What Inspires Me: From High Fashion to the Streets

We all need a spark to keep our creative gears turning. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the specific, sometimes unexpected things that fuel my own imagination. Here is a look inside my current notebook of inspirations.

Expensive Fashion: The Shift at Gucci

Demna is the new creative director at Gucci, and the pieces and marketing look pretty good. In my opinion, he is taking Gucci down to its bones with sleek and smoky pieces—styles that admittedly won't work for me personally. Alessandro Michele was always more my speed: quirky, colorful, and surprising.
However, Demna gives me something to which I can aspire or dream, and for that, this writer feels grateful. Even though they are basics in many cases, the new men's pieces seem useful and elevated.

Digital Discovery: Amateur Art on Pinterest

I've been finding immense inspiration in the work of amateur artists linked across Pinterest. Lately, I've started a new practice: I force myself to "like" exactly three photos per viewing session. It’s an easy platform to get lost in; I can look at many, many photos of artwork and a large number of promotions. Even the AI-curated collections that Pinterest turns up are sometimes interesting.
Since my focus has been on plush figures recently, the bulk of my liking activity goes to those and their sewing patterns. Right now, it's time for me to get motivated and sew a simplistic plush figure of my own. For the record, all four of the figures I have produced so far were cat plushes.

The Raw Authenticity of Street Style

The idea of everyday street style inspires me deeply. Unhoused people and people riding the bus to the city center give me inspiration sometimes. Even coffee servers in convenience stores often have a distinct style and a unique way of showing it.
The fashion scene where I live now doesn't quite live up to the setting of the '90s and '00s, but then again, I wasn't as aware back then. In fact, much of the time I was unfortunately psychotic during those decades. Because of those lived experiences, I feel that I can truly judge when a marginalized person has style or grace under pressure—and sometimes, that resilience is beautifully expressed in their apparel.

Personal Tech vs. Analog Freedom

Personal technology is a massive enabler for my expression. My tablet computer allows me to create; the keyboard is poor, but the screen and processor are okay and useful. Plus, AI can clean up and edit my typos and grammar errors after the fact.
I also recently got into film photography. While it is sort of expensive to shoot on film, you can do so with much more panache—and far more covertly than you can by brandishing a smartphone at people. It is a massive pet peeve of mine when people rudely shoot images of me, which gives me an extra layer of sensitivity when collecting images of the street. To respect boundaries, I mostly shoot street settings completely devoid of people. That vacant, quiet atmosphere inspires me.
At the same time, I love to just run out of the house with a physical notebook and an ink pen. No power cables, no delicate screens, no bulky computer cases. I can just pick up and leave the house with those simple implements, knowing AI can transcribe my handwriting at a later time.
A quick note on gear: I like Apple equipment, but you objectively get more snappiness and raw power for your money when buying Android equipment.