What Inspires Me To Be Creative

Ok, so during the christmas holiday I'm back in Chicago. I'm away from my typical full wardrobe and usual art supplies, but I'm going to try to post some new projects. This week, I wanted to do things a little different than my usual. I am going to talk about the things I am inspired by to be creative. I think it is vital in fashion and in life in general to find things that inspire you personally. Whether its friends, artists, celebrities, objects, locations, or music, they all should have a major impact in things you create. Here are just a few of my favorite inspirations:

Creative people in my life:

Having people in my life who see the world differently than the average person inspires me greatly. Some of my best ideas have come from these people. They inspire me to change my own perception. I think it is important to take others opinions in your work. Try new things that are outside your comfort zone. Over the years, I have photographed a lot of inspiring people, which has created some of the most beautiful images I have ever taken. It is such a privilege to photograph these people, because it is my goal to capture a piece of who they are. Here's just a few of my favorites:

Portrait of Annaliese Lengerich

Portrait of Jessica Service

Portrait of Austyn Davis

Portrait of Kathleen Tirrel

Portrait of Monica Wicklund

Portrait of David Norman

My Musical Inspirations: 

I am not typically inspired by lyrics. I don't know why, but I have never had a deep connection with music. I think I'm such a visual person, that I forget about the lyrics and the sounds of the music. My musical inspirations come from the people who make the music. I enjoy the characters they create. Here's a few of my favorite music artists:

Pete Burns: For those of you who don't know who Pete Burns is, you probably have heard his voice before. He's the guy who sang "You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record)" in the band Dead or Alive during the 80's. The lyrics of the songs aren't that great, but its all about his attitude. He blurs the line between gender and sexuality. I find that to be such an inspiring thing to me personally. His ideas of what is considered "beautiful" is something I don't think the world had ever seen before he became famous. He is such an icon to me. Here's some of my favorite videos of him:

Here's what he's probably most famous for:

Here's a video of pretty much everything he stands for:

Boy George: Another one of my musical inspirations is Boy George. He's the lead singer of the band Culture Club which was also a british band popular during the 1980's, similar to Dead or Alive. Boy George is such an inspiration to me because of his androgynous sex appeal. Unlike Pete Burns, who's more in your face, Boy George has such a quiet sex appeal which is absolutely beautiful. Here's my favorite video of Boy George:

Object Inspiration: 

Seeing details in the world around us is something that should inspire us all. Whether you live in the middle of nowhere, or in the heart of downtown, there is inspiration all around us. I grew up in a midwest suburb outside of Chicago, and let me tell you, it is BORING. But when there's nothing to do I would drive around and photograph little things I found to be special. I mainly looked for seemingly ugly things, and tried to photograph them in beautiful ways. Here's a few examples:

An Old Spider Web

An Abandon Building

A Bush Coated In Ice

These are only a few of ideas of the types of inspiration I look to. What things inspire you? Leave a comment!