101 Sources of Inspiration

1. Old board games. Get inspired by vintage boardgames. The older ones usually had really cool illustrations and often politically incorrect themes. Scary Natives in a deep dark jungles, Grow up to be a nurse or a teacher, Mom's and Sis are washing the dishes while the Dad and son get to play battleship!

2. designer checks. What do people like enough to get printed on checks? Unicorns? Elvis, wolves? This could be a barometer of what's trendy with people who still actually use checks. (Like the person who is always always in front of me at Safeway. What @#$%ing century is it already!)

3. Old record sleeves. There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to old records, the weirder the better.

4. Old fads. Get inspired by 8 tracks, rubiks cubes, hula hoops, pogs, snap bracelets, hypercolor shirts, Chinese jumproping, sticker books, hot wheels, jelly shoes, Garbage Pail kids, wacky wallwalkers, madballs, disco, mighty morphin power rangers, rock em sock em robots, crocs, razor scooters, snuggies, or pogo balls.

5. Other people. Take a look at the people who have the guts to wear the two toned hairstyle up in a forties style along with pin up style dress and fishnet stockings. Or the girl with the long blond hair and the flowy skirt who does the hippie dance at every single concert even if it's Metallica. Or the guy with the pompadour and 50's nerd-chic glasses who found the Disneyland Maintenance workers shirt you have been looking for your whole life and is wearing it in public. (The front says Ed.)

6. Old print advertising. Get inspired by the vintage illustrations seen in old print ads. Or by the wackiness of defunct products, like those vibrating machines that were supposed to melt off pounds, and a diet candy called Ayds.

7. Old game show sets. Watch the game show network and be amazed at how something with loud Styrofoam cutouts of flowers and a Herb Alpert soundtrack could have been a hit it on national TV.

8. Vintage TV shows and Movies

9. TV shows set in another period. Mad Men is the most obvious current example. Also Freaks and Geeks, That 70's etc. Sometimes they are really well done other times not so much.

10. Movies set in another period.

11. Public domain. Not only can stuff in the public domain inspire you but you are free to use it in your own work.

12. Old packaging. Usually more interesting than new packaging.

13. Punk. Modern punk or 70's era punk your choice.

14. Steampunk

15. Any musical genre that ends in core. Pick your favorite or the one that annoys you the least.

16. Book covers. Pulp fiction is an obvious one but you can find inspiration in almost any genre. Ancient textbooks, with 50's style atoms on the covers, really cute vintage children's books, old copies of Sweet Valley High, you never know when inspiration is going to strike.

17. Old yearbooks. Go ahead and laugh at the picture of your mom with the beehive then go tour own yearbook and look at that picture of you with the crunchy Jersey Girl bangs. Yearbooks are a great way to see an era from an everyday point of view.

18. Old cookbooks. Get inspired by weird recipes with nasty looking pictures in garish colors. Discover a shocking amount of jello mold recipes, and a make casserole out of something that should never ever be put into a casserole. Be sure to dump a whole can of cream of mushroom soup on top then remember that you hate mushrooms! Do all this while wearing a super cute vintage apron with a ruffle around it. (Even if you are a dude.)

19. Old fabrics. Old fabrics from the 50s are so cool. They are always full of things like fruitbowls, boomerangs, or scenes from Paris to match the wallpaper or the couch. My grandma had this great tablecloth that had an Italian restaurant theme. I don't know whatever happened to it but I want it back.

20. Old appliances. How back in the day you could get a turquoise mixer or a pink toaster but now we usually can only choose between white, beige or black? Did the avocado era of the 70's ruin it for everybody?

21. Sunday Coupons. Have you ever really looked at the coupons? There are a lot of goofy products in there like 5 dollar polyester grandpa pants, gardening knee-savers, toe separators, and bathtubs you can walk into. Get weirdly inspired and go take some geritol.

22. Infomercials. If your idea sounds weak try adding a suffix like a-matic or o-tronic. Then it will sound cooler.

23. Bad design. Think to yourself I can do better then go do better. Or don't do better but feel satisfaction in the fact that you tried.

24. Defunct Disney attractions. As in Mission to Mars, The Mary Blair Tommorowland Murals, and the Carousel of Progress. There is this old Walt Disney World attraction called Journey into imagination that people are just obsessed with. I am more of a Disneyland fan myself and I miss Adventure thru Innerspace.

25. Classic Disney Attractions. As in the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room. Got a fave, then get inspired. Just don't directly rip them off Disney has a history of not liking that.

26. Your favorite Band. Do they have a logo? Are they doing any branding or are they anti branding (which is why you like them.) What is their overall style?

27. Your least favorite band.

28. Indie Rock posters.

29. Junk toys from the Dollar store. Good times will be had by many a happy fun child when purchasing these delightful gourmet childrens afflictions. Please to buy one for all siblings in household plus many a cousin. Thank you.

30. Other dollar store stuff. Treasure hunting is fun and you never know what you will find.

31. Stuff from party stores. What's in this season? Tiki stuff? Have they come up with anything more original than conGRADulations plates and a For Dads and Grads sale?

32. Your favorite song. Put it on get creative.

33. Those weird ass products you see at drugstores. I am talking about stuff like phones with giant numbers and those humongous remotes that really work. Are they supposed to be for novelty or for really confused older people who have bad eyes and are to lazy to get a new pair of Dr. Dean Edell reading glasses at the Walgreens they are currently at? Also what is the deal with those weird rip off wiis that are like 39 dollars and only come with a wii sports rip off. They have a name like GameTyme or Gamewave and the packages are always white and green and wii-like. Are these fun? Is the play anything like a real wii? I'm thinking not but who knows, they make me weirdly curious.

34. Vintage commercials on youtube.

35. The stuff people love enough to plaster all over their cars. These are usually brands. People are really loyal to stuff like Tapout, Independent Skateboard Trucks, Not of This World Christian stuff and Cowgirl Up. Also Norcal, though I don't know what that is to tell you the truth. (Another brand?)I am not into any of the above personally but They must be doing something right branding wise. Also people with minivans are really really into those creepy stick figure families with names under them. (ummm why?)

36. Skateboarding subculture.

37. Surfing subculture. People have been inspired by both the skating and surfing subcultures since they came about.

38. Straight Edge. This subculture is probably bigger than you think. Maybe you should see what it's all about. If you get a little smashed while doing your online research I won't tell.

39. Old cereal boxes. Who doesn't love C-3pos or Nin-tend-do it's a cereal now. Nin-tend-do It's a cereal wow!

40. I love the whatever decade on vh1. Whenever these are on you are probably going to get sucked in and watch at least 3 episodes so get out a notebook and be inspired.

41. Annoying Tween culture. Those really bad tone deaf auto tuned tween stars who all look exactly the same and come packaged with tons of products done in hot pink and glittery vomit purple turn off 99% of regular people but if you can stand it maybe there is something to be gleaned from this unending trend being shoved down everyone's throat. (Do not want!) You have to be careful though because in a month all of the stuff will be sitting on the shelves of the local Big Lots right next to stale boxes of High School Musical cereal.

42. Big Lots. Big Lots has totally replaced Kmart as the hipsters secret hangout. Especially since Kmarts are getting hard to find.

43. Products that fall under the category: Why do these products exist? Here is an example. The local Big Lots has Elvis coffee. I guess if you are that into the King you would buy one bag to put unopened in your Elvis shrine room (next to the Elvis guitar popcorn Big Lots also sells), but are that really that many 60somethings named Barbara, Linda, or Judy out there who are going to consistently buy Elvis coffee for their fix every morning?

44. Scrapbooking. There is a ridiculously huge scrapbooking subculture out there and people (more Barbaras, Lindas, Judys and a few Donnas I suspect) are willing to pay 10 dollars for 3 sheets of scrapbooking paper or 400 dollars for some fancy electronic deal that can cut your paper into fancy shapes. By the way I am not making fun of you if you scrapbook, (or have a name from the 1950s) I've done it myself but you have to admit a 400 dollar scrapbook paper cutting machine is a wee bit over the top!)

45. Food. The bacon and cupcakes trends may be winding down but be on the lookout for the next hot food trend. Sausage, pepperoni, ice cream sandwiches, Otter Pops, Tandoori Chicken?

46. Past trends you either don't know about or forgot about. Owls, Gay nineties, Australia, Here is alink. if you can't remember any.

47. Old viewmaster reels. They are in 3-D! Just like Avatar, only they don't move and they feature pictures of New Orleans Square.

48. Crazy vintage sodas. Like Nehi or Moxie. I read somewhere that Moxie had a nasty bitter taste like rhubarb or something.

49. Your Hometown. If it is as lame as you claim then maybe you should be inspired by the lameness.

50. Nature. The trees, the waves, the clouds, the ocean, you knew this was going to be on the list somewhere.