One of the most common questions I get about blogging is where do you get fresh ideas? As the blogging world has become SO saturated it’s certainly hard to find things that haven’t been talked about 100 times before.

A favorite way I discover new things is to take a break from my regular routine, and most importantly, break away from the online world entirely! As I talked about in our first Business of Blogging post, I find that my surroundings really influence my thinking, so lately I’ve been trying to take fieldtrips to a new spot at least once a month.

The new Blue Bottle Coffee location, W.C. Morse in Oakland, is a perfect example!

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The light bright space is the perfect spot for brainstorming!

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I also prefer to go totally analog for these ideation sessions. I come armed with heaps of magazines {still my favorite source for relevant but unique happenings, designers, art, books and all things pop culture}, and so with coffee and snacks at the ready, I start my list making.

A good list is a beautiful thing. I was one of those uber-nerdy kids who loved taking notes in school. It was so satisfying to make headers, sub-headers and long trails of bullets all neatly categorized and organized {can we say Type A??}.

Taking a quiet hour or two to thumb through my favorite glossies and discover not only fresh content, but new graphic design, layout and editorial ideas is both energizing and therapeutic.

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If I had to make a list of my favorite resources for new discoveries they would include:

> C Magazine. Super chic recaps of all things fabulous coming out of California.

> Australain Shelter Magazines. My two favorites are Inside Out and Belle.

> Vogue Living. It’s Australia-based too but uncovers great design from all over the world.

> The GentlewomanIn-depth profiles of fascinating women. I’m in.

> UK versions of fashion magazines. The articles are actually interesting and usually don’t insult our intelligence {unlike most US fashion magazines!}.

> Kinfolk, Anthology, Hearth, Cereal. These “underground” pubs all chronicle lovely personal stories and amazing spaces with fantastic photography and moving essays.

 

But even with all this goodness at my fingertips, I’m curious – do you have other sources for fabulous finds and fresh ideas? I’d love to add some new ones to my list!

original photography for Apartment 34 by Aubrie Pick

What do you think?

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14 Comments

  1. what a lovely way to enjoy the weekend and also plan ahead for the upcoming week(s)! and of course, as always, you look so effortlessly chic and cool~~

  2. I love inside out it is one of my favourite go to inspire me magazines. I like the fact they aren’t too vintage or over styled. We have another great magazine in Australia called Frankie. I think you would love that as well.

  3. Inside Out is one of my favourite magazines too! You could also check out some of the New Zealand mags like Homestyle and Your Home and Garden 🙂

    Also, where is your necklace from? It’s beautiful!

  4. I already knew about the UK InStyle being great….. now I’ll have to try some of the others. My all-time fav is the British version of Country Living!

  5. you are so lovely and inspiring. i love the jacket you are wearing in this post…who/where is it from? xo

    1. Thanks so much! My jacket is by Suno from their fall collection!

  6. Love to read about your blogging inspirations. I started a blog the first part of this year after years of enjoying other blogs. I enjoy writing immensely and find inspiration everywhere! (I, too, loved note taking in school! I do everything on my laptop, iPhone or iPad and sometimes miss the doing the paper route.)

    I do have a running list of things to blog about for months to come; it’s finding the time to put each post together that is time consuming. Only wish there were more hours in the day!

    I look forward to your future posts.

    My best,

    Elaine
    http://www.OMGlifestyle.com

  7. Hi Erin, great points you’re raising and I think going off-line is THE best way to get inspired and re-charge. I often hunker down in a book store that has a large magazine and design book section. My question is: How do you KNOW that what you’ve picked has or hasn’t been blogged about 100 times? I check out Pinterest and google of course but sometimes I wonder does it even matter? Maybe your particular readership hasn’t read about it so for them it’s just as new as for you. #foodforthought BTW loving this column and awesome shot by Aubrie Pick again!

  8. This place looks fab!

    I too love mags, especially the UK versions and find that they are always inspiring.

    I also like to go to museums and to parks, they always refresh and rejuvenate me and spark ideas.

  9. If you’re after another fabulous Australian ‘underground’ read – look up Dumbo Feather. Five long-form interviews with inspiring people from all over the world in each issue. From refugee advocates to artists and everyone in between. It is fab and right up there with Kinfolk and InsideOut as my fav mags.

  10. I just discovered Kinfolk and I love it. I also recently discovered Majestic Disorder which is based out of England. The stories are great and have a global perspective.

    This is a great column!