Breaking Homogeneity

For a while, I’ve been looking for inspiration and I think it’s because I feel as if we’re visually saturated with products, design, and advertising that all look the same. It reminds me of the moment in the nineties when everything was blue and gold, resplendent in stars and moons, or when the Live, Laugh, Love aesthetic moved into town and everyone’s homes started to look like Hallmark cards.

There’s a poem by Stevie Smith where he says, “not waving but drowning”. I think we’re at the point where enough is enough. We all have to pull up our design socks and start breaking the mould and coming up with new fresh ideas. For many artists and designers, we’re used to thinking solo. I think this is part of the problem. Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum and we need to collaborate more effectively and stop being so precious about “our own ideas”. 

Here’s what I know.

 We have more access to information than ever before, but we’re all looking for inspiration in the same place. We troll Google, AI, Pinterest, Behance, Instagram, and TikTok as if they have all the answers. The problem is that once a design trend takes off, it enters the realm of homogeneity, the land of Live Laugh Love, and everyone jumps on the bandwagon until it becomes tired and cliched. We’re getting lazy with our process and how we think. We need to look beyond our screens and go back to basics.

I’ve begun to think about the environment in which I do my thinking and how I can expand my worldview.  

Artists

Artists by nature tend to be outsiders with unique outlooks and executions. Artists tend to view the world differently, focusing on the whole visual field rather than individual objects. This allows them to see things others might miss.

Ideas come to fruition through inspiration and perspective. 
With everyone having the same access to information, look at unknown and outsider artists for a unique perspective (Taika Waititi).

I am inspired by a range of artists for different reasons. I love Morag Myerscough who embraces colour and patterns with absolute zeal. Banksy is a mysterious force who reclaims public space and mocks the gallery aesthetic. Ai Weiwei’s sculptures are visceral and quirky, and his reimagining of Coca-Cola is a particular favourite. Urs Fischer creates works that are unpredictable and bonkers and Leandro Erlich creates extraordinary installations that challenge perception and defy all logic. I could go on…

Morag Myerscough, Legible Cities - Spaces For Creation

Banks, Anti-Immigration Birds Mural - Clacton on Sea 

Ai Weiwei's, Coca-Cola Subversive Symbolism - Elephant

Urs Fischer, Life-Size Rhinoceros Sculpture

Leandro Erlich, Installation Above Nantes

Exhibitions

Even the smallest towns have exhibitions. The benefit of exhibitions is that even if you don’t like the art, you’ll learn something and get something out of it.

I believe that if you’re a creative and don’t attend art-based events, then you should have your creative title taken away. Exhibitions are places to connect and get our creative juices flowing. I am a big fan of the Colour Factory exhibitions because they embrace collaboration and show that when different people with different perspectives and ways of thinking work together, the outcomes are unique.

Colour Factory, Colour Experience Exhibition

Industry Research

Research is never a dirty word. I think we should all be looking at what’s trending and exciting in other industries. But this doesn’t just mean scrolling through socials.

The fashion world shows us new colours and how to play with patterns, shapes, and structures. Ceramics reveal how colour, pattern, and texture react to light. Textile design opens up new cultures and shows us how pattern, illustration, colour, and texture move. Mosaic gives us an insight into the craft of detail and zooming out. Beadwork and weaving are other areas where texture and craft come together.

Dip your toes in the water of other creative industries.  

Marimekko Fashion

Tiffany Scull Ceramics

Ntombephi "Induna" Ntobela Beadwork

So what’s the lesson?

I think that we need to play more. As we get older our viewpoints get smaller and more focused. We fixate. Children are curious and inquisitive, they are excited by everything. Just think about how excited you were as a child when you got a box of colourful sugary cereal with a cute mascot and even the promise of a toy. Gasp! While I don’t recommend starting your day with sugary colourful cereal, I do think that we should start each day with the same level of excitement as a sugar-laden child bibbing with eighties additives.

We need to go back to basics and appreciate that joy is a choice. And we can choose to find it and be inspired.