Blog It Forward | What Inspires Me.

I feel so privileged to be a part of the fantastic Blog It Forward project {you may remember it from my previous post} and to be able to share with you what inspires me. You know, this has been the hardest post I’ve ever had to write. Ever. I started, deleted, edited, deleted, started again, pasted bits in, scraped it all and started from scratch… Get the idea? I guess it is almost impossible to define what it is that inspires me. It can be anything, anytime and anywhere… But I know exactly how it feels when it happens as I get that feeling in my chest and in my belly – that certain warmth, a smile on my face, sometimes even a little tear when I feel deeply moved and truly inspired.

I guess I am inspired by many, many things – big and small, obvious and hidden, special and everyday. I’ve decided to tell the story through the images which, to me, evoke that sense of beauty, special meaning and that certain “feeling”.

+ I am inspired by music. I listen to a lot of different types of music – from classical, beautiful ballads, ethnic & gipsy, hip hop, old school breaks, to down ‘n’ dirty electro. Yeah. I really love to sing and I also play the piano, although not as much these days – image via here.

+ The banner says it all – via here.

+ Parites and celebrations – via here.

+ Motifs, colours, textures & patterns reminiscent of the place in the world where I grew up. Top image via inside out, bottom left via here, bottom rigt via here.

+ lse Crawford. The most inspiring designer ever. Period. Ilse launched theUK Elle Decoration in 1989 which completely changed the face of design magazines around the world.

+ Ilse’s company Studioilse creates the big idea and emotional values behind a brand to produce a long lasting and strong brand identity. Ilse is also a Head of Department for “Man and Well Being” at the world renowned design school Design Academy Eindhoven. I am in absolute awe of this woman. And if you are like me, then you will definitely enjoy seeing this video on GESTALTEN.TV in which she talks about her work and her approach.

+ Fun and functional design that doesn’t take itself too seriously – via here.

+ Beauty in the random and the unexpected – via here.

+ Yayoi Kusama’s art.

+ In fact, I have a funny story about seeing Kusama’s work in person at the MCA in March last year. Husband and I walked into a little room {very much like the one in the bottom  right image} – I was so taken by the experience that I completely forgot to watch where I was going and I fell off the viewing platform straight into a pool of water up to my knees. How embarrassing!

+ Sharing special meals {preferably pork} with the people I care about – via here.

+ Amazing movie sets, like this one from Dr Zhivago – via here.

+ Dreamy photography by Tom Walker.

+ Funny shit with double meaning like this illustration by Jan Kallwjet – via here.

+ I love a great parody. Like this spoof of “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys which has been climbing up the viral charts. Check it out – it’s a tribute to The New Dork ruling today’s tech world. Really fun and catchy. Produced by Pantless Knights and discovered via good ol’ twitter.

+ My favourite author Milan Kundera and this brilliant book – via here.

Dreaming is not merely an act of communication; it is also an aesthetic activity, a game of the imagination, a game that is a value in itself. – Milan Kundera.

+ My husband, our amazing partnership and memories of our wedding day. In fact, it’s our third wedding anniversary tomorrow – woot woot! Photography byDeyan. My dress by the very talented man in the picture below…

+ Yes, so the images above lead me to the truly amazing fashion designer Akira Isogawa. This man is a real artist and his clothes are very special. Meeting him was one of the most memorable moments for me, as I have been a huge admirer of Akira’s work and his enormous talent for the longest time. Did I mention that he is not just talented, but also incredibly humble, unassuming and super lovely? Images via here, here & here.

+ Our gorgeous friends and our fun annual trips together – photo by Ben Pyke.

+ Husband {the cutest baby ever!} and yours truly as little bubs – it’s fun imagining what our own babies are going to look like one day.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed a little slice of what inspires me. And please take a look at Words and Eggswho preceded me, and tomorrow y o u h a v e b e e n h e r e s o m e t i m ewill follow me.

Also posting today are these blogs – black white yellow, out and about africa, crafty weasel, rikshaw design, fringe, sumanam,katie*belle, the vintage laundress and miseducated.

Thank you Victoria, for organising such a fantastic project and a huge thank-you to all my readers for inspiring me and encouraging me to keep blogging. There would be no yellowtrace blog without all your support – you guys are my biggest inspiration.

Aww… so much love!

x dana