Creativity from Without

Not all designers and artists look within to find inspiration from which to create their art. Andrew Goldsworthy, for example, gains inspiration from materials he finds in nature. His ephemeral art does not come from self-discovery; he is more concerned with discovering the meaning within his media. 

Drawing inspiration from media falls into every designer's lap now and again. Designers are not always given free range; often, designers are asked to create from certain materials, or they must create with what is available to them. In our Stone Soup activity, we were asked to create a piece of design from materials that each of us provided. There was no planning involved in our media choices; each person brought what they had and we created with it. 

Designing based on media can also be a choice, many designers allow inspiration to come from the materials they have around them. Not all design has a deep philosophical meaning; the primary goal of most design lies in its ability to please aesthetically. Linda Hoke uses brightly colored cups in installation art to create beautiful wall pieces. She draws inspiration purely from the cups and colors, sometimes going out of her way to find the perfect color of a vintage slurpee cup. In the same way that Goldsworthy creates design out of items found in nature, Hoke creates design out of items that are traditionally used for a completely different purpose.

Inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime. Each designer has a different way of finding inspiration; designers can draw inspiration from within and from without, and many designers are asked to do a little of both. Drawing inspiration from without allows the designer to re-invent their world, whether it be rearranging nature or manipulating cups. 

As design students, there is no doubt that we will at times be forced to create from certain materials for an educational purpose. Additionally, we will probably not have access to pricier art supplies, and we will have to creatively use what we have available. These challenges will force us to explore the world outside of the one we know and are comfortable with. In doing so, we will probably find a more effective way of drawing inspiration from within ourselves as well as without.