Cheerful Inspiration // Creative blogs

Curling up under the covers on Saturday mornings with the latest issue of Domino magazine was my very most favorite thing in the world when I was in college.

Pouring over beautiful photos of dream living spaces and fascinating articles about the creatives who lived in them made me believe that my life could be anything I wanted it to be…if I had the courage and the perseverance to believe in my vision.

And ironically, I left college the same year that Domino left my mailbox and newsstands. I remember bonding with an interviewer about how devastated I was over the end of that era at my very first job interview – the one that did lead to my very first job out of college (of course I think that conversation had everything to do with it).

With no other print publication that filled the void left by my favorite magazine, I started looking for inspiration online (those were the days before Pinterest, when you had to work to find quality content). And that’s how I found creative blogs to follow…and why I wanted to someday have my own.

Although I do use Pinterest when I’m on the hunt for ideas, I am daily inspired by my favorite creative blogs. And taking a few minutes throughout the day to read them and see the wonderful things and lives that other creatives are making is absolutely one of the ways I stay fresh, exposed to a world of new ideas, and find creative direction to aspire to.

It’s not-so-secretly my goal to get at least one person hooked on one of these blogs. I’ve broken my favorites into categories and provided a quick description about them so that you can check out any that sound interesting to you! (I’ll also note that there are not very many photography blogs listed here because I really enjoy finding inspiration outside of my field – and honestly, most of these blogs provide great photo content in a much more relevant way).

Creative Graphic Design Blogs:

Design Love Fest: Colorful and creative design + living by graphic designer and creative director Bri Emery. Lots of DIYs, good food, fashion, inspiring travel, and probably the most cheerful curation of happy ideas you will ever find in one place.

Nubby Twiglet: Funky and modern graphic design inspiration by Shauna Haider, with style and travel content mixed in. I love her vibrant and colorful photos, and I know she puts a lot of effort into creating unique inspiration. Also provides useful business insight for any creative business owner – not just graphic designers.

Breanna Rose: Before she did my logo, I followed her blog and fell in love with her simple yet bright and colorful aesthetic in her design work and photos. Breanna also gives great creative business advice and features other inspiring creatives to follow.

Creative Interior Design Blogs:

Design*Sponge: This was the very first creative blog that I followed, and five years later, it has become even more of a favorite. Grace Bonney is a brilliant editor, and aside from lots of accessible home eye candy, there are also tons of DIYs, great food posts, inspiring interviews, and little interesting tidbits about art and design. I am also absolutely obsessed with Grace’s podcast After the Jump for learning about designers, productivity, and general life ideas.

Door Sixteen: I love Anna Dorfman for being herself (and obviously because we have the same name). She details lots of before and afters of her charming historic New York home(s), which she and her husband take on themselves, but she also is an amazing curator of minimal and modern art and style. I want to say I’ve followed some of her recommendations – and I fully intend to! – but I trust them implicitly because she is so authentic.

Manhattan Nest: Makes me want to own an old house, even though it sounds like a lot of work. Daniel’s recounting of their adventures (and mis-adventures) in renovating an historic Kingston, NY home is so funny, and I will drop whatever I’m doing to read his latest post. This is actually one blog that I read to well, read.

Creative Photography Blogs

Not everyone enjoys long posts full of photos of people they don’t know (my husband constantly reminds me that I’m unusual in this regard). However, these photographers produce awe-inspiring work and deserve a mention (some of them, from time to time, share a tidbit about a fun technique). When I see posts pop into my blog reader from Sam Hurd, Andria Lindquist, Deirdre Lynn, VSCO Journal and Imaginale Design (who also produces the most beautiful videos), I know there’s going to be something good.

Other Creative Blogs

Maddie on Things: Technically not a blog but a Tumblr, Maddie’s owner documents her (their) travels and daily life. I mean, cute dog with a story in well-composed photos and beautiful locations? Lots more please!

Smitten Kitchen: Food blogs are the one type of blog I don’t follow religiously, but I love Smitten Kitchen. And I can tell you that I have made so many of Deb’s recipes and she has never, ever led me to anything that turned out less than completely delicious. Her archive is also a treasure trove on nights where you have no idea what to make for dinner, if you don’t have time to read the blog, and her cookbook is my go-to gift for every occasion.

Green Wedding Shoes: On the whole, I find wedding blogs overwhelming, unless you are planning a wedding and searching the blog for specific ideas. But. When I’m looking for unique, artistic, and unconventional wedding inspiration, Green Wedding Shoes is the blog I turn to…and sometimes I’ll meander over just to dream.

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Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list of all the blogs I read and there are so many creative people who have incredible voices that are not on this list – but these are the blogs that continuously provide impeccable content and inspiration.

So who am I missing? Please tell me what blogs you love the very most in the comments…I love to find new ones to read!