How to design and create!

Last week I was discussing inspirational ideas, thinking outside the box and attempting to create something extraordinary, special and precious in our gardens, as opposed to settling for the ordinary. I showed a picture of a scrap car last week, I used this car in the creation of a garden recently, the purpose behind the creation was to show, and how even a destructed car could be used to create something useful, beautiful and to be enjoyed.
Some of my peers thought I was off my rocker to be it mildly! And this shows that of course we don’t all think the same and that we all have our own individual styles and aspirations. Creativity is not something that we learn or can be taught, but we can of course learn from our experiences and put these to the task of helping us create. One of the issues that creative people have is that they may have the ideas but they do not posses the ability or experience to see the project through.
To overcome any shortfalls in the entire process it is important to know your own limitations and then seek the help and advice of others to see it through. Garden designers and landscape contractors can be used in the creation process as well as with the physical creation. If you like the physical challenge and have the right skills to do the work but don’t have the design knowledge, designers can be brought into advice on certain parts of the project and they would only charge for their time spent. Their expertise is very valuable and after sorting out all the creative steps you can then get down to the business of actual creation.
On the other hand if you have the design skills and are unable to physically do the work contractors can be brought in to again help in the design and then carry out the work.
The most important element in designing and creating is not to compromise on what you want, to reach for the stars and see the dream through. As we discussed last week this may take a little bit longer than expected or you originally wanted but the rewards are far greater.
There are plenty of great web sites, books and magazines out there to give you inspiration, so good luck!
Diarmuid Gavin has just launched a new magazine “Diarmuid Gavin’s Garden Design” it’s a high quality glossy magazine with plenty to read and admire.