Pinterest - Inspiration Boards

Yes, I am a little obsessed. But it's so FUN. Rachel of Lovely Clusters has an Inspiration Board Pinboard up at Pinterest. Check it out for some inspiration board, well, inspiration!

More Fashion Boards

In celebration of New York Fashion Week, Habitually Chic has posted a bunch of fashion mood boards. Check them out here.

Harvey Faircloth Inspiration Board

I love the clean lines of this inspiration board for fashion designer Harvey Faircloth. (Via Black Eiffel).





It's also a great reminder that inspiration for your manuscript's mood, setting and decor don't have to come from artsy photographs or fashion magazines. They can include the simplest details - from the face of a playing card to a swath of fabric.

Guest blogger - Author Devon Monk & Affirmation Boards

I'm happy to offer the floor today to Devon Monk, author of Magic in the Blood, Magic to the Bone, and the forthcoming Magic in the Shadows, who has some lovely thoughts to share regarding creating an Affirmation Board for your writing (or your health goals...or other career goals...or any other creative endeavor!)

Take it away, Devon!

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My friend was tired of New Years resolutions.  She wanted to start the year on a better foot.  Make a better plan than just listing things she would ultimately fail at.

So she told me about the affirmation board.  The affirmation board is easy.  You sit down, flip through magazines while thinking about what you want to do, and better yet, what you want to happen to you in the year ahead.  Then you hang that board someplace where you will see it every day–on your closet, by your TV, some place where the images and words can sink into your subconscious and remind you of your hopes and wishes and affirmations.

It sounded to me like the perfect way to make a year’s worth of writing goals.

The first time I sat down to make an affirmation board was on New Year’s eve.  I bought some poster board, glue and scissors, and asked friends and family to bring their old magazines to the party.

In a house full of people, at a party I was hosting, I began flipping through magazines.  I knew some of my goals: I wanted to write more and sell more.  I wanted balance between all aspects of my life.  I wanted health for myself, friends and family.  But how would I make that into a visual inspiration?

An amazing thing happened.  Halfway into the first magazine, the sounds of the party faded away.  I forgot I was sitting in a room full of people.  My conscious mind took the backseat, while my subconscious sorted through photos and words–and wondered, do I want that next year?  Is that my hope and dream?  Is that a writing goal?  Is that the career I’m reaching for?

Certain words and pictures jumped out.  Other concepts were difficult to find.  No surprise there.  Dreams are hard to spot in a recycled magazine.  But trust me, dreams are in there. I cut out everything that spoke to me.  More words and pictures than I could fit on a board.  When it came time to assemble the board, I slid photos and words around, feeling like an artistic criminal, making a ransom note for my future.

The board turned out pretty nice.  It was pleasant to look at–very important since it was going to be on my wall.  I posted it above my writing desk so when I was at the computer, my eyes would wander to the board, and my subconscious would be reminded of my goals and dreams.

What was on that board? A quote: “Step of the cliff expecting to fly, not to fall.”  An image: a woman in silhouette standing at the top of a mountain, the sun rising to greet her with “success” at her feet.  A goal: “Editor’s pick.” A hope: “healthy children.”

But there was danger lurking in those words, too. I foolishly clipped out this quote: “See how much one woman can do” thinking it would be inspirational.  It would help me see how much writing I could get done in a year, right?  Wrong.  Instead, I had one of the craziest, busiest years of my life!  There wasn’t a last minute emergency that didn’t fall into my lap, there wasn’t a disaster that didn’t need me to handle it, there wasn’t a moment’s rest.  It was crazy!  Finding out just what one woman could do nearly killed me. 

And it reminded me that words, even just clipped words on cardboard, or electronic pixels on a screen, or ink on a page, have power. 

I’m a little more choosy about what I put on my board now.  I still strive for things that will encourage me to reach my writing goals.  If you look in the left hand corner of my board from last year, you’ll see a goal of mine that I haven’t reached yet.  But I’m working on it.

This year, for the first time in ten years, I didn’t make a board.  I miss it.  I miss that beginning-of-the-year, fresh-start-hopefulness that helps me keep my chin up during the tough times, the rejections, the failures.  The affirmation board is more than a concrete reminder of what I want to accomplish.  It’s a visual encouragement to keep hoping and keep dreaming.  And of course, to keep working toward the career I want.

And thanks to Chloe’s invitation to blog here, I think I’m going to make a middle of the year affirmation board.  Because even half a year without a my writing dreams and goals is far too long.  

* * * * 

Alright, I have an appointment with some scissors and a glue stick. Thanks for joining us (and inspiring us), Devon!

Anna Beckman Bulletin Boards

These bulletin boards / inspiration boards created by calligrapher Anna Beckman are so fabulous they make my teeth ache. Gorgeous, and inspiring. What story do they tell you?

(Via the fabulous Jordan Ferney at Oh Happy Day).

Images of Cadogan House

Some recent Cadogan House visual inspiration...

1. I hadn't really given much thought to what the consort suite might look like, but I think these answer that question: 

(Via Dress, Design, Decor) 

2. There's something very Merit about this one, and it reminds me of a scene I've imagined for book 4. 

(Via Design Lovely)

3. Tons more fabulous photos from Dress, Design, Decor, which I just discovered today ...

a. I'd always imagined that Navarre House was tres modern, but this bathroom is so. Very. Celina (mirrors abound).

b. This office is very Lacey Sheridan (prim, proper, modern, just-so), who you'll meet in Chicagoland Vampires: FRIDAY NIGHT BITES (10/09, Berkley Penguin). 

c. Mallory, sans blue hair?

How'd you like to write in this room?

Rain falling, lightening crashing, and you're home in your nook with a fountain pen and manuscript . . . from Morten Holtum (via Desire to Inspire):

And could you write that manuscript in one of these bad boys from May Day Studios? (Via Scoutie Girl)

And imagine your new noir mystery using this inspiration board. (Via Simple + Pretty)

Anne Sage on Creating Inspiration Boards

From my personal blog . . . 

* * * * 

Inspiration boards are an incredibly effective tool for communicating the look and feel of a project. I create inspiration boards every chance I get, whether I'm planning a party, redecorating a room in my house, or just fantasizing about my favourite color combination du jour. This is the first board I've every composed based on work of literature, and it proved to be every bit as fun as I thought it would be! The process for making inspiration boards can be as flexible as you like, but here are some tips I've learned the hard way!

1. Create an Image Library. It's much easier to construct a board by picking and choosing from amongst images that you already have on your computer, rather than by searching the internet one image at a time. I organize images on my hard drive using a program called Yojimbo; it allows me to drag and drop straight from my web browser window, and it saves the source URL of the image. Photographers' and artists' management websites are a terrific place to find a wealth of images; I likeCameralink and Art Department for fashion imagery, and Re:Fresh Agency or Sarah Kaye Represents for interiors and still life. As well, when I happen across an image that I love in a magazine, I not only scan it but I also take note of the photographer's name and check to see if he has an online portfolio. Feel free to explore the list of my favourite photographers in the sidebar of my blog.

2. Choose a starting point and set your guidelines. Putting together a board is quite an adventure; you never know exactly how it will end! But I always select one image as my foundation and refer back to it as I bring in other photos. This foundational image should capture all or most of the qualities that you'd like the finished board to have. In this instance, Chloe felt that the photo of three lounging women (second row, far left) perfectly summed up her vision of the novel's aesthetic. I let that image dictate the color palette (blacks and greys with blue undertones, punctuated by warm splashes of coral and red), its textural notes (lots of glossy finishes and fluid draperies), as well as its overall mood (a louche yet pensive opulence). As the board came together, I always referred back to that original photo and used that criteria of palette, texture and mood as my filter for selecting additional images.

3. Keep an open mind. As with any narrative, surprises often pop up as a board evolves. For example, no chandelier appears in the image I used as my starting point, but several others of the photos I loved happened to have striking baroque chandeliers. I pushed farther with that recurring device and brought in not only more chandeliers but also shimmering glassware to mirror a chandelier's reflective glow. The result? An unexpected complementary motif that enhances the luxurious tone of the board.

4. A Few Technical Details: I design my inspiration boards using InDesign, a publishing software in the Adobe Creative Suite. It takes a bit of getting used to but allows for great precision when cropping and aligning images. Another popular (free!) platform for making inspiration boards is Polyvore. It's fairly straightforward to use, and people are creating some amazing collages with it. Of course you can't go wrong with good old paper, scissors and glue! No matter how you create your board, be sure to take note of your sources--that way if you ever share your board in a public forum, you can give proper credit where credit is due.

This is the inspiration board created by Anne for SOME GIRLS BITE: