BrandiSea (00:00:00) - Has anyone ever asked you why you like something and you didn't really have an answer for them? I know I used to hate this question, but what I found was understanding why you like something is the key to finding your own uncommon inspiration. Hello and welcome to Design Speaks. I'm Brandi Sie and I'm thrilled to be your personal creative director, your quirky no nonsense guide to all things design. We'll uncover how to find uncommon sources of inspiration, dig in to design, process and even chat with other amazing creatives in the industry. If you're ready to get inspired, explore powerful design strategies and level up your design game like never before. You're in the right place. It's time to take control of your creativity.
Vesperteen (00:00:46) - Let's go. Oh, man. While you kiss my scars. And we know.
BrandiSea (00:00:58) - I don't know how old you all are out there, but one of my favorite movies of all time is a movie called Empire Records. In it, two of the characters are hanging out through a series of wacky events.
BrandiSea (00:01:11) - One of them is gluing quarters to the floor, and one of the other characters asks Why? AJ the character gluing things to the floor, says, I don't feel that I need to explain my art to you. Warren I think oftentimes this is the approach that we have as creatives, designers. We feel like we don't have to explain things. I'm not going to talk today about explaining our design work to clients because that is a whole thing of its own. I want to talk today about how do you know what inspires you? How do you figure out where your inspiration is? How do you cultivate understanding what to look for when you're out in the world and looking for this uncommon inspiration? The first thing I always tell people when they ask me How do I find my own uncommon inspiration is, Well, what kinds of things do you like? For example, do you collect anything? Do you collect Hot Wheels cars? Do you collect pop figures? And if so, which ones and why do you like them so much? Okay, well, I collect lots.
BrandiSea (00:02:24) - Some of the ones you can't see are Lord of the Rings and Alice in Wonderland. Okay, well, why Alice in Wonderland? Well, I've always loved Alice in Wonderland. Why? Well, I used to love the book and the movie as a kid. Okay. Why? I really love the whimsy. I love the idea that there is something more underneath the surface. Okay? So I like to see things other than what's obviously in front of the eye. Oh, okay. Well, first off, that explains why I'm here with you. Because I like to talk about making things deep and meaningful in a design context. Well, that's always been a part of something that I've been interested in. Okay, so let's talk about other things that have always been interesting and inspiring to me. The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien What do I like about that? I love the sense of adventure, the bravery, the magic and the ethereal quality that a lot of the elves and the characters have. What does that have to do with where I find my inspiration now? I love going on adventures.
BrandiSea (00:03:26) - I love going outside, I love traveling. That is still a core part of who I am and a big part of now, how I know I like to find inspiration. Lisa Frank is something that I used to love and still do. What do I love about Lisa? Frank The color I used to say Rainbow was my favorite color. I couldn't choose just one, and sometimes I still feel that way. That is something that I take into my work. I don't always make Lisa Frank looking designs. In fact, I don't think I ever have. However, color is a huge part of something that interests me. Looking for colors in the world is something that inspires me. So there's another thing. Mary Poppins. My Fair Lady. Shakespeare. Shakespeare. How does Shakespeare impact my work? I always loved the language of Shakespeare, that he always worked in these little jokes and hints to the culture of the time. Again, layers to things deeper meaning. Language is a huge part of the process.
BrandiSea (00:04:24) - I start everything with words. I teach other designers how to use words first in their creative process to come up with better creative concepts. Shakespeare was a master at telling a story, having a larger concept underlying every single thing that he wrote, and that impacted me. I could go on forever, but here's how this is going to work for you. You need to make a list, make a collage, however works best for you. Write down things that you've always liked, that you've always been interested in, and ask yourself why? Why do you like those things? Why do you collect those things? Do you love science fiction? Why? How does that impact your work? These are not only things that can help you figure out what you like and why you like it, which is going to greatly impact your mindset around searching for inspiration. But also this is how you find your own unique voice. If you've always been really interested in the 1980s punk scene in London, that is a whole vibe.
BrandiSea (00:05:28) - That might be something that you can start to incorporate into your voice. If you like Edwardian fashion, ask yourself why. Maybe you like Victorian advertising. Ask yourself why and how that can be used in your work. The thing is, when clients hire us, when they hire me, when they hire you, they are not hiring you. Hopefully, if they are the good kind of client, just to use software that they don't have the ability. To use, especially with things like Canva, clients have an option to not hire a professional designer. What you are giving them when they hire you is you. You are giving them something unique that they cannot get from any AI, that they cannot and will not ever get from only a piece of software using it themselves as a non designer. If that's what they want, that's okay. But the moment they look to hire a designer, they're looking for something special and there's something special that you have is your unique voice that you have cultivated by your likes, your interests, the things that you have always been attracted to all your life.
BrandiSea (00:06:35) - So how do you find your own uncommon inspiration? How do you start to cultivate your own voice as a creative figure out what makes you you, What things you collect, what things you like, what things you have always liked, what things you have grown to like. And those will be your first hints as to how you will operate in the future as a. Finding your own unique voice and searching for uncommon inspiration in the world. Thank you so much for tuning in to Design Speaks Before you go. I wanted to remind you to leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. If you enjoyed the episode reviews, help the podcast grow and improve and also let me know what you're liking so I can bring you more of it. If you know someone who would like this podcast, please share it with them. I'd love to keep growing this community of designers and creatives. If you want to stay up to date with me on social media, you can find me everywhere just by searching at Brandi. See? And don't forget to check out my website, BrandiSea.com for more content and resources related to the topics on the show, plus a link to my course on the strategic process.
BrandiSea (00:07:38) - Thanks again for listening and I'll catch you on the next episode.
Vesperteen (00:07:42) - Where we want to.
BrandiSea (00:08:09) - Shout out to Colin Vesper for providing the amazing theme music at the beginning and end of the show. You can find him on all major streaming platforms or visit his website at Vesper Music. Com. Design Speaks podcast is a project of brand designs and is recorded in the shadow of the Watermelon Pink Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico.