Inspirational Images: An Invaluable Resource

By Angela Roberts

March 2, 2011

lonely planet

When I was a kid, we had no internet. We had books. And TV and movies. (Don’t get any ideas; I’m only 28.) But really, the internet, as pervasive as it is now, is something that really only materialized in the average person’s life about fifteen years ago. The internet as a forum for artists to showcase their work was a concept that really began with the World Wide Web, with its browsers able to show images. Some of the first artist communities sprang up in the late nineties, early 2000s; Deviantart and Elfwood prominent among them. I even joined the former, although I never put much up, the image accompanying this article being one of the rare works. Yes, that little planet is the result of my early dabbling in digital art. But I digress. When I was a kid, when I wanted to escape into other worlds and find inspiration for my own stories, I had books. One in particular was a large coffee table book of exotic wonders from around the world. I would spend hours poring over the photos of places that seemed too impossible to exist (and sadly, probably no longer exist in that perfect state), and those photos would fuel my imagination in dreaming up my own fantasy worlds. Nowadays, I have the internet to supply me with artwork and photos to provide inspiration. Many talented artists from around the globe showcase their artwork for the world to see, and it’s not hard to build a bank of images that the writer can turn to when he/she needs a little inspiration. I keep one such bank; I collect images like others collect trading cards. Any piece of art that speaks to me in some way, that moves my mind to imagining, gets saved into a folder on my computer that I call ‘Inspirational Images’.

Every writer should do this. Not as a way of cheating on one’s world-building or copying someone else’s vision, but because art has a way of getting the creative juices flowing. And when you’re suffering from writer’s block, any lifeline will do. Besides, collecting art can help to broaden your own visual imagination, which in the long run can only help you. One note, however, don’t steal. Many artists and sites offer artwork for free or free registration; take advantage of those benefits as much as possible. Support artists as much as possible. And never use your collected artworks for anything other than personal use; don’t post images on your website or blog, or anything like that. Keep the pictures in a folder, refer to it when you want to; I also use that folder as the source for my screensaver and rotating desktop backgrounds.

Sources abound, and below, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourites. Some are artists communities, some wallpaper sites, some just artist portfolios. I encourage everyone to visit these sites. You’re sure to find something to inspire you. And keep collecting those images; images of anything that works for you.

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