Cross-Pollinating Design ideas:
Borrowing design elements from one environment and adding to a second often happens whether we plan on it or not. But many observant creative-types take advantage of these unexpected situations... and later apply the lesson to a different composition. For example, I saw (I miss many pollinating opportunities but this one I caught) the negative space between two different shoes of my daughter as they sat in the sun, the shape of this space triggered an insight into a painting I was working on. Consequently, I added a bolder shadow as negative space between two trees I was painting in a landscape and significantly improved the 16 x 20 painting.
Bigger leaps are even more thrilling... an intricate brass buckle on a fancy belt becomes inspiration for a garden fence latch. A mispronounced word becomes a beloved nick-name (Louisa became "weezee") . Inspiration can be built on or borrowed from present realities if we slow done, observe... and step out of worn paths.
Photo is of wild bluebells (ephemerals) from our southeastern MN spring camping trip.
