Talking About My Inspiration With...Sandy Ng

Sandy Ng of Cookie Cutter gives us her thoughts for this week's Talking About My Inspiration. She calls it {inspiration} her "Aha!" moment when everything starts falling into place, but also doesn't hesitate to talk about when she needs to be inspired the most.

I love the point Sandy brings up about needing to step away from a task, to stop searching and let inspiration find you. With so many influences from magazines, blogs, bookshops, artists, etc., it's easy to become overloaded with things that inspire. Take it from Sandy. Go do something else when you feel the creative juices have just stopped.

On her blog, Cookie Cutter, Sandy covers all things design, personal projects, experiences from Japan and, my personal favorite, wedding planning (don't miss her wedding series or wedding journal). She writes with a unique perspective, and I know you'll enjoy reading about Sandy's inspirations here today and on her blog.

Sandy's dear grandmother passed away recently, yet she was kind enough to participate in this series. A very special thank you to Sandy and a special prayer as you move through this difficult time.

wedding magazine photo from my eye sees; all other images from Cookie Cutter

Quick, without thinking, what does inspiration mean to you?
Inspiration is when I get the “aha!” moment, my heart beats a little faster, related ideas start to pop up and swim around in my head, and I get all excited. It translates into energy in me and I usually can’t wait to put this energy into action.

Is there one task that always requires some inspiration to help you accomplish?
Blogging! Ha ha, being a blogger, this is the first thing that comes to my mind. I’m sure fellow bloggers out there understand this because coming up with interesting posts everyday is no easy feat. I want to share with my readers content that appeals to myself and to them, and that hasn’t been blogged by just about everyone else. The greater challenge is to make the post my own, containing my own voice. I know it myself when my post is not a great one. And I usually feel awful about it. That said, I do enjoy blogging, discovering beautiful finds and it’s always wonderful when readers respond and comment. I read every one of them.

When you’re in a creative rut, where is the first place you go/look to be inspired?
I first need to step away from my laptop to take my mind off what I was trying to do (also to ease the by-then achy shoulders!). Doing things totally unrelated, e.g. jog, snack, watch the TV, etc., helps. I find that at moments like these, if I just stop focusing on trying to churn ideas, they naturally come to me through these various other activities. I get to derive inspiration from everyday things around me and my daily life.

I am obsessed with inspiration boards. Do you keep anything like this (board, journal, etc.) to help you catalog bits of inspiration?
I have been wanting to have an inspiration board for ages, especially after seeing all the beautiful ones out there. Sometimes I think I want things too perfect that I never start doing it at all (it’s lame, I know). But I do have magazines, printed materials, fabric, etc. stashed away in a corner in my room. I also have a journal which I jot down not only creative ideas and plans but just about everything else. Recently, I started a wedding journal and I’ve been having fun with it! I’m glad I did it because it not only contains inspirational ideas but also serves to document my own planning process.

What are your top 5 sources of inspiration?

• blogs/websites
• magazines
• my experiences
• my family and friends
• books, bookshops, indie lifestyle shops