Idea folder

Once in a while, I go through my old magazines (fiber, art, home decor...magazines) and tear out pages that instantly appeal to me. Then I cut the images out and put them in a binder, which I have divided in several categories: lines, shapes,textures, colors, ideas.

Obviously, often some images could be sorted in several categories so I have to make a choice. I have found it a very useful tool: first of all when I am in a "slump", I just leaf through it and most of the time an image will jump start my imagination. And it has also been quite interesting to consciously pay attention to the images that appeal to me (and conversely those that I do not like at all and do not want to cut out) and try to figure out why they appeal or do not appeal to me. It has been most interesting for example to see that I am always attracted to the same kind of color combinations, which curiously I seldom use in my own work. In any case, it is fun to create one's own image book and I think it is a useful tool, that I recommend to my students.