Creativity From Without

Being an artist often involves delving deep inside oneself to find inspiration, be it through expression of emotion, or in nostalgic memories. Many artists can, and certainly any great designer must be able to also find inspiration from without. What this means is, in order for a designer to produce a successful, universally pleasing finished product, he or she must allow inspiration to come from the materials being used, the prospective users of the product, the environment in which it will be used, etc.

I think this is one of the defining differences between pure art and pure design, though the two overlap in many places. Art is usually made for the artist, sometimes only for the artist. I consider myself an artist and I certainly create works that are purely for me, produced from my own emotions and thoughts. Although I may share the art with others, its sole purpose is my own expression. This piece is  perfect example:

I also consider myself a designer, if only in the very early stages, and I have also created works in which I have not necessarily expressed any feelings from within but have allowed myself to be inspired by that which I was painting, or designing with. In this painting I was inspired by the shape and colors of these Easter play-doh containers:

Likewise, here I was inspired by the style of the store I designed this ad after, and the natural essence of our Environmental club I designed this poster for (as well as the fact that the concert was held around Valentine's Day).

As designers, we need to reach a balance in where we find inspiration. If we focus too much on what we are feeling within, we risk producing something that no one other than ourselves can relate to, which is a sure sign of poor design. Likewise however, if we have absolutely no emotional ties to our work, it will seem simply uninspired. There is nothing wrong with finding inspiration from within, but as designers we have to be able to also find inspiration from without, so that we can share our visions with the world in a way most everyone can appreciate.