Motivational Monday ♡ EXPLORING INSPIRATION

Hello lovelies,

I think we all know that the best way to stay inspired is to create. By creating, we feel inspired; it ignites that burning desire to create again which fuels the inspiration to create  and yada yada yada so the cycle continues. Sometimes however, we hit a snag in this little circle; sometimes we doubt, we stop creating, we lose that inspiration. It can be rather difficult to recover.

I know that often I find myself so uninspired that even other photographers' work fails to get me out of the rut. It's easy to limit yourself to only looking at the work you aspire to create but sometimes I think you need to look elsewhere for inspiration, limiting yourself to only your field of expertise is to limit your creativity.

I thought today we could talk about some of the things I like to do to rekindle that spark of inspiration! I hope it helps you if you need it. :)

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Work with other creatives 
Surrounding yourself with creative people is often inspiring in itself but if you can go as far as to let go of control with some incredible creatives you trust you can create something that will definitely get the cycle going again.

There was a while where I was struggling and nothing seemed to be working so I got together with some insanely talented ladies. We just tried some things out to see what would happen... This is the result, I just love it. ♡

Models: Lucy Philip and Lauren Scott
Make up artist: Steph M Artistry
Photography: Rachael Sammon

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Read books
I'll let you in on a secret: I'm a sucker for beautiful prose. I just can't help it. If I could spend my days wrapped up in the heady sentences of F Scott Fitzgerald I would in a heartbeat.


Oh, escapism, isn't it great? If you're like me escaping into a fictitious world can fill you with the inspiration you need to create your own.

I've read a few rather silly little stories recently that I've really enjoyed so here are a couple of my favourites:

* The Offshore Pirate - F Scott Fitzgerald
* The Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde
* Honeysuckle Cottage - P.G. Wodehouse

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Watch aesthetically interesting movies
For me, it's all about beauty. I'm sure that says something very telling about my psyche but let's not delve into that today. I find beautiful movies so inspiring, or maybe I just look for the beauty in movies? I'm not sure. Either way if I'm feeling artists' block watching some stunning cinematography usually helps greatly. Animations, old movies, new movies, horror movies, tragic movies, whatever you love the aesthetic of; take some time and indulge in your favourites. ♡

Here are some of the ones I feel inspired watching:


Funny Face (1957) - Shall We Dance (1937) - Marie Antoinette (2006)*rubbish movie but very pretty
Cinderella (2015) - High Society (1956) - The Theory of Everything (2014)

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Listen to music
I know this is something that doesn't stir everyone but I love music. I'm not just talking about the angsty metal and pop-punk of my youth (that Fall Out Boy gig though, swoon). I mean all sorts of music. At the moment I am smitten with this playlist of random classical tracks on YouTube, I seem to have it on in the background all the time; it's just so magical and we all know I love me some magic. ⚡


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Find where you feel most inspired
Okay this really is an artsy-fartsy thing to say but I love rainy days. There's something about being wrapped up inside watching the rain fall, it just makes me feel insanely inspired. So much more than hot summer days, yuck. I think it's best to just take inspiration where you can find it and know where you feel it most. For me it's the seaside, pretty parks, cosy coffee shops and book stores/libraries. Side note: do you ever just say something and realise you're a cliché? Wow.

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Phew, that was a bit of a long one but I hope it might help!
Where do you usually get your inspiration? I'd love to hear about it! ♡

Lots of love,
Rachael.x