This list is for any creative types out there who are experiencing a block, be it writer’s block, designer’s block, songwriter’s block whatever. Get inspired. I am going to be putting it up in sections right here and once it’s complete I may give it a more permanent home.
62. Books. Not enough people read books anymore. I am not talking about computer manuals. Pick up something fiction get immersed and get inspired. If you can’t get into the first book you picked then find one you can.
63. Old Cartoons. Warner Bros, Disney, Mr. Magoo, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, The yellow cat who sometimes hangs out with Sylvester, whatever.
64. Cult Classic Movies. I believe you have my stapler.
65. Old Glassware. Especially the frosted kind with boomerangs, swirls, maps, or cacti, or maybe a seventies set with owls, or some bicentennial ones with the Declaration of Independence on each.
66. Vintage T-shirts. Especially the iron on kind.
67. Old travel posters
68. Old decorating trends. Shag carpet, avocado kitchens, sunburst clocks, waterbeds, vintage wallpaper etc…
69. Antique radios
70. Old movie posters
71. Old international movie posters. Sometimes these are way cooler than the American versions. Try to find some online.
72. Poetry (Especially when it involves Nantucket, or umm not)
73. Song Lyrics
74. Bumper Stickers
75. Ancient Egypt. Modern society has been pretty much always obsessed with the Egyptians, and just when you think no one cares anymore King Tut comes to town again.
76. Ancient Cultures. Old pottery, cave drawings, mythology and more.
77. Late 70s Early 80s beer culture. When trucker hats were in the first time and every guy had a Burt Reynolds moustache. Put on some Allman brothers, grab a sixer and go tubing down the river. Afterwards put on some rockin ribbed cords, a denim jacket and a baseball Jersey style Journey or Styx concert shirt.
78. Irony. Is irony out or are people just being ironic when they say irony is out?
79. The 1970s CB radio fad. It was bigger than you think. The convoy song, BJ and the Bear, Kids pumping their arms to get the trucks to honk, CB talk like 10-4 good buddy etc… Go look in your parents garage there still might be a CB radio in there somewhere.
80. Local television ads of past and present. Every region has their own classic like Crazy Eddie. I grew up with Oysterbed, The Diamond Center guy and Matthew’s top of the hill daily city: free bicycle with every stereo purchase.
81. People with really unusual names. Like Europa Von Klendlepooper.
Showing posts with label lifehack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifehack. Show all posts
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
101 likely and not so likely sources of inspiration Part 3
This list is for any creative types out there who are experiencing a block, be it writer’s block, designer’s block, songwriter’s block whatever. Get inspired. I am going to be putting it up in sections right here and once it’s complete I may give it a more permanent home.
41. Annoying Tween culture. Those really bad tone deaf auto tuned tween stars who all look exactly the same and come packaged with tons of products done in hot pink and glittery vomit purple turn off 99% of regular people but if you can stand it maybe there is something to be gleaned from this unending trend being shoved down everyone’s throat. (Do not want!) You have to be careful though because in a month all of the stuff will be sitting on the shelves of the local Big Lots right next to stale boxes of High School Musical cereal.
42. Big Lots. Big Lots has totally replaced Kmart as the hipsters secret hangout. Especially since Kmarts are getting hard to find.
43. Products that fall under the category: Why do these products exist? Here is an example. The local Big Lots has Elvis coffee. I guess if you are that into the King you would buy one bag to put unopened in your Elvis shrine room (next to the Elvis guitar popcorn Big Lots also sells), but are that really that many 60somethings named Barbara, Linda, or Judy out there who are going to consistently buy Elvis coffee for their fix every morning?
44. Scrapbooking. There is a ridiculously huge scrapbooking subculture out there and people (more Barbaras, Lindas, Judys and a few Donnas I suspect) are willing to pay 10 dollars for 3 sheets of scrapbooking paper or 400 dollars for some fancy electronic deal that can cut your paper into fancy shapes. By the way I am not making fun of you if you scrapbook (or have a name from the 50s). I’ve done it myself but you have to admit a 400 dollar scrapbook paper cutting machine is a wee bit over the top!
45. Food. The bacon and cupcakes trends may be winding down but be on the lookout for the next hot food trend. Sausage, pepperoni, ice cream sandwiches, Otter Pops, Tandoori Chicken?
46. Past trends you either don’t know about or forgot about. Owls, Gay nineties, Australia, Here is alink. if you can’t remember any.
47. Old viewmaster reels. They are in 3-D! Just like Avatar, only they don’t move and they feature pictures of New Orleans Square.
48. Crazy vintage sodas. Like Nehi or Moxie. I read somewhere that Moxie had a nasty bitter taste like rhubarb or something.
49. Your Hometown. If it is as lame as you claim then maybe you should be inspired by the lameness.
50. Nature. The trees, the waves, the clouds, the ocean, you knew this was going to be on the list somewhere.
51. Roadside culture. Giant dinosaurs, Teepee motels, route 66, etc.
52. Towns with really cool names. Like Twenty Nine Palms, Truth or Consequence New Mexico, and Rough and Ready California.
53. Black Lite Posters.
54. Murals painted on Vans! Unicorns, Vikings whatever get inspired.
55. Hot Rod airbrushing art.
56. Old Toys. Make sure they are cool old toys like vintage spirographs, sit’n’spins and big wheels. No Barney, No Dora the Explorer. Some vastly cooler kid brands include the Snorks, The Smurfs, The Groovy Ghoulies, and the 80s version of Strawberry Shortcake.
57. Art Museums. Make like Cameron in Ferris Buellers Day Off and get absorbed in the art!
58. The Muppet Show. Best Kid show ever but you probably knew that. Also Sesame street when it had cooler Muppets like Count von Count. Pre Elmo. I caught a glimpse of Elmo on the Today show and he is the most obnoxious thing ever. Why was he featured on an adult show?
59. Tiki culture. See if you can find some relics of 60’s era tiki culture that haven’t been torn down yet if not theres always the internet.
620. Googie culture. This was a mid century style of architecture primarily seen in coffee shops.
61. Multicultural Inspirations. Get inspired by vibrant street art, music, open air markets and parades, Mexican food, soul food, hip hop culture, low riders and the like.
41. Annoying Tween culture. Those really bad tone deaf auto tuned tween stars who all look exactly the same and come packaged with tons of products done in hot pink and glittery vomit purple turn off 99% of regular people but if you can stand it maybe there is something to be gleaned from this unending trend being shoved down everyone’s throat. (Do not want!) You have to be careful though because in a month all of the stuff will be sitting on the shelves of the local Big Lots right next to stale boxes of High School Musical cereal.
42. Big Lots. Big Lots has totally replaced Kmart as the hipsters secret hangout. Especially since Kmarts are getting hard to find.
43. Products that fall under the category: Why do these products exist? Here is an example. The local Big Lots has Elvis coffee. I guess if you are that into the King you would buy one bag to put unopened in your Elvis shrine room (next to the Elvis guitar popcorn Big Lots also sells), but are that really that many 60somethings named Barbara, Linda, or Judy out there who are going to consistently buy Elvis coffee for their fix every morning?
44. Scrapbooking. There is a ridiculously huge scrapbooking subculture out there and people (more Barbaras, Lindas, Judys and a few Donnas I suspect) are willing to pay 10 dollars for 3 sheets of scrapbooking paper or 400 dollars for some fancy electronic deal that can cut your paper into fancy shapes. By the way I am not making fun of you if you scrapbook (or have a name from the 50s). I’ve done it myself but you have to admit a 400 dollar scrapbook paper cutting machine is a wee bit over the top!
45. Food. The bacon and cupcakes trends may be winding down but be on the lookout for the next hot food trend. Sausage, pepperoni, ice cream sandwiches, Otter Pops, Tandoori Chicken?
46. Past trends you either don’t know about or forgot about. Owls, Gay nineties, Australia, Here is alink. if you can’t remember any.
47. Old viewmaster reels. They are in 3-D! Just like Avatar, only they don’t move and they feature pictures of New Orleans Square.
48. Crazy vintage sodas. Like Nehi or Moxie. I read somewhere that Moxie had a nasty bitter taste like rhubarb or something.
49. Your Hometown. If it is as lame as you claim then maybe you should be inspired by the lameness.
50. Nature. The trees, the waves, the clouds, the ocean, you knew this was going to be on the list somewhere.
51. Roadside culture. Giant dinosaurs, Teepee motels, route 66, etc.
52. Towns with really cool names. Like Twenty Nine Palms, Truth or Consequence New Mexico, and Rough and Ready California.
53. Black Lite Posters.
54. Murals painted on Vans! Unicorns, Vikings whatever get inspired.
55. Hot Rod airbrushing art.
56. Old Toys. Make sure they are cool old toys like vintage spirographs, sit’n’spins and big wheels. No Barney, No Dora the Explorer. Some vastly cooler kid brands include the Snorks, The Smurfs, The Groovy Ghoulies, and the 80s version of Strawberry Shortcake.
57. Art Museums. Make like Cameron in Ferris Buellers Day Off and get absorbed in the art!
58. The Muppet Show. Best Kid show ever but you probably knew that. Also Sesame street when it had cooler Muppets like Count von Count. Pre Elmo. I caught a glimpse of Elmo on the Today show and he is the most obnoxious thing ever. Why was he featured on an adult show?
59. Tiki culture. See if you can find some relics of 60’s era tiki culture that haven’t been torn down yet if not theres always the internet.
620. Googie culture. This was a mid century style of architecture primarily seen in coffee shops.
61. Multicultural Inspirations. Get inspired by vibrant street art, music, open air markets and parades, Mexican food, soul food, hip hop culture, low riders and the like.
Monday, May 3, 2010
101 likely and not so likely sources of inspiration: Part 1
This list is for any creative types out there who are experiencing a block, be it writer’s block, designer’s block, songwriter’s block whatever. Get inspired. I am going to be putting it up in sections right here and once it’s complete I may give it a more permanent home.
There is a lot of humor inside so if you take yourself super seriously or have really bad taste in music it may not be the list for you.
1. Old board games. Get inspired by vintage boardgames. The older ones usually had really cool illustrations and often politically incorrect themes. Scary Natives in a deep dark jungles, Grow up to be a nurse or a teacher, Mom’s and Sis are washing the dishes while the Dad and son get to play battleship!
2. designer checks. What do people like enough to get printed on checks? Unicorns? Elvis, wolves? This could be a barometer of whats trendy with people who still actually use checks. (Like the person who is always always in front of me at Safeway. What @#$%ing century is it already!)
3. Old record sleeves. There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to old records, the weirder the better.
4. Old fads. Get inspired by 8 tracks, rubiks cubes, hula hoops, pogs, snap bracelets, hypercolor shirts, Chinese jumproping, sticker books, hot wheels, jelly shoes, Garbage Pail kids, wacky wallwalkers, madballs, disco, mighty morphin power rangers, rock em sock em robots, crocs, razor scooters, snuggies, or pogo balls.
5. Other people. Take a look at the people who have the guts to wear the two toned hairstyle up in a forties style along with pin up style dress and fishnet stockings. Or the girl with the long blond hair and the flowy skirt who does the hippie dance at every single concert even if it’s Metallica. Or the guy with the pompadour and 50’s nerd-chic glasses who found the Disneyland Maintenance workers shirt you have been looking for your whole life and is wearing it in public. (The front says Ed.)
6. Old print advertising. Get inspired by the vintage illustrations seen in old print ads. Or by the wackiness of defunct products, like those vibrating machines that were supposed to melt off pounds, and a diet candy called Ayds.
7. Old game show sets. Watch the game show network and be amazed at how something with loud Styrofoam cutouts of flowers and a Herb Alpert soundtrack could have been a hit it on national TV.
8. Vintage TV shows and Movies
9. TV shows set in another period. Mad Men is the most obvious current example. Also Freaks and Geeks, That 70’s etc. Sometimes they are really well done other times not so much.
10. Movies set in another period.
11. Public domain. Not only can stuff in the public domain inspire you but you are free to use it in your own work.
12. Old packaging. Usually more interesting than new packaging.
13. Punk. Modern punk or 70’s era punk your choice.
14. Steampunk
15. Any musical genre that ends in core. Pick your favorite, or the one that annoys you the least.
16. Book covers. Pulp fiction is an obvious one but you can find inspiration in almost any genre. Ancient textbooks, with 50’s style atoms on the covers, really cute vintage children’s books, old copies of Sweet Valley High, you never know when inspiration is going to strike.
17. Old yearbooks. Go ahead and laugh at the picture of your mom with the beehive then go tour own yearbook and look at that picture of you with the crunchy Jersey Girl bangs. Yearbooks are a great way to see an era from an everyday point of view.
18. Old cookbooks. Get inspired by weird recipes with nasty looking pictures in garish colors. Discover a shocking amount of jello mold recipes, and a make casserole out of something that should never ever be put into a casserole. Be sure to dump a whole can of cream of mushroom soup on top then remember that you hate mushrooms! Do all this while wearing a super cute vintage apron with a ruffle around it. (Even if you are a dude.)
19. Old fabrics. Old fabrics from the 50s are so cool. They are always full of things like fruitbowls, boomerangs, or scenes from Paris to match the wallpaper or the couch. My grandma had this great tablecloth that had an Italian restaurant theme. I don’t know whatever happened to it but I want it back.
20. Old appliances. How back in the day you could get a turquoise mixer or a pink toaster but now we usually can only choose between white, beige or black? Did the avocado era of the 70’s ruin it for everybody?
There is a lot of humor inside so if you take yourself super seriously or have really bad taste in music it may not be the list for you.
1. Old board games. Get inspired by vintage boardgames. The older ones usually had really cool illustrations and often politically incorrect themes. Scary Natives in a deep dark jungles, Grow up to be a nurse or a teacher, Mom’s and Sis are washing the dishes while the Dad and son get to play battleship!
2. designer checks. What do people like enough to get printed on checks? Unicorns? Elvis, wolves? This could be a barometer of whats trendy with people who still actually use checks. (Like the person who is always always in front of me at Safeway. What @#$%ing century is it already!)
3. Old record sleeves. There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to old records, the weirder the better.
4. Old fads. Get inspired by 8 tracks, rubiks cubes, hula hoops, pogs, snap bracelets, hypercolor shirts, Chinese jumproping, sticker books, hot wheels, jelly shoes, Garbage Pail kids, wacky wallwalkers, madballs, disco, mighty morphin power rangers, rock em sock em robots, crocs, razor scooters, snuggies, or pogo balls.
5. Other people. Take a look at the people who have the guts to wear the two toned hairstyle up in a forties style along with pin up style dress and fishnet stockings. Or the girl with the long blond hair and the flowy skirt who does the hippie dance at every single concert even if it’s Metallica. Or the guy with the pompadour and 50’s nerd-chic glasses who found the Disneyland Maintenance workers shirt you have been looking for your whole life and is wearing it in public. (The front says Ed.)
6. Old print advertising. Get inspired by the vintage illustrations seen in old print ads. Or by the wackiness of defunct products, like those vibrating machines that were supposed to melt off pounds, and a diet candy called Ayds.
7. Old game show sets. Watch the game show network and be amazed at how something with loud Styrofoam cutouts of flowers and a Herb Alpert soundtrack could have been a hit it on national TV.
8. Vintage TV shows and Movies
9. TV shows set in another period. Mad Men is the most obvious current example. Also Freaks and Geeks, That 70’s etc. Sometimes they are really well done other times not so much.
10. Movies set in another period.
11. Public domain. Not only can stuff in the public domain inspire you but you are free to use it in your own work.
12. Old packaging. Usually more interesting than new packaging.
13. Punk. Modern punk or 70’s era punk your choice.
14. Steampunk
15. Any musical genre that ends in core. Pick your favorite, or the one that annoys you the least.
16. Book covers. Pulp fiction is an obvious one but you can find inspiration in almost any genre. Ancient textbooks, with 50’s style atoms on the covers, really cute vintage children’s books, old copies of Sweet Valley High, you never know when inspiration is going to strike.
17. Old yearbooks. Go ahead and laugh at the picture of your mom with the beehive then go tour own yearbook and look at that picture of you with the crunchy Jersey Girl bangs. Yearbooks are a great way to see an era from an everyday point of view.
18. Old cookbooks. Get inspired by weird recipes with nasty looking pictures in garish colors. Discover a shocking amount of jello mold recipes, and a make casserole out of something that should never ever be put into a casserole. Be sure to dump a whole can of cream of mushroom soup on top then remember that you hate mushrooms! Do all this while wearing a super cute vintage apron with a ruffle around it. (Even if you are a dude.)
19. Old fabrics. Old fabrics from the 50s are so cool. They are always full of things like fruitbowls, boomerangs, or scenes from Paris to match the wallpaper or the couch. My grandma had this great tablecloth that had an Italian restaurant theme. I don’t know whatever happened to it but I want it back.
20. Old appliances. How back in the day you could get a turquoise mixer or a pink toaster but now we usually can only choose between white, beige or black? Did the avocado era of the 70’s ruin it for everybody?
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