So You’re Inspired… Now What?

"I get inspired all the time. But I don’t know what to do with it. I save the image, think it’s stunning… and then it just sits there."

A big shoutout to Ahmet, one of our ASDB students, who brought this topic up during our call yesterday inside our AI Mastermind.

I smiled because... SAME. Look, we visit exhibitions, travel, go to restaurants with fabulous designs, capture photos of furniture and textures, unique color combinations, and breathtaking landscapes. Then weeks go by, and those images just become another JPEG file we eventually delete when our memory is full (high five if you also have 10k+ pictures on your phone - where do I even start clearing all that?! But that’s a topic for another newsletter lol).

I’m sharing an incredibly helpful and insightful hack I learned back in 2018 during my interior design studies from Kelly Wearstler. As an interior designer, she emphasizes the importance of storytelling and intuition in design. And, just like in life, it’s about blending different styles, ideas, and materials from various places and cultures.

In practice, we take photos of patterns we notice in our everyday surroundings WITHOUT even needing to visit fancy places. Take a look at my own examples from our architectural excursion to Berlin the same year.

So, what happens next? After you notice those patterns and color combinations, you take them and recreate them through your work - whether that’s design or illustration. You can even ask AI to create similar ideas using the "blend" and "imagine" features, which my students are currently learning with me in the AI Mastermind.

Here’s what I personally do: I draw inspiration. Drawing helps us develop new, previously undiscovered ideas and connections, which ultimately shape our style. This is why it’s CRUCIAL to develop sketching skills.

Sketching is how ideas get “stuck” in your mind, not just on the surface. My mom, who’s an architect, used to sketch a lot during her studies and qualifications. And those scribbles don’t need to make sense to anyone else - just to you.

Look, here’s one of my recent quick sketches from the mountains - expressive, with fresh colors and ideas for my artwork, which I instantly implement in my work.

What I also do is create folders on my computer (NOT on my phone or in the media library) and categorize them by "textures," "chairs," "flowers," etc. So every time I see something that really inspires me, I don’t mindlessly take a screenshot and forget about it. Instead, I organize it.

That way, whenever I need a rug or a sofa idea, I can open those folders, and bam - instant inspiration!

And to keep this inspirational flow going, I want to personally invite you to my LIVE design and drawing workshop happening next week.
We’ll be, of course, drawing, talking about successful creative habits and frameworks, and merging AI with our creative work. PLUS, the first design tutorial is already waiting for you - it will arrive in your inbox right after you sign up, and it’s completely free! :)

>> Get instant access to the design tutorial here

Happy creating and have a fantastic day,

P.S. I can’t help but share some recent sketches I created on my iPad, inspired by real materials I’ve seen - whether in New York, Innsbruck, or the South of France. Ahhh, no words or workshops in the world can describe the love and freedom digital drawing has brought into my life 🥹



Okay, last P.P.S. :D See that collage with chairs on the left? It’s now part of our bootcamp - a mini-course with 11 lessons, perfect for testing iPad sketching and design without committing to my full mentorship, and with instant results!
>> Draw the furniture collage HERE, in the bootcamp!