I finished school, as a fashion stylist in 2012 with the help of fashion magazines and a few online pages, like Fashionising. Until this day, when I am looking for the upcoming trends, I go to these pages for information. Before I go on, I would like to mention, that Fashionising does not exist anymore, your go-to page for the same intent should be Vogue Runway (https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows).
But why am I doing that? The answer is simple: uniqueness and creativity.
When you decide to watch the runway show of any designer, you see their vision coming to life. You get to experience their point of view and their interpretation of certain things, they pick up on each season. Their ideas and realizations are making them unique and different from others.
But where do they get their inspiration? Everywhere. When someone is determined to create something, they don’t rely on others, but their vision. Phones down, chin up, eyes running around, sweeping the environment. As a creative, I can tell, anything can move a person. A fold of a skirt, the fall of a leaf, the sound of the ocean can become an idea. When you allow yourself to embrace a moment, any given moment, where you can stop and stare, that is where you plant the seed of future ideas.
And when you need something specific, there are many pages you can find and use as your tool to complete a task or an idea. This raises the question: Why is Pinterest so popular?
The answer is easy: it is convenient.
It is a well-thought-out page, and it is quite easy to use. You can find already Photoshopped inspiration here. You and a million other people can do the same thing, yet you can feel unique. Because of my other profession, which relates to interior design, I browsed quite a lot on Pinterest, as a beginner, since I did not know where to start. After two and a half years in the business, I can tell you: I am only collecting my findings there. Constant practice and research gave me knowledge. I have learned about different styles and designers, so now I am back at my old routine of going straight to the designers, or pages, where I can find them teamed up.
I mainly use it as an online library of my personal and professional likings. It means, design lovers could easily get lost between my 100+ boards, where I am representing my taste (my page: https://hu.pinterest.com/karmenrozsa/). Or let’s say I started to do so, about six months ago, before, it was all about collecting data for my design work. Since the company, I work for, has a specific style, my viewers will see this for sure on my page: lack of diversity.
These days, everyone has access to design, only creatives knew how to find a few years ago. In some ways, it is a good thing and in some, it is not. If a beginner would try and learn from my page, I would say don’t. Keep your eyes on the designers and collections. And seasons. Never on individual pieces, because you will miss out on great new ideas. Read online magazines or paper magazines. Do your research. Your best quality is your knowledge after your creativity. Because being creative on its own will never be enough. Mediocre work does not have the extra time and effort, great has.
Every tool is useful in their unique way. But no one should make the mistake of thinking one thing is enough. Aim for more, try for more and thrive for more.