i find inspiration in my every day.
i am grateful for it, but also amazed by it.
i'm also something of a collector.
not of anything specific - things i find; things i'm given; photos; quotes; old things; new things.
i like to think of it as a carefully curated bunch of stuff that reminds me of a place, a time, a person.
little collections that inspire.
i'm in constant awe of people who create best in big, airy, white spaces. sometimes i wish i was one of those people.
i am not.
i think i might love mess.
i don't love having stuff with no purpose or stuff just anywhere. it has to be organized. be used or useful.
enter, the mood board.
mood boards are dotted about the house and studio.
some are digital; some are more like displays; some act as collections; some have relevant information i need on a regular basis; some are mostly blank and waiting to be filled.
sometimes they get rearranged - to suite a new aesthetic; sometimes the odd thing comes off and a new thing goes up in its place; sometimes they get a massive overhaul and things that aren't relevant anymore get pulled off with their replacements ready to take over the space.
sometimes, well sometimes, stuff gets piled on stuff.
wherever they are placed and whatever the contents, they all act as inspiration and as a way to help focus.
when i'm having trouble moving back and forth through all the hats i wear in a day, a quick look at a mood board can be exactly what i need. a visual reminder of what and who inspires me.
i think it is natural for us to collect, but creating doesn't come as easy. often there is a fear attached to creating.
i believe that creating feeds our souls, exercises our brains, opens our hearts.
it is a way of giving a little bit of ourselves.
there are so many good examples of mood boards and how to create them. Janie Kliever's post on Canva discusses techniques for professionals, but the examples and tips she gives are relevant to everyone. i especially love the idea of going to a certain era with a board.
Haele Wolfe has a collection of mood boards for your home office on Skillcrush and i think any one of them would be amazing as a piece of moving and changing art on any wall.
whether it is an idea board for a specific project like a room you want to redecorate; as motivation for a change you want to make; part of a calming space to meditate; or a way to display a collection - a mood board can help you organize your thoughts and (perhaps best of all!) a physical mood board can really organize some of your "must-keep" mess.
creating a mood board doesn't have to take up too much time, it is something you can easily leave and come back to, add to and take away from.
ultimately, it can be a great platform for creativity and change. putting a mood board together is creating in itself and the more we create, the less we fear it.
