at a train station and people-watch.<\/li>\n
        4. Listen to your favorite music in the dark.<\/li>\n
        5. Go back to the source of what made you want to pursue a creative career in the first place.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Above all, when you\u2019re stuck or uninspired, keep your mind open. Be receptive to, and ready for, new ideas and inspiration that may come at you from anywhere. To avoid mental inspiration ruts altogether, regularly expose yourself to new things \u2014 even things you don\u2019t think you\u2019ll like. It\u2019s all about nudging your brain into unexpected territory and continuing to expand your own internal creative inspo database.<\/p>\n

          \n

          Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare\/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Bored with Behance? Seen everything on Comm Arts 1,000 times? The next time you\u2019re looking for inspiration for your design, advertising, or marketing project, check out a few sources from off the beaten path to get your creative juices flowing. The World of Fashion Cutting-edge fashion synthesizes culture and history, often while pushing the boundaries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":49240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creative-insights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n20 Uncommon Sources of Creative Inspiration | Creative Circle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The next time you\u2019re looking for creative inspiration, check out a few sources from off the beaten path to get the juices flowing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"20 Uncommon Sources of Creative Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta 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