Marvin Heiferman: Visual Inspiration, and I

Marvin Heiferman had written this essay, “Photography changes Everything” and in it we see how photography can spark new and different ways of seeing and thinking. In the same spirit, visual inspiration is also happening all over the place. By looking at different images from politics and medicine to fine art, Heiferman shows that imagery isn’t simply recording the world, but rather it is actively reshaping the world.

Just as photography redefined political messaging, and revolutionized medical diagnostics through x-rays and MRIs, visual inspiration is in the modern field in unexpected ways. In data science, color-coded infographics turn raw numbers into patterns that are easy for the public to consume; and in social media/marketing, a single well-crafted meme can shift public opinion overnight. Every single one of these are an instance of visual inspiration at work, they reshape our practices, our tools, and sometimes our collective imagination.

For me, visual inspiration most often takes the form of scientific imagery. For example, I recently took classical mechanics so visual inspiration might come from an equation, and in my head, I can see the problem. I can map out the forces and do a force diagram. This isn’t a traditional approach to visual inspiration, but I would argue it is inspiration. There are also times where I borrow tricks from research papers on graph design or from science focused artists who can do that perfect blend of data and abstraction.

Shifting gears a little bit, my sources of inspiration stray far beyond just the lab. I often draw visual inspiration from something like, a drizzle-soaked piece of pavement, the spill of neon light on wet concrete, or maybe a fractal pattern of frost on a window. I tend to draw a lot of my visual inspiration from urban life, and the city.