A Fun Project Idea for Generating New Ideas

Several months ago my friend and fellow crafter/sticker collector, Aidan, a.k.a. bubbledog, told me he was in a creative slump and came up with a project for himself to generate some new ideas. Aidan has a knack for making animals, plants, and even inanimate objects into characters, so I couldn't believe he was out of concepts. But we all know what those creative doldrums are like, so I couldn't wait to see what he'd experimented with. After sifting through his sticker collection, he used a sheet of stickers made by Hallmark in the late '70s as a starting point and imagined a whole new set of characters to use in future projects.


Original Hallmark sheet from the 1970s and bubbledog's set of characters

So lo and behold: this past weekend I was browsing through bubbledog's Etsy shop and latest work on Spoonflower and found this new "Summer" collection of prints. The Happy Summer Critters pattern clearly draws from this experiment, and I just love the '80s-inspired hearts, marching ladybugs, and adorable mushrooms (I know there's a gnome hiding behind one somewhere), all in sunny, summery colors.



I can't wait to try this inspirational exercise for myself. Even if you're not a sticker collector, you could find something you've always adored or admired and try to make it better or adapt it into your style and the ideas will just start flowing...