Mood Board Inspiration: September 2022
I am laughing as I type this because it is a little over two years to the date from when I starting drafting this original post in August 2020.
ICYMI...
January 2020, I began a monthly mood board inspiration series after spontaneously snapping a photo in a snow storm…
“Cognizant of how design inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places, I decided to start pulling the palettes from the scene — literally just with a color dropper — just to see what colors were really resonating and it was really illuminating.”
My intent, at the time was to have 12 mood boards of inspiration, one for each month of the year, cataloguing how inspiration can truly be found all around us. This exercise gave me an opportunity to look at the world around me - still images & real life moments - through a lens of creativity. Admittedly, I never completed all 12... not knowing what 2020 had in store. By the summer, I'd slowly lost sight of the beauty around me, with June & July being a combination mood board, and none for August. Because I'd always don't the mood boards slightly ahead of the upcoming month, in August I remember myself feeling slightly reinvigorated for the coming Autumn. It's something about the seasonal transition from Summer to Autumn that always feels like a fresh start. South this fresh feeling, I created a mood board once again.
The image - from a vignette in the MadeGoods showroom at High Point Market - had such a beautiful balance of warm & cool jewel tones that captured the beauty the coming season. I excitedly shopped the color palette & I continued to create - Oct, Nov, and Dec all already have mood boards - however, even though I'd found my inspiration, I hadn't found my words. Life was so full of chaos & distraction at the time, and only continued to spiral as the year progressed... which meant this passion project fell completely off my radar.
There's something to be said for being intentional about finding beauty & inspiration... it doesn't always just happen as easily as driving in the snow. I was not in the proper state of mind to slow down & allow myself to be inspired... to create... so my mood board shopping sat in a folder on my desktop... unused. The months passed... the year ended... and now here we are 2 years later.
This past year has been another whirlwind, however, it's forced me to slow down... it's made me want to slow down... to be still... to be inspired once again. As a full time creative, I don't actually get to be creative full time. Being responsible for the logistics of every project, the pitching of every campaign, and every administrative detail of my business, really only allows for maybe 25% creativity... and I'm being extremely generous with that 25%. Feeling completely overwhelmed & drained from the operational aspects of what I do, I am really understanding the value of having white space in between projects... allowing myself to daydream in between problem solving... prioritizing stillness over hyper productivity.
In the brief moments that I revisited the inspiration board, I was immediately reminded of those feelings of rejuvenation... hope... and anticipation for what's to come.
Autumn is a season that signifies harvest & abundance.
While I don't particularly feel like I'm in my harvest season, I have been witnessing & experiencing abundance in so many less tangible ways. Having spent months feeling depleted, I look ahead with optimism to finally refilling my cup with the warmth & comfort of the season ahead; and in my own home, I am looking forward to the completion of overdue projects & the commencement of exciting new projects.
Shopping for this palette - or re-shopping, as it were - has been a treat because of the richness of the hues. The balance of cool & warm. The contrast of rich & moody tones up against softer jewel tones. All of these colors come together in harmony to create a palette that has also, delightfully, cause me to rethink how we view the use of "neutrals" in our spaces.
Nearly everything I'd originally sourced for this inspiration board in 2020 was, thankfully, still available - talk about timeless selections! - however, adding some new pieces was the perfect way to mentally usher in the new season. Yes, there are 3 more weeks before it's officially Autumn & I'm in no rush to bust out the pumpkins & maple leaves; however, I won't act like I haven't noticed the slight drop in temperature indicating change is coming. Shopping this palette is also shopping for texture - velvets, boucles, animal hides... all the coziness & warmth associated with Autumn. And y'all know it makes my little hygge heart happy! Personally, I'm looking forward to transition my outdoor spaces into Autumn, to enjoy evenings on the deck in the cool air with the patio heater on. This palette speaks to those exact vibes - warmth of the season, botanical inspiration of the outdoors... vibes that have me feeling inspired & creatively alive.
Here's to a new month... and ushering in a new season of expectancy, abundance, and joi de vie.
