“Remove the headphones and unplug the computer. True inspiration comes from life. Real life. Not some pixelated version of it.”
— Sir John Hegarty
Don’t Get Trapped as a Sitting Zombie
Anything you see on the internet are flat pictures—but no real experience. What you see on a screen is a biased, 2D version of reality. Spending hours searching for pictures online turns us into “sitting zombies.”
Sure, there is no absolute right or wrong in using internet images for moodboards. However, be mindful to distinguish between beautiful pictures and pictures with true meaning.
Build Your Own Sensitivity and Sense of Critique
You need to develop your own sense of critique and originality so you don’t see what everybody else sees when googling the same keywords.
Today, most pictures you find are selected by robots. Maybe one day Google will show images tailored to your personal story and identity. Until then, trust yourself first.
Become a Producer, Not Just a Consumer
Instead of endlessly consuming pictures, why not go outside? Get out to the streets, travel, sketch, and take your own photos. Create your personal database of environmental colors, graphics, products, people, even insects.
Every picture you collect should remind you of an emotion. Don’t just accumulate images, collect feelings—because feelings are what you want to translate into your designs.
Get Inspired by All Five Senses
Vision is just one of five senses; the others—touch, hearing, taste, smell—are equally vital. When you design with your full sensory experience, your products become more meaningful to real people.
Be curious. Discover how real people live. Talk to them, shake their hands, and capture experiences that no forum or blog can convey because you lived them in person.
Create Real Interaction with People
We design for people, families, and tribes. Study their behavior without judgment and try to truly feel their mindset.
“Nurture your self-confidence… Be brave and dare to think the unthinkable, because as creative people we demonstrate an uncanny ability to visualize what other people can’t see.”
– Phil Evans
If you design for blind people, meet them. Don’t rely only on forums or data; volunteer, engage, experience. Design for babies? Meet parents, babysit nieces or nephews.
Pursue what others don’t see.
Live Your Project
When you present your project, your voice will change—you will live your project. Juries will feel your sincerity and passion.
So, leave your chair and computer. Go out and enjoy the world!
I carry my camera everywhere I travel. I have thousands of pictures on my hard disk, all categorized and ready for inspiration. Make every day a unique experience and a learning opportunity!
Anything you see on Internet are flat pictures – but no experience. So you are somehow missing of the “real feel”. What you see on the screen is a biased version of the reality. Looking for pictures for hours and hours on Internet change us into Sitting-zombies.
Don’t get “trapped” at looking for pictures on websites like Getty image for your moodboard. There is no right or wrong to use them. But make sure you know how to dissociate beautiful pictures from pictures with true meanings.
See you for the next TIP!
Cheers,
Chou-Tac
Related Articles
![How to Draw a Fashion Girl [Nike Tennis Outfit]](https://www.thedesignsketchbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/How-to-Draw-a-Fashion-Girl-Nike-Tennis-Outfit-in-4-steps-768x432.webp)
[…] Go to the park and lay down on the grass. Look at the sky, the trees, people passing by. Let your thoughts drift like clouds. When was your last time you were in contact with nature and touch a tree. My dad used to tell me with a mix of words in French and Chinese (Teochew dialect to be exact): “Go out from room, go see some green”, in other words Grass. We, as human are made to rest our eyes looking at nature – not computers or video games. […]
[…] Inspiration can come from anywhere—books, mentors, random meetings, or observations at a café. And then, one day, your brain will make sudden connections between ideas, and eureka! […]
Need to update my profile, where do I go?