5 Inspiring Sites to Help You Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Sometimes reading can be exhausting.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to read and I strain my eyes daily reading article after article exploring blogs and books relating to the creative community, but sometimes I get tired and I just need to give myself a little break.

When I start to feel the burn in my eyes, I like to reward them with eye candy.  In my opinion, the following sites are exactly that – eye candy, filled with beautiful designs and creations that keep me inspired and energized creatively.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, so here goes:

1. Craftgawker

Craftgawker is an online gallery where people can submit their art, craft, and photography for a chance to be displayed.  Submissions go through a jury process and the final results are a stunning compilation of many different kinds of works.  Craftgawker is a spin-off of Foodgawker, another equally gorgeous site filled with delectable and attractive treats!

2. Supermarket

Supermarket is a site I came across through Tara’s (Scoutie Girl) Open letter to Oprah.  It’s basically a site that exposes you to great designers and their creations.  I can’t believe I didn’t come across it sooner!  Thanks Tara!

3. EtsyTactular

EtsyTactular is part of Cr8tivity.  I came across through an article that featured it on Handmade Spark.  It gives great, stimulating visuals.  The only drawback is that it’s exclusive to Etsy sellers.

4. Pinterest

Pinterest is a site that is still in private beta right now, but you can request an invite to be granted access.  It’s a web based service that allows you to “share collections of things you love—whether that’s food, art, clothing, or books” through pinboards (which are visual collections of the things you love).

5. Kuler

Last, but not least is Kuler, which is a web based application where you can create and share color themes, kind of like putting your own paint swatches together to help you experiment with color combinations.  You can also benefit by seeing color combos that others have already put together.  Many colors that you normally wouldn’t visualize together look amazing, which can really help you to brainstorm about mixing up the colors with the products you make or the branding you do for your business.

I’d love to hear which sites you look to for visual stimulation so please share what they are and how we can find them!

Main image courtesy of Freek van den Bergh