Tips to Finding Your Inspiration

The weather here in Savannah appears to have finally turned a corner. It’s gorgeous outside. I love the warm weather and the way the city comes alive on nice days. Everyone lingers outdoors and there’s a festive, with positive moods. However this type of day can wreck your work schedule: it’s almost impossible to stay inside and work when the sun is shining! Solution? Bring your work outside, at least sometimes, anyway. Remember, inspiration can come from anything, anyone and any place. It’s easy for me to say, “Go outside and get inspired!” But what do I really mean when I say that and how can you do it effectively? When you’re out and about, remember these strategies and you’ll start coming up with ideas faster than you can write them down:

1.  Always, always carry a notebook and a pen. Get a notebook with a pretty cover in a cheery color and a pen you really like using. It seems so obvious but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve met other designers, event planners and other vendors who don’t have writing materials on them at all times. You never know when an idea might hit you!

2.  Leave your cell phone/blackberry/iPhone inside. Seriously. You won’t get inspired if you’re talking on the phone or your head is buried in an email or text message. If you do bring it with you just be sure it's on silence/vibrate and to NOT take it out!

3. Stroll... Take your time and enjoy the city!

4. Look up. We miss so much when we concentrate on the ground below us. Turn your attention up and you might discover a fabulous window treatment, a unique font on a sign, some intricate stone work on a building’s facade, a flowering window box draped with ivy, or just a tree with its branches tangled in a striking way. And bam! You’ve got a new idea for a wedding centerpiece.

5. See beyond nature. I love nature, and it’s a great source of inspiration. But it’s not the only source. 

6. TAKE PICTURES!