DIY // Get Inspired

Today we’re going to talk inspiration & organization!  Two of my favorite things.

Last weekend, I re-organized and refreshed my inspiration board that hangs above my piano – I’ve had this thing for as long as I can remember and through the years it has seen many iterations (from a cow collection, to an unhealthy obsession with The Lord of the Rings – wait, is there such a thing? – and many more til it became what it is today).  I started with a plain cork board (see above) and during one rotation I decided to add a thin coat of some leftover wall paint.  So now it’s white.  Ish.

My first step when starting with a blank inspiration board is to cull through all my files and photos and pick out my absolute favorites.  I’m one of those that doesn’t necessarily stick with a theme or a color scheme, which I suppose makes my final product a bit of a mess, but I find that’s kind of the point for me.  Creativity is messy!

Above, we have an assortment of photos/etc that I created myself (top), a few things that motivate me and remind me that I can do impossible things (bottom left), and some postcards & notes I’ve collected from friends.  Obviously, I can’t read them when they’re pinned down, but remembering where & who they came from is what does it for me.

Then there’s other people’s awesome art (you can find links to most of these on my Pinterest boards) but I’ll just mention the ones that won’t be there // 1, is a gift from the amazing S.Rochelle Photography // 2, is classic Monet that I clipped from a calendar // 4, is the 2012 Brumley & Wells valentine watercolor (swoon) a la Annie Brooks.

I start with the largest pieces that will anchor the smaller pieces.  I just spread them out so that they are appealing and balanced.  Then I fill in with the smaller pieces, and voila!

And there you have it!  It’s really super simple, but I love looking up at it while I’m sitting at my piano – it reminds me of all sorts of beautiful things, which is an important thing when you’re trying to make beautiful things yourself!

So, how do you organize your inspiration?  I have a feeling that I’m not the only one who hasn’t forsaken physical inspiration collections for Pinterest (speaking of, check out my boards here) although it is awesome in it’s own right.

Please share! I’d love to hear or see what’s been inspiring you lately!