Wandering for Inspiration

For those of us in the creative fields, we are always seeking inspiration….new ideas…a sense of something new.  I have long considered myself a global nomad…a seeker of new delights, if you will.  Here’s the story of how I discover.

Wandering through the colorful urban environment is my preferred “method” of discovery.  Culinary and celebration inspirations, ideas, insights seem to be everywhere without much hard-core research. The route is random, wherever something of interest beckons around the corner. The pace is ambling and relaxed, but the senses are alive.

Like the open and sensing “camera eye” of Christopher Isherwood’s: Goodbye to Berlin:

“I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking”

My eyes are open and whatever passes by grabs attention.

For example.  This past Saturday. Suddenly, I was awash in imagery that was black, white, and yellow. Coincidence?  Trend?  I am not sure.  Was it the yellow and black Burberry trench that was showcased as a part of Burberry’s The Art of the Trench Chicago-centric launch series!?   It is true that we were consumed with all things Burberry having just catered the new Michigan Avenue launch on Thursday. Or, maybe I was shocked by logging on to Literary Jukebox and hit by Maria Papova’s bold yellow, white, and black Brain Pickings logo!? This imagery certainly set the stage for inspiration.

Then, on this beautiful  (and warm!) Saturday, the journey took me far from glittery Michigan Avenue toward  the relaxed stroll through Lincoln Park.  First Armitage, then up Halsted, then west through Lincoln Avenue, up to Sheba’s, then over to Belmont and onto Southport.

Wandering through these neighborhoods, the colors start to tell me a story. The raw material is everywhere. The happy yellow bicycle, a freshly stenciled black and white street punctuated with black, yellow, and white security signs.  Next my eye catches a yellow industrial chain and then, I look up and see a Leffe Beer Label in the window at Cullin’s on Southport…together communicating a bold and impactful palette.

My mind immediately circles back to the dining table. What’s more impactful than graphic black and white with some shots of yellow? Coincidentally, Black and White Ribbon Linen is being requested for our bridal appointment tomorrow. Is it possible that our friend, Renee Price at Kehoe Designs and our bride are also seeing Black and White all over?

More to come…