Creative Process

How do I come up with visual ideas for my work?

I usually start by googling the subject and looking at images on the web and reading articles. I found out last semester in Jewelry II that making a list of words associated withe the images I find or that are based on something I read on the subject matter is very helpful.

After watching the first half of the hollywood movie Blood Diamond tonight and reading information on conflict diamonds online I made a list of words that came to my mind. Here are some of them...

heart
veins
crimson
fluid
glistening
smooth
flowing
pumping
jagged
uneven
rough
sharp
reflection
glossy
illuminated
earth
crust
rubble
tremble
struggle
battle
(more to come as i do more research...)

I love to read magazines of all kinds, so this also ends up being a great resource for images and words to inspire me. I read fashion magazines, art magazines, home decor magazines, national geo, science journals laying around my house, design magazines, etc. I rip images and articles out of almost every magzine I read that interests me for whatever reason and I have them compiled in a big binder like a scrapbook that i have separated into different sections. I've been doing this for years and love to go back and thumb through the pages when i'm bored or need to get my mind into creative mode.

Sometimes if I really can't get motivated to read and i'm not feeling particularly creative, I'll start my design process by talking to other people about what I'm trying to make. I love brainstorming with other people (in small groups -- i get so intimidated infront of large groups of people), especially alumni. I have found that even after just 1 minute of conversation with alumni and/or classmates, I usually get excited about something someone says and then that gets my mind working.