Fashion Fatigue
As much as I love fashion and drawing inspiration from it, sometimes it feels as though I'm overdosing on it. Spending so much time on social media, especially during Fashion Week season, can turn that feeling of an inspired buzz quickly into an overall sense of "mehh". I don't know whether fashion fatigue is an actual thing - but I'm certainly feeling it on the regular.
So what to do when staying up-to-date (and innovative, to a sense) is part of your job, but rather than fueling your creativity, the over-consumption of this high-speed industry simply leaves you feeling overwhelmed? Redirect your focus!
Whenever I am feeling a fashion burnout coming up - which is rather frequently thanks to the 'gram - I break away from following everything that is happening (FW...) and focus on strengthening my own aesthetic. A fashion detox.
- Use the power of "selective inspiration": do an insta purge (sorry-not-sorry) with accounts your aesthetic no longer aligns with & reduce the amount of other info you consume (ie blogs, Pinterest).
- Shut your mind off and start 'pinning' offline: find that stack of old magazines and rip out anything that speaks to you. Chances are that you'll come across some fresh inspiration rather than following the trendy waves online.
- Step away and get outside. Get inspiration from anything but fashion. Check out some architecture or go for a walk in nature. Or, for the shop lovers: grab a coffee to-go and browse through a bookstore.
- Analyze and gain inspiration from your own content. Sometimes it best to step back and go through the archives to re-direct yourself onto your own path. What content did you love? What felt like 'you'? Take notes.
- A bit more time intensive but also more fun: switch up your routine and introduce a new activity to your life. Find a workshop, read a book instead of browsing online, learn a language - take your life offline more often and focus on something non-fashion related.
- Or, if you can't let fashion go for a bit: use the overwhelm to tackle your wardrobe. Most of us keep plenty of items we're actually not wearing anymore, so get back to the roots and sort out your own fashion mess. Chances are you will feel much more in-tune with your own senses afterwards.
What are your favourite (offline) activities or exercises to avoid feeling overwhelming and to stay inspired?