Inspiration From the Archives
1.“AN ODE TO SUMMER” by KINFOLK
Medium: Video | Craft: Poetry and short film
Ten years later and Kinfolk’s “An Ode to Summer” is still one of the first touchstones I go back to in a creative dry spell.
It’s so revitalizing to traverse through the visual art direction of decade’s past and reflect over what can still be seen as influence in trends today.
With the summer upon us, I love rewatching this video to be inspired. I hope to create websites that make me feel the same what this video does.
PS To those who find that their own creative breakthroughs strike in between the changing of seasons… this is a reminder embrace the current season you’re in and ditch the screen, get in nature, and surrender to the inspiration that waits for you in the natural world.
What does this video inspire you to create?
2.“BEET CAKE” by TIGER IN A JAR
Medium: Video | Craft: Baking
A decade later and Tiger in a Jar is still high on my list of inspirational go-to’s for stoking the flames of the creative process.
Now, I’m not a baker myself, but there is something so captivating about Tiger in a Jar’s way of visual storytelling. I really resonate with the artistic style of their videos and would love for my websites to feel something like this video!
What does this video inspire you to create?
3. “HER MORNING ELEGANCE” by OREN LAVIE
Medium: Video | Craft: Music
This video was released 15 years ago, but I’m still enamored by this song and stop motion art style.
Dreamy, artful, and deceivably simple in concept. I can’t imagine how much time and effort when into this video and for that reason I can’t stop watching to try to soak up every little detail.
What does this video inspire you to create?
4. COLOSSIANS 1:15 VISUAL ESSAY by VICTOR SILVA
Medium: Video | Craft: Poetry
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17
The creator of this video, Victor Silva, said he created it to express the contrast between incredibly simple graphics to communicate such depth of meaning; that visual simplicity allows the viewer to focus the meaning of the poem.
This, I think, is an excellent reminder that in design as well as in life, it’s often the things you don’t do that can ultimately direct your audience the one thing you want them to see.
What does this video inspire you to create?
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Author’s Note: About 12 years ago, my absolute favorite method of expression was short film—I, like many digital artists born around the turn of the century, found myself entirely enamored by the Vimeo/Youtube film campaigns that companies were really hitting stride with at this time—brands like Kinfolk, Free People, Tiger in a Jar all were creating free films that honestly feel like they should be shown on a big screen. I fell in love with the way these creatives teams iterated using wide lenses, soft lighting and a shared defining emphasis on the subtleties of the natural world. (Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve banked entire playlists of song choices solely from these short films. Still playing them today).
This personal interest in consuming short form film propelled me into taking up photography and videography as hobbies/creative outlets in my adolescence, that—while I don’t pursue these mediums in professional space today— I consider myself incredibly lucky (in a full-circle kind of way) to channel this affinity for visual storytelling through my work with immensely talented photographers and videographers who have chosen to commit their life to capturing the world through a lens. Collaborating on my client’s online portfolios never ceases ignite me in residual inspiration, so I like to pay homage to impact that photo/video storytelling has had on my creative journey along with so many others.
In this spirit of art inspiring art, my From the Archives series is a little aggregate of visual works I’ve bookmarked over the years. These entries are self-sourced from my own personal collection of videos, many of which are from circa the early 2010s. These are works that I still return back to for a fresh nudge of equal parts nostalgia & inspiration from fellow creatives.
