Summation

Inspiration: Jessica Swift

Through Door Sixteen, I found an awesome sale site; Fab.com. I was on there yesterday and found inspiring, gorgeous and playful art works from Jessica Swift. She really inspired to get back to my creative roots. This one is a particular favorite of mine:

It's called Fly Me to the Moon - I wish it could!

This is Fantastic

This photograph is one of the most fantastic (as in imaginative and of fantasy not as in "THAT'S SO GREAT") images I have ever seen. It reminds of something that could occur in one of my favorite books like Stardust or The Night Circus. A surreal idea captured.

I would love to capture a cloud.

I found this via Dooce and I would love to buy this and the price is right (only $25!) but I have too much shit already that I need to get rid of and not enough space for it because I live in Manhattan I am a babe on a budget these days.  

Gotta Love: Zodiac Designs

I'm obsessed with Zodiac signs. Not to the point where I believe that horoscopes and your sign is a definitive and absolute prediction and description of your personality respectively but I think there is some validity to the belief system plus it's interesting.

So that's why I love finding well designed Zodiac themed objects and art. I have some recent discoveries that I want to share because they are AWESOME!

Lo and behold:

Stemware from Intoxicated Zodiac:

I think these wine glasses are such a great gift be it for a birthday or housewarming. I love that they come with a wine charm, too. At $16 a pop, it's a damn good deal. Shop for them here. I met the creator when she had a trunk show at my favorite NYC store, Henri Bendel, and I regret not buying the glasses then, so it's on my to do list. I wanted to get my new roommates, Rebecca and Emma, one for each of their signs as a roomie gift but of course I haven't gotten around to it yet.  

Original drawings from Rachel Beyer, known for her fabulous company and Etsy store - Camp Smartypants, this is her Gemini drawing and as a badass bonus she gives you a code you can add as a badge:

I also love her Cancer interpretation:

I'm seriously considering emailing my talented former co-worker and friend to see if she'll put together a combined poster/art work of her Gemini and Cancer drawings since I'm on the cusp of both signs. I love that I'm a Gemini and a Cancer and I think she could do a really cool drawing for me. The colors she's using would go perfect with my current bedroom color scheme and the artwork I already have.

If I do and she agrees, you'll definitely be seeing the end result here!

Inspiration: Tauba Auerbach

Branding Inspiration: Bottle Labels

Inspiration can be found anywhere! For example having dinner at Pure:

Inspiration: Linda Zacks

I was introduced to Linda Zacks' work because she was going to be a guest crit for my GD2 class. Unfortunately she was unable to make it (so I couldn't grill her on her work and process) but fortunately I became OBSESSED with her work. 

Her work speaks to me because it reminds me of what I like: bright colors, bold images and mixed media. 

A couple of my favorites:

This is the one I want the most!

I really like the colors and the way they progress
through the alphabet and it reminds of one of my magazine covers!

I am seriously considering treating myself to one of her etsy pieces. 

I love her blog because it's a photo blog with humor.

Inspiration and Fashion: Shabby Apple

I've been super busy with school and haven't had much to explore the blogosphere and I'm really glad I made the time today because I found the wonderful clothing and accessory company, Shabby Apple via Love, Natalie.

The photography is beautiful and these are my favorite dresses:

It's definitely a site worth clicking through. 

Inspiration: Corbis 24/7/365

I subscribe to HOW magazine + Print Partners and received a beautiful email with a link to an incredibly interesting study of 365 photographs for every day of the year.

For the month of March I really like Friday, March 25 because of the intensely saturated colors and Monday, March 21 because of the scale and impact of the sign's typography.

Check it out. 

Inspiration: Bodega Bouquet

Inspiration: Floral Photos

I love flowers. I especially love roses even though it's cliche. I thought I would share my favorite floral photos I've taken this summer:

Inspiration: Postage Stamps

I'm working on a project featuring postage stamps and desperately need some inspiration. I'll be coming back for more and more to feel that "aha!" of inspiration.

c. These are copyrighted and property of United States Postal Serivce (USPS). All rights reserved.

Inspiration: Sky Photos

I love taking pictures and can be entertained by this hobby of mine for HOURS. Especially with my neato iPhone app- Hipstamatic.

These filtered sky photos really get me in the mood for dreaming. . . .

All taken by yours truly!

Inspiration: GOOP's Hot Pink Prada Dress

I love clothes. I love to shop.

But these days, I hate shopping. I'll go to all of the usual stops (Anthro, Nordies, H&M, Zara) and hate everything I try on. It's the same thing over and over again. Whether it's the *new* one shoulder dress or the bandage dress popularized by Herve Leger or another strapless, so I don't feel much like shopping these days. It makes me want to scream, "I WANT a different silhouette!! WHY is EVERYTHING so short? WHAT happened to interesting styles?"

So it's nice to feel inspired :). Especially if it's fodder to put away in the back of my mind for the day that I design and make clothes.

With that introduction, I present GOOP's gorgeous and unique hot pink Prada:

It looks great from the front and the profile image demonstrates how an unusual silhouette can truly make a statement yet not overly dramatic:

I don't think this dress is for everyone or that anyone could pull it off. Yes, Gwyneth does a terrific job wearing the dress and not having it wear her. So maybe the masses or the "minivan" majority (a Lainey Gossip original and defined by Anne Helen Petersen) won't love it but it's so refreshing to see something so different.

I just LOVE that it's somewhere between Judy Jetson and Mrs. Betty Draper. Inspiration, indeed!

Inspiration: Transformational Leadership

I think that one of the toughest jobs in the world is to be a great manager and/or boss. 

I am fascinated with leadership and what factors define a great manager and/or boss. In my work experience only a few managers were great and most of them were not. When I stumbled upon this article via twitter its title, "Four Things Employees Need From Leaders", got my attention and its content gave me a lot to think about.

I hadn't heard the term "transformational leadership" or "transactional leadership" before but just their names gave me a very clear picture of each models' definition. Transformational read to me that it is a way of transforming behavior and thoughts via leadership and transactional was based on transaction; money. 

Not only did these terms give me a different perspective on my past and current work experience but so did the Big Four. 

The Four Things by Dr. Cleve Stevens

1. The Need to Love and be Loved: Employees and employer/manager/boss/leader need to have a  reciprocal relationship full of  "focused concern and action directed at another exclusively for that person's good." I would agree that it's beneficial to employees to show that you care about them. 

2. The Need to Grow: Stevens' argument is that there are only two directions one can go: decay due to stasis or grow and expand. I would rather grow than decay.

3. The Need to Contribute: People like to contribute because it makes them feel like they belong. Contributing to the whole means belonging to the company.

4. The Need for Meaning: "We are meaning-seeking creatures. If our lives lack a clear sense of meaning, if we are engaged in some larger purpose, we will not be fully satisfied, regardless of whatever else we may have." 'Nuf said.

Inspiration and Appreciation : Peter Pan by Tina Tarnoff

I want children, so it's no surprise when I see a piece of art that is so whimsical, reminiscent of childhood as Tina's Peter Pan papercut is, I want to buy it NOW.

 

To save it and save it until it goes up in its rightful place in a child's bedroom. Kind of like how I bought a prom dress in high school before I had a date :). 

To see Tina's other gorgeous and whimsical art works, visit her etsy shop and enjoy!

Inspiration and Appreciation: It Looks Good to Me

I love, love getting Daily Candy in my inbox every morning. The contents don't always strike my fancy but today, I found a new artist and her website. It Looks Good to Me. I am especially in love with her illustrations that are brought to life with watercolors:

This one could totally go on my kitchen wall at home. Especially considering how much I love my red wine :).

This may sound weird but this work reminds me very much of Carrie Bradshaw in the first few seasons of Sex and the City. I think it's because it was the first time I'd ever seen someone wear ankle socks with heels. And it looked fun and trendy :).

Titled, Make Love Not War, is just beautiful to me. I like that its slightly morbid with the hard gray of the gun and blossoming deep pink (reminds me a bit of blood) of the rose. It's a beautiful and striking contrast. I don't know where I put it up in my house. . .  maybe in the living room?

 And of course this is a favorite of mine because she's a redhead! What can I say? Redheads only make up 1% of the population and I'm proud to be a part of it :). I particularly like it though because although the illustration is one dimensional, the watercolors make it move. I feel like at any moment, she could wink at me, blow me a kiss and saunter off the page with her fire red hair blowing in the wind. I think this one might be going up in my room sometime soon.

Click here for more illustrations and here for her fashion inspired blog (no shocker that fashion is the main topic seeing as Ms. Caroline is a fashion textile designer).

Enjoy!