I know that there are a number of moves in my near future, so when I see something I love, I have to ask myself, “Is this just adding to my load? Am I willing to lug this around the country with me?” Often the answer is no. And then I put the item back on the shelf and move on with my life.

The other limits are cost and space. Not just the cost of the item, which might be $1 at a thrift store, but the added cost of moving it, the cost of the chiropractor when I haul too many heavy boxes up stairs, the cost of my sanity when the place is a wreck, the cost of storage-y things to store all of my things. I am going to be living in small spaces for a while, and by the time I move somewhere bigger, my taste will certainly have changed some. Better to let myself buy some new stuff then.

(speaking of changing taste and trends, I’ll cut out pages from magazines but won’t mark what caught my eye. If I go back to it later and can’t immediately recall why I cut it out, I toss it.)

Emilys last blog post: Bye bye, 2008

Rochelles last blog post: What is Charbagh fashion?

Now that we have been in this house for almost 4 months, I still struggle with design decisions. I don’t utilize enough this wealth of information I have collected. I’m picking out lighting fixtures at this point, and keep getting diverted. Until a few days ago, when I went back to looking over my edited moodboard (with only 10 great things on it), that I realized I should stick with the edits, as opposed to getting drawn to the next bright and shiny idea again!

As for the other ten thousand concepts and things that are chillin’ out in my bookmark folders, well, maybe I need more than one house to work on (or maybe the internet could use yet another design blog)!

[...] decor8, inspiration A couple weeks ago Holly over at decor8 posted about inspiration overload. This post really resonated with me because I feel the same way on a daily basis: Do you ever feel like there [...]

i guess my only “techniques” to handling inspiration overload are 1) lists (like most of the above comments) and 2) my blog. i use my blog to literally hoard all those ideas that i don’t ever want to lose. i have a virtual stickie note on my mac that says “ideas for posts” and it is quite long. i may have to start another one once it takes up the real estate of both my monitors! another thing i do is save favorites on etsy. i figure i can always reference things later…at least they’re saved in my virtual file system ;)

in general, i think it’s a double-edged sword. on one hand, it’s so great to be a member of this group that is continuously inspired by our peers and on the other hand, there’s never enough time to execute all that we want to do (especially with a 9 to 5 job thrown into the mix). i think we all just need to clone ourselves a la michael keaton in multiplicity and then delegate.

CKs last blog post: WITNESS THE AWESOMENESS.

I think at the bottom of it all, the trick to it for me is priority and paper.
Priority on what needs to be done, the time sensitive bits, like getting dinner ready vs reading yet another blog, and to be realistic, that while it’ll be nice to have that pretty candle, i really need to put the money away for that sewing machine i’m saving up for etc. Its so easy to get carried away with all the information and pretty things out there!

I also find that it helps to put things down on paper. For me, I really need to list the things I have to do. Holding them in my head only adds to the feel of clutter and chaos and slows me down. Paper help me plan them so they happen.

All that said, I must also say I have pages and pages of links on my book mark page, waiting to be explored. And magazines that I’ve bought but not finished. Some times I think its just a safety blanket for me….I keep them ard so i think I have the potential to be some awesome inspiring person some day….

ruths last blog post: Kindergallery

Of course, it’s innocent too – collecting magazines or comics or EP from the world. Not guilty! But you should know – the weight that can be collected on a floor in timbered house made in Japan is about 200kg a square meter. My floor drops down, if I’ll pile up something haphazardly. Seriously, my country island will sink sooner or later… Only 10,000 negatives exist around me. So, I need to have a well calculated plan before starting anything. I am careful! At least, I am writing carefully, even though I can not speak well in English! Anyway I kick away these – ‘Easy to make!’ and ‘The latest trendy of the world!’. Why can I be trendy? I know I’m not living in the center of the world. I’m living in the place named Far… oh, I see, I got inspiration. Another far regions exist on this planet. So I need to learn more using internet. Does more wonderful thing than intellectual exploration exist in this world? Thus, I can turn all the negative horses into positive side on my othello board. I love gaps, useless informations, and even misunderstandings.

Once starting my new project, I can deeply research, study hard, extreme, and reach to furthest. My room will be in disaster, but who cares? I know the word ‘Kiwameru’. We should so. May the spirits of craftmanship, and the Otaku-like inquiring mind, be with me – and you all too – even after the day our economy will be finally failure.

By the way, did you get the Apartamento magazine? I would like to hear your opinion about their concept…

i think these are wise words from magikquilter! it might seem a little negative to bring up the economy in a discussion about inspiration, but i think the opposite – if all of a sudden, people have less money to spend, then we will all have to get a little more creative, right?

Holly, another great topic. i go through periods of feeling seriously overstimulated. as a graphic designer, it is probably one of the main hazards of my occupation! sadly, i am still not very good at dealing with too much visual stimulation, though i’d suggest the following:

+ UNPLUG. get OFF the internet, stop reading blogs, and remove yourself from your computer completely. go read a book, run around the block, talk to your sister on the phone, go see a band or make a cake. anything that will be SLOWER than online communication, so that you have time to mull over your thoughts and reorganize them in your mind.

+ resist the tempation to subscribe to every pretty blog you see (i need to take this advice myself!).

+ put it into perspective. as much as i love design and fashion and blogs and interiors, it really isn’t the sum of me. my life is more than just a collection of pretty things, and i don’t think it’s healthy to fall into a lifestyle that is all about acquiring/making pretty things, even if that is how you express yourself. you only have to travel to a poor country or speak to someone less fortunate than yourself to be reminded of the other side of life – and humanity itself can be heartbreakingly beautiful and worthwhile, so invest some time in other people for a while (volunteering is a good start, or even just being kind to your friends and family).

that last point sounds kinda preachy, sorry. but i do think it’s the best way to get things into perspective and remove that feeling of constantly needing to “catch up” with other people and acquire new objects of desire.

lindsey clares last blog post: Sydney skyline

MsUnreliables last blog post: Did I Mention…

I totally agree with you- Saving that photo or image (and being able to refer back to it) really helps! (You sort of feel like you’ve got it covered!)

Laurens last blog post: Go Gray