My Inspiration Toolbox
I've shared in the past Five Awesome Ways To Stay Inspired and where I turn to for morning and evening inspiration, but today I wanted to talk in more depth about some specific sources of inspiration that have really shaped the creative I am today. I like to think of these as my inspiration toolbox, and I turn to them whenever I need to stay focused and on track on this big old creative journey of mine.
Megan’s Circles Talk
I remember the first time I watched this talk from Megan (I've re-watched it about three times since) and how inspired I felt listening to the words and stories she was sharing. The talk is around the idea that 'Being A Creative Is Not All Business' and Megan shares what she's learned along the way since launching her creative studio with her husband, Wild Measure. The idea that our work is way more than just our portfolio, and that who we are, our story, and what we bring to the table personally is ultimately what can attract our ideal clients was exactly what I needed to hear. If you're a working creative Megan's talk will probably leave you wanting to take a wild measure of your own, and for me it's really helped to shape how I want to share my work and who I am as a creative.
Kathleen’s Circles Talk
Another Circles talk, this time from the awesome Kathleen Shannon, on 'What Creative Entrepreneurs Are Scared Of, And How To Put Fear In Its Place'. Fear is something huge when it comes to pursuing creative endeavours, I've never met a single creative who isn't battling it at one point or another - I even spoke it about it myself a few months back here. Kathleen shares her words of wisdom when it comes to moving past our fears, getting specific, and making decisions and moving forward. If you ever feel paralysed by fear, this one is a must watch.
Braid Creative
Following on from Kathleen's talk, Braid Creative is the business she runs with her sister where they offer branding and business visioning for creative entrepreneurs. The blog they run alongside it is one of my all time favourites, and after stumbling across it earlier this year I've found so much encouragement and words of wisdom within the content they share. Touching on topics such as personal branding, creative business visioning, and dream customer catching; it's a must read if you're a creative entrepreneur. Finding my way this year and discovering what exactly it is I want my work to be has been amazing, and the insights and knowledge Kathleen and Tara share over at Braid is exactly what I've needed to read.
Corina’s TFL Series
Corina's blog, Cocorrina, is one of my all time favourite reads and I've shared my love for it many times on this little blog. I'm so happy I stumbled across her The Freelance Lifestyle series a few months back as she shares so many wonderful insights and words of inspiration and encouragement. Not only is her content aesthetically pleasing, but the advice and thoughts she shares are perfect for anyone just getting started started in their freelance career (and I'm sure any seasoned pro's as well). Some of my favourites from the series have to be Being Hard On Yourself, The Way To Success, and The Other Side Of A Creative.
Kevin Rose Foundation Episodes
Kevin Rose is an entrepreneur who has years of experience in the tech startup world and currently also works for Google. His YouTube channel features a series called Foundation where he profiles entrepreneurs with in-depth interviews. For anyone who works within the online or startup community, hearing the CEOs and founders of awesome companies such as Foursquare, Evernote, and Squarespace share their stories and lessons learned is super inspiring. I love watching these to really find out more about the experiences of successful entrepreneurs, and more about the behind the scenes of the companies they run, and I think there's so much you can take from these awesome interviews. My two favourites have to be his interviews with Phil Libin from Evernote, and Anthony Casalena from Squarespace.
By Regina
Regina's blog is hands down probably my favourite blog to read, and Regina herself is one of my favourite people on the internet in general. An awesome online space for bloggers, freelancers, and creative businesses; By Regina without a doubt really raises the bar of what blogging can be. Online content and building digital freelance careers is something I'm crazy passionate about, and stumbling across Regina's awesome space helped me to see that I wasn't alone in this. Her insights, her super in-depth content, and her wonderful way with words is something I really love and I have read through her entire archives so many times. If you haven't already, it's a serious must read and she has some super exciting things coming in 2015 that I can't wait to see!
The Hollywood Reporter Roundtables
My other true love in life has to be TV shows and movies - I'm forever binge watching a series or taking trips to the cinemas to lose myself in the latest film. The Hollywood Reporter do these awesome Roundtables every year during the run up to the Oscars and the Emmy's and I am always so excited to sit down and watch them. Hearing about other creatives process, whether it's the actors, the directors, the composers etc, and what inspires them to continue creating work they can be proud of is one of my favourite things. Seeing colleagues within a creative industry support each other, praise each others work, and discuss the highs and lows of their careers always reminds me of the importance of developing creative connections and supporting the other awesome creatives within your industry. If you're a film fan, then the Oscar Roundtables are perfect for you, and if you're a fool for TV then these are a must watch.
I'd love to know what's in your inspiration toolbox?
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