Using Pinterest As A Door To Creativity: A Few Thoughts for Writers and Artists

Some of the interesting and colorful images on Pinterest that caught my discerning Dragon eye as potential tools of creativity were 'Doors'.  Doors, in various sizes, shapes, colors, and textures. Historical Doors and Artistic Doors. Romantic Doors and, frankly, odd Doors. Their very aspects generate questions that could serve as the basis of a story idea or a painting concept. Literally makes my tendrils and ears tingle with artistic fire.

Take a look and it's easy to see what I mean. 

Oh, the Brightness! What a wonderful door to come home to!

Incredible full door carving.

Artistic. Romantic. Somewhat...Elfish.

Great colors and an interesting lintel.

S'like a sunset on water. Beautiful!

Art Gallery Door. S'Art in itself!

Old texture and great surrounding windows.

Historic...perhaps Religious?

Fantastic ironwork on this one. Flowing, and Original

These are beautiful Doors, and worth looking at simply for that reason. However, in terms of creative prospects, they are worth a second look. Each one solicits similar questions:

• Who would own such a door? What kind of people go through it every day?

•  Who designed it? Who built it? When? Where?

• What lies in the house behind it? Royalty? A religious order? Old wealth? New wealth? Pretend wealth? Lost wealth?

•  If it contains a family, what size? Many children? No children? Adults only...old, or young? Does the nature of the door suggest any characteristics of the inhabitants?

• Is it magical? Can it gain magic via some aspect of its design? Was it once magical, but has lost that quality? If so, why? 

• Is there a meaning to its design? Does the design reflect the type of activities within? Do specific colors have specific meanings? Does the type of wood or the type of ironwork (if any) have meaning? 

•  How often does it open? Are there frequent visitors? No visitors?

• Does it hide secrets? Does it keep out good, or evil?

• Whatever dwells here...is it even human? Hey--Dragons like nice dwellings, too!  

These Doors offer up a plethora of questions to be answered. There are probably many more that a writer could think of. A good writer already has the imagination; a good Door will simply provide fodder to feed it.

The same could be said of an artist's imagination. Imagine painting an image of a door. Slather it with your favorite colors and textures. Will it stand alone, or be one of many doors? Will it be the entry to a structure, or will it open into an empty field? Will there be plants around it? People or animals near by?

An artist can change the shape, the colors, the size, the materials its constructed from. The Door could be a background, or the entire canvas on which you add a whole other concept. An interesting Door can become a painting, or a part of a mixed media collage.

Doors...you can find some great ones just by playing with Google. But Pinterest will hold the really fascinating Doors, because only the fascinating Doors will be pinned by creative-minded folks.

Spread your wings and circle through the colorful Boards of the Pinterest community. You'll love the inspiration!

The Dragon has spoken...