I've always been 'creative'.
My mother taught me to sew, and I dabbled with art throughout my childhood. There is a certain meditative quality to crafting which I love, and crave. After the birth of my daughter I felt the need to get making again. I tried knitting and stitching, played around with other people's patterns and made some goofy knitted animals. I noticed that what kept catching my eye was the simple softie people were starting to make. There were quite a lot of them on the market, but I felt I could still come up with something of my own. I think I've achieved that.
As for inspiration?
I have a collection of images in my laptop, and I go over them regularly, adding and subtracting as I go. It could be a picture of a room or something from nature with amazing colours. It may even be a picture of someone else's product that just blows my mind. I also keep a notebook in my bag for when the muse seizes me.
I recommend seeking inspiration everywhere. Head over to Flickr or Pinterest and search for what interests you. Bookmark websites and blogs, scour magazines and tear out pages - keep a folder. Take photographs when you're out and about. And look to your own.
My own child, and the process of motherhood have obviously led me to making things for children. It just makes sense to me, and it's incredibly satisfying to see the delight on a small person's face when they pick up one of my toys.
Take time and put some real effort into forging your own path. Even if your idea is inspired by an existing product, you MUST make it your own. This means more than simply adjusting a pattern or a trim, your product has to come from your heart. The way you combine your materials, the style and shape of it needs to have an edge. It takes a great deal of time and effort to develop an idea into a successful product. Do your research and make sure you are offering something new and success will find you.
More later.
J.
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