What to do when you don't feel creative..

Do you ever have those days when you wake up and you don't feel inspired at all? I woke up like this today. It's bad enough on a normal day when you have a long lost of things to do, but on a Monday morning, it definitely sucks twice as much.

One of the reasons why I knew I wanted to start up my own label is because I don't like being told what to do. When I'm working for someone else and helping them towards achieving their own goals, it definitely doesn't inspire me. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I don't like helping people that I love, I'll definitely admit that it makes you so much happier when you see others happy. But I just feel like I have my own goals that I want to work towards, and if I don't spend a certain amount of time each day being creative, I'll be in a crappy mood.

So you've got your own creative business and you're having one of those days? Don't panic if you can't get that design right, or you're painting out of the lines, or even worse you've spilt your dirty paint water everywhere or sewn the pattern completely wrong.

TAKE A BREATHER!

Make yourself a coffee or herbal tea (or any drink/snack that you prefer) and take a quick break. You might want to carry on soldiering on in your usual workspace/desk or you may prefer to change the scenery. Depending on what you'll feel like doing, you could maybe go for a stroll in the park which I always find helps the mind and sparks creativity. The amazing thing about working for yourself is that YOU can decide what you want to do and when you want to do it! I'm sure you've got plenty to be getting on with, so here's a list of things that I like to do. They might not all work for you, but I hope they can atleast give you a little bit of inspiration..

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1. Grab a notebook and start making lists of things you need to do, maybe things that you need to prepare for. There's always some sort of list to make and I find that it helps me feel like I'm getting things done and being organised when I'm ticking things off my lists.

2. Reply back to those emails that you've been putting off. Little things like this don't take long to do but they do make you feel productive and a little less stressed. It doesn't seem very professional when you take days to send a reply, and with technology now it's so easy to communicate with clients/suppliers any time of the day.

3. Research! If you're starting a new project or looking for ideas you can get started on creating a moodboard or collecting sources. Pinterest is a great way of doing this, and so so easy! This might lead you to having new ideas and help get that creative spark back sooner than you know it!

4. Read a book. Whether it's one that's related to what you do and educational, or a biography of a person you admire, it will help you feel relaxed and get your thinking cap on. This is something that I do a lot and at times I'll get bored and instantly just decide that I'm in the mood to be creative again.

5. If you write a blog about your work or what you do, this might be a good time to plan a new post or type up one that you've been planning but putting off. It'll make you feel like you're reaching out to your readers and customers and you'll also be doing something productive at the same time.

6. Listen to inspiring music. Words help me be creative. Song lyrics inspire me. The type of music I listen to always depends on my mood, and this varies a lot. It might not help everyone but I do think this can spark your creative thoughts and lead to new ideas.

7. Put together colour palettes. For me, colour is so effective as I still associate certain things like shapes, numbers and days of the week with their very own colour. Colour helps me with my thinking and coming up with new designs.

8. Get other things done such as cooking/cleaning etc. Yes this will not help you get your actual work done, but if you're really not in the mood then why push yourself so much? If you get other things ticked off your list then you'll feel less stressed, and you'll have more time later on to get back to being creative when you're in the mood.

9. Try a new technique. So you paint and sell your artwork on canvases? Why not paint on fabric and make a bag out of it? Or you make clothes but you've been thinking about finding a pair of embellished shoes that will go with your plain velvet skirt? Get creative and do some customising. It will get you thinking and give you new ideas. And you'll definitely learn something new!

10. Social Media. Why not spend some time refining your Facebook page or your Twitter profile? Connect with your customers on Instagram or Etsy and let them know about what you've been up to. Don't underestimate genuine conversation with people who are fans of your designs. People definitely like to know the person they are buying products from, as there is a reason they are buying handmade, unique products rather than something from the high street.

So that's my list of ideas which I hope will help you when you're not feeling very creative. Keep busy and you'll get that spark back in no time. Let me know if you guys have any other things that you like to do as I'd love to know whether other people do the same or if there's anything new that I've never tried. I hope you enjoyed this post. xo

My Website Launches Today!

I'm hoping this year will be an exciting one! I've got so many amazing things planned and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens. Some of you may or may not know that it's my birthday today, and I'm not normally one to celebrate or do anything special as I've never really believed that it matters. But this year I wanted it to be memorable in terms of my designs and my business.

Over the holidays I've been working extra hard on my website and trying to get the majority of it done. I can't believe that I've actually finally designed my very own website showcasing my collections of scarves and illustrations all by myself! Of course I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of a few lovely (and VERY clever) people. It's safe to say that I've still got so much work to do, and I'll be launching my shop in the coming months which I'm very excited about.

But for now I am pleased to share my website with you lovely lot. If you've read any of my previous posts you might have seen a few snaps of my designs and my style of work. You can now view a full collection of my designs on sukisabur.co.uk. And if you're reading my blog for the first time, thank you so much for taking the time out to read this post. I hope you love my new website and I would definitely appreciate any feedback on anything I could improve and add.

If you know anyone who would like any of the products in my Society6 shop or who would love to purchase a unique hand-drawn silk scarf in the near future then be sure to share this with them. xo

sukisabur.co.uk

Pantone Colours of the Year

So one thing I always look forward to every year is the Pantone Colour of the Year. Even though I'm not one to follow trends that often and I wear the colours and clothes I like to wear, it's very exciting seeing new trends and the products in stores. And there's no denying that these trends have a massive impact on shoppers!

Luckily I've been loving Pantone's Colour of the Year for the past few years. From Marsala which was last year's, to Radiant Orchid the year before. And this year it's not only one but TWO colours. Hello Rose Quartz and Serenity! These two colours put together remind me of beautiful skies; one thing that often inspires me.

So to welcome in 2016, I've joined the bandwagon and taken advantage of this years colours by using my own photographs to create new designs. I actually fall in love with beautiful skies every single time; the colours; the texture; the unique patterns; and the way it is brand new with each day. I've added a few photos below of some of the products that are available, but if you want to see the full collection you can shop here.

My Insta-Diary

So the past couple of weeks has been so busy full of completing new designs, editing, and basically just spending so much time in my workspace doing whatever I'm required to do that day. If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I'm always uploading new photos of my designs, my desk, what I'm doing, and what inspires me.

So here's a few of my fave images that I've put up in the past couple of weeks. The top left shows a couple of illustrations when I'd just started them. I then slowly started adding features and then adding a print on the scarves. This takes a lot of time and there's so many moments where I just don't feel that a piece of my work is even good enough to show anyone. But a lot of the time I'll keep working on the same design and eventually I end up liking it.

I even uploaded photos of my desk where I'm using products with my own designs that are available on Society6 and Art Rookie, which I'm absolutely loving! The quality of these products is so good and of course they are printed only after orders, which makes them very unique!

If there's one other thing I love taking photos of, it's the beautiful pattern and colour of the skies that rarely occurs. The most simplest things like this can give me so much inspiration throughout the day, and I've kept a collection of these photos from over the years.

Anyway here's a selection of my favourite Instagram posts over the past fortnight. If you'd like to see more of the photos of my inspirations, workspace, or how I create my illustrations just drop me a comment below. Hope you all have a lovely festive weekend before Christmas, xo

The 'Love & Light' Collection

For my Graduate Collection in 2014 I designed a series of prints that were based on tropical plants. I took inspiration from various plants, although in the end a lot of the finished designs and the consistent features were what I had imagined in my mind. I ended up using Chinese Lanterns as my main inspiration, as they are my favourite plant. I also kept going back to the heart shape of the lanterns, which in the end became the essence of the collection.

The finished collection was then named 'Love & Light' which I thought was a perfect fit! Since then I've continuously based a lot of my designs on a similar shape, and that thread has run all the way through to a new collection that is based on sea life and creatures, which I will be revealing soon. Although these designs were initially made for silk scarves, I wanted to use them to place onto other products which I hoped people would love.

So out of the 'Love & Light' Collection I chose my favourite designs and decided to upload them onto Society6. Below you can see a variety of the designs and the products that they are available on. My favourite is probably the 'Twisted Tropics in Blush' but I also love the 'Summertime Always Leaves' as that deep orange is my favourite! Which design/product is your fave? I'd love some feedback on these designs. If you like any of these products you can buy them from my shop www.society6.com/sukisabur, xo

Fashion Illustrations

For my Society6 shop, I decided to start off with a few illustrations that I've been working on recently. I use a mixture of ink and gouache paint for the illustrations which I feel makes them stand out, and both the mediums seem to work well together. I've been working with the same style for a long time, but I feel like I might want to try something new very soon so keep a look out.

A lot of these illustrations have been inspired by people that I know, maybe random people that I've met, and even celebs. The aim was not for them to look exactly like these people, but just give off a vibe that maybe I've felt from these people. A lot of these illustrations were named after I'd completely finished them, as the names popped up in my head after seeing the various features, and also the colours that each girl is wearing.

Here is a small selection of my illustrations. If you do want to see more then pop over to my Society6 shop and have a look at the different products which are available with those designs. xo

(These designs are all copyrighted to Suki Sabur by A©ID)

Looking back on 2015

So I started this blog over a year ago and then gave up posting when I got busy with my own designs. You might be wondering what I've been doing this past year, so I'm gonna give you a quick update. This time last year I remember planning my first trip of 2015, which was to the Scottish countryside. Fast-forward a year later and I feel like I've done so much in just a year, but at the same time it's gone way too quick!

This year was full of so much inspiration, and I'm so glad that for the first time I've actually made time to enjoy moments and not rush myself. I had the chance to visit some beautiful places such as Dublin and Belfast. I also visited Barcelona AGAIN, and although I always end up going to the same places when I go there, I did discover a few gems that I've never seen before. But I think the best trip of them all was Budapest. Everything was so breathtakingly beautiful. This was a place I'd been wanting to visit for such a long time, and I finally did. I learnt so much about history, culture and art, and I came back with so many amazing ideas for future designs, which I'm still keeping quiet about!

But the one thing I'm so happy about is the fact that I finally started selling my designs on Society6 and Art Rookie. Both are platforms which provide for independent and new designers. Art Rookie is just for British Designers, whereas Society6 is for designers worldwide and is actually based in the US. I've always loved the idea of designing and selling my own products, and I'm so glad that people have been loving my designs.

I will go into detail another time about the collections that are available to purchase. But for now I need to get back to finishing off a couple more illustrations which will be added online soon. I've added a few snaps below of some of the designs that I've been working on over the past few months, some which are yet to be revealed. All of these images were posted on my Instagram, so if you'd like to see more then head over there and give me a follow. xo