How I Make & Use Mood Boards

Collecting inspiration as part of a creative practice

“Material for our work surrounds us at every turn. It’s woven into conversation, nature, chance encounters, and existing works of art”. – Rick Rubin, The Creative Way

Seeking out inspiration is an essential part of my creative practice because it helps me fine-tune my vision for the art I’m making. I love finding new artists or ideas that inspire me to try something different in my work, so I save everything that catches my eye. Periodically I’ll make a point to organize it all into a mood board so I have an overview of the things that are influencing my art.

I gather all the images I’ve found online (usually via Pinterest or Tumblr) and arrange them together in a document to create a sort of visual story . Then I actually print it out and tuck the page into a binder that sits on my worktable, easy to flip through anytime I need inspiration. I like having something tangible to hold (instead of a screen) so I always make a physical copy.

I love the process of making these moodboards because it gives me a chance to start parsing all the inspiration I’m consuming into useful information– like themes, color palettes, mark making, textures, and supplies. And then when I dive into a new project, I don't feel so overwhelmed or lost because I already have a collection of ideas to get me started.

The method for making the mood boards is really simple. I open an 8.5”x11” document in Adobe Illustrator, bring in all my images, and then spend some time arranging them to fit together. I’ll add text if there are quotes I’ve saved, and also pull colors from the photos to make color palettes.

Then I have this handy page of inspiration to reference anytime I’m feeling stuck or need a creative spark.

And besides the digital mood boards that I make, I also have an ever-evolving mood board of sorts on a wall in my studio. I find it really helpful to be surrounded by things that inspire me, so I display art prints, magazine clippings, postcards, book pages, or anything else that I fancy.

And finally I wanted to share this quote that I thought was relevant.

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to." –Jim Jarmusch