So I’m aware that I have been very lucky when it comes to the creative community. I spent many years of my life surrounded by an eclectic group of artists, game designers, writers, photographers and videographers which means that I’ve been exposed to a plethora of creative content. From this, I have had two very different experiences.

The first reaction is negative. Looking at the absolutely amazing work that others create can sometimes make me feel inadequate and in turn drain me of my own creative well.

However, the second reaction is the one I want to concentrate on in this post. Creativity breeds creativity. It’s stimulus and inspiration which can create interconnectivity between different mediums allowing us to express ourselves in a multitude of ways that best suits our outlets.

Think about it this way: fable, myth and legend have all inspired great works of art. Consider the story of Perseus and his fight against the terrible Gorgon Medusa. This myth inspired the creation of the highly revered bronze sculpture where Perseus holds Medusa’s head up high in triumph. This was made by the Sculptor Benvenuto Cellini during the Renaissance.

Simultaneously we have seen the great works of painters and sculptors inspire the creative projects of today: A particular Dr. Who episode springs to mind where Vincent Van Gogh is brought to the present day so he could bear witness to the influence he had within the creative community.

The reason I started to think about the above was because by chance I came across a piece of artwork by a local artist depicting a medieval courtyard scene. What completely boggled my mind was the fact that I had pictured a ridiculously similar setting in my head for one of my chapters. I immediately got in touch with the artist and now I’m hoping to place an order (pay your artists, people).

From there I thought that maybe the visual medium could inspire other scenarios where I could let my protagonists run riot and that’s when I turned my attention to Pinterest. This platform of social media itself is for the visual, for the creative. It’s a place where brides can be inspired by different wedding styles or where fashionistas can find their next look. So could it also be useful for writing?

One of my chapters takes place in a medieval tavern setting. To test the possible inspirational effect, I put together a Moodscape board, all of which contained pictures and elements of a medieval tavern. The results were certainly better than I’d hoped for.

Tavern Pinterest board

I then went a little crazy with the creation of these boards and made many more for other scenarios. So as not to bombard my site with all of them, I picked out a couple I particularly liked below.

Underground tunnels Pinterest board

Port city Pinterest board