Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Blog it Forward: What Inspires Me?



French fashion bloggers! Pandora and The Cherry Blossom Girl use fashion as an expression of their love of history, art, and their beautiful city -- Paris.

It's time for the "Blog it Foward Mashup." This project was started by the talented San Francisco Girl by the Bay as a way for bloggers to share what inspires them. It's a bit like a chain letter for blogs, and today it's my turn. Check out the links at the end of this post to see who is coming up next...I'm pretty sure you'll be addicted {like I am!}. Or, you can find your favorite bloggers on the full schedule here.





Traveling to strange, out-of-the-way destinations. I've visited some bizarre places, like the Surrealist Folly Gardens in Xilitla, Mexico, and the desert art communes in Marfa, Texas, but there are so many unusual spots I'm dying to explore: the Absinthe Museum in New Orleans and the Seti satellites in Puerto Rico are at the top of my list.





Strong, eccentric women with a flare for the dramatic. Tilda Swinton is always unflinchingly original {left, dressed as the Marchessa Casati}, and Anais Nin lived a life more fascinating than even her books reveal.





Art, both new and old. The brilliant Hayv Kahraman is a recent discovery {left} and decadent artist Aubrey Beardsley is an obsession that will never fade...





Books that move, challenge, disgust, and inspire in equal parts... these are two books that changed my perception of literature forever.



Eating...and cooking: the ultimate creative act. It inspires and nourishes. Since discovering my love for cooking, I have come to realize that making food can be as fulfilling {and filling} as making art...corny but true. {Images via Canelle et Vanille}.




Vintage magazines and vintage advertising. I would wallpaper my apartment with vintage ads if I could! I think vintage ad designers are truly forgotten artistic geniuses...

What inspires you, dear readers??

And coming up in the Blog it Forward Mash-up:


oh, hey great 3/8 • oh, mishka 3/9 • oh so beautiful paper 3/10

old sweet song 3/11

5 comments:

Michelle Schraudner said...

I'm so excited to post mine!

I love your list, food totally inspires me too.

Ashley Olivia Bobcat said...

I am ashamed to admit the heinous crimes that I would commit to own that luscious yellow dress at the top with the crumb-catcher collar...
I am excited about your Absinthe Museum comment-- I haven't been to New Orleans since Katrina, but Jake and I are planning on spending our next anniversary there. I will most definitely check it out.

Fyi, did you ever see the film based on The Tin Drum? I don't think that I will ever be the same. I minored in German and headed a German film club in undergrad, and I discovered that Germans simply cannot produce a movie that is not disturbing (of course, disturbing ultimately equals thought-provoking).

If I had to list my own inspirations, I think that I could simply say my cat. She inspires me every day with her crazy antics and I swear her fur changes color with her mood.

Alli (One Pearl Button) said...

Gorgeous inspiration! I don't cook, but I love to eat and find it to be an inspirational act all on its own.

{Tara} said...

Michelle -- i'm excited to read yours as well. this was fun!

Ashley -- I have NEVER been to New Orleans! Isn't that ridiculous? I have also never seen the Tin Drum film. I think there are just some books best left that way -- there are certain things you don't want to see in full color. The book is incredible though!

Alli -- I completely agree! Trying new food and new restaurants is one of my favorite hobbies!

Jill said...

We share many of the same interests.