Things I saw that inspire me

 

In everyday life, inspiration often appears in the smallest and most unexpected moments. While scrolling online, walking through the city, visiting museums, or simply noticing details in nature, I constantly come across things that make me stop and think, wow, that’s beautiful. Sometimes it’s an architectural detail, a color combination in a plant, a vintage object, a sculpture, or even the way light falls across a surface. These moments spark curiosity and invite me to look deeper, just the sudden pull of something beautiful or strange or technically astonishing.

Amasunzu Rwandan Hairstyle

Amasunzu is a traditional Rwandan hairstyle known for its dramatic crescent-shaped sections and sculptural appearance. Hair is carefully cut, shaped, or braided into raised arches, creating a pattern of curved forms across the head. The spaces between the sections are as important as the hair itself, producing a striking balance between positive and negative space. 

Worn by men and unmarried women for centuries, Amasunzu hairstyles could communicate identity, age, status, or stages of life. What makes the style especially inspiring is its combination of culture, geometry, and artistry. Each curve creates rhythm, while the repeated shapes transform hair into a three-dimensional design. 

The technique requires planning and precision, making the finished hairstyle feel almost architectural. Its bold silhouette continues to inspire contemporary artists, fashion designers, and illustrators.

Coronation of the Virgin by Gentile da Fabriano

Gentile da Fabriano’s Coronation of the Virgin captures the elegance, richness, and decorative beauty associated with International Gothic art. The Italian artist was known for his exquisite attention to detail, luxurious color, and ability to create scenes filled with movement and visual splendor. 

The coronation scene depicts the Virgin Mary receiving a crown in heaven, surrounded by angels and sacred figures. Gold plays an important role in creating a luminous, heavenly atmosphere. Intricate patterns, elaborate halos, richly decorated clothing, and delicate details transform the painting into a celebration of craftsmanship. 

What makes Gentile da Fabriano’s work especially inspiring is the contrast between spiritual storytelling and decorative design. Flowing drapery creates graceful movement, while the arrangement of figures builds a sense of rhythm and ceremony. The use of gold and vibrant color gives the work a jewel-like quality, reflecting light and drawing attention to every carefully painted detail. 

The painting demonstrates how Gothic artists used ornament, color, texture, and composition to create beauty that feels both sacred and visually extravagant.

Fresh Laid Asphalt: Dark Surfaces and Visual Illusions

Freshly laid asphalt has a surprisingly artistic quality. Its smooth, compact texture and deep black finish create a surface that can appear almost reflective, especially when viewed in changing light. The uniform darkness absorbs light and reduces visible detail, creating visual illusions of depth, movement, and endless space. 

Depending on the angle, the surface can resemble water, polished stone, or even a dark mirror. Subtle marks, tire impressions, shadows, and changes in texture become more noticeable against the nearly black background. Heat can also create shimmering distortions above the surface, making distant objects appear to move or blur. 

What makes fresh asphalt visually interesting is this contrast between an ordinary material and its unexpected ability to transform perception. Its minimal palette and smooth surface show how texture, light, and shadow alone can create an abstract and almost cinematic image.

Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library Staircase

The staircase at the Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library is a beautiful example of how architecture can turn a functional space into an experience. Built in 1887 in a lavish Baroque-influenced style, it rises through an open hall under a coffered and gilded ceiling, its wrought iron balustrade so dense with scrollwork, foliate ornament, and gilded detail that the railing reads less as a safety barrier and more as a continuous piece of metalwork jewelry running the full length of the stair. 

What makes a wood-carved staircase like this inspiring is its ability to tell a story through movement. It is more than a way to travel between floors; it becomes part of the building's personality. The craftsmanship and theatrical sense of space demonstrate how everyday architectural elements can become memorable works of art. 

The overall effect of black iron, gold ornament, and rich wood is one of the richest color combinations in architectural interiors, all the more powerful for being achieved with essentially three tones.

Which of these inspiring finds sparked your imagination the most?
I'd love to hear what catches your creative eye and influences your work.