Inspiration Folder

I began keeping an inspiration folder back when I was in school. I was encouraged to do so to keep a record of exhibitions I went to, pieces of work I liked and pieces of work that I was influenced by. I have kept it up over the years, though not as regularly as I used to, and I still like to go back and take a look through from time to time. It is a really helpful way to keep a track of things I like or places I’ve been. It is interesting for me to see how my tastes have changes over the years. Although, for the most part, I am more drawn to abstract and colourful art, the folder also has a lot of Graphic Design and typography from the time I was at university.

I thought I’d show you some of the things I have collected over the years. This is a very small selection of what is in my folder.

The first type of thing I have in my inspiration folder is just random leaflets or paper ephemera that I have picked up from places I've been. This one below, for example, was an information leaflet about membership (I think) from the Tate Modern. I really liked the design on it, particularly the red on the black and the mix of colour in the brush stroke down the middle.

Next, are pictures I have found online and printed out. Obviously now I would use Pinterest for these types of images, but I do still think there is something nice about flicking through a physical object rather than scrolling down a computer screen. I mostly liked this image for the use of typography, but the colour combination and use of geometric shape is also interesting to me. Unfortunately, I didn't make a note of where this came from so I can't check out other work by the designer or credit it here.

The next type of thing I have in my folder are adverts from magazines. I think this one below was by John Lewis. I really liked the simplicity of the design and the colour palette.

The next 'thing in my folder' is pages from books, magazines, newspapers etc. I really enjoy reading about art and craft, even if I don't make as much time for it as I should do. While at school and university, I had to write essays and these are the pages I used while researching, but they are still of interest to me, which is why I keep them around. Below is an extract from the book Manufractured by Steven Skov Holt and Mara Holt Skov and an article about Picasso and David Hockney.

I also like to collect information about the exhibitions I go to. If there are any leaflets or booklets about an exhibition, I will always try and pick one up, even if I have to pay for it. It's a really great way to record the things I've gone to see, but also offer insight on the artworks that I may not be aware of. Below are leaflets/booklets from an exhibition on the Bauhaus, Turner, Monet and Twombly and 'Invisible' art. I really like going to see art, especially if it is not something I'm completely familiar with. The Invisible art exhibition in particular was a big gamble for me, as it is not something I would normally go and see, but I remember really enjoying it because it was so different.

The final type of thing I have in my folder are postcards. I'm really bad at remembering names of artists or artworks that I see in galleries that I like, so I often carry around a notebook with my so I can jot them down. However, when I get home, I don't often take the time to go online and look up the artists or images and make a record of them. It means I end up with page of notes of pictures I never look at again. So I started buying postcards of things I liked. It's a really great (but sometimes expensive) way of keeping a record of the pictures I particularly liked. Below are only a selection of the postcards I have in my inspiration folder.

I wish I could say that this was something I looked at and referenced all the time, but it isn’t. It’s really big and heavy, everything is falling out of it and it definitely needs organising. But as someone who has a habit of picking things up from places I go just because I like the look of it, having somewhere specific to put it is necessary.