Have you ever been shopping and seen two completely opposite pieces of clothing that you were sure would never go together, but when you tried them on it’s as if they were made for each other?? That’s kind of the inspiration for this post. Too often we’re restricted to operate within “rules” of what “works.” But it’s so important to just let loose every once in a while and let your artistic eye run wild. Because that’s how the most genius ideas to come together!

That’s why we’re loving the work our graphic design intern, Brittany, recently put together. We’re constantly inspired by her eye. She has a knack for seeing things from a totally different creative perspective and we’re kind of ob-sessed {and slightly jealous!}. Today Brittany is sharing some insight on how to get your artistic eye goin’ too!

Brittany: I’ve always been drawn to design that surprises me; design composed of unlikely elements that somehow work together. To me, creating something is about achieving a certain harmony – whether combining typefaces or mixing patterns in your wardrobe, when it comes to finding harmony between unlikely pairs it’s no different for graphic design. With some practice, you can train your eye to remove yourself from knowing things by their definition and only acknowledging them by their shape. It’s as simple as that. Yet I realize it may not be as easy as it seems!

The secret? Step away from what an object is and see it for what it could be – then you really start having fun! Why can’t a grapefruit be a perfectly good substitute for a head? Why not a pendant light as a makeshift hat? It’s similar to laying in the grass during your childhood and spotting animals in the clouds. You just have to sit back and let your imagination run a little wild!

Then you simply start experimenting. With this type of creativity there are no mistakes – only happy accidents! And remember, letting your imagination run wild doesn’t have to mean completely reinventing the wheel. That’s where people begin to feel the pressure. You just have to think about reinventing the way the ol’ wheel is interpreted and you’re bound to come up with something fun!

We couldn’t agree with Brittany more. Are you dying over her killer collages as much as we are? How cool would they look framed and hanging on a wall?!  When you give yourself the space to play, you just might be surprised by what surfaces. We hope you can carve a few minutes out of your week to do just that – we certainly will be!

Sources:

collage 1: image 1 via James Tolich // 2 via Maiken Winther // 3 via Saintemaria

collage 2: image 1 via West Elm // 2 via Donald Gjoka // 3 via Esra Roise

collage 3: image 1 via Leta Sobierajski // 2 via Jason Kibbler // 3 via Mats Gustafson

collage 4: image 1 via Daikoku Design Institute // 2 via Studio Nicholson // 3 via Alex Proba

collage 5: image 1 via Society 6 // 2 via EetuElmeri Sihvonen // 3 via Gary Didsbury