I’m not sure how the theme of female factory workers came to mind during my commute one morning, but I’m feeling inspired by the look and feel of them today. I sifted through all sorts of images on Google, and came across a few that caught my attention. Not sure if this will inspire future work, but it’s definitely inspiring.
First is the work of Norman Rockwell. His work is iconic, there’s no doubt about that. And not only do I love this work of a female factory worker for the Saturday Evening Post, but I also love that it shows that it was inspired by Michelangelo’s Isaiah figure from the Sistine Chapel. Too often, I feel the pressure to be completely original and put a guilt trip on myself for looking things up as reference or just using something to spark off a new idea. Well, if Norman Rockwell did it, at least I’m in a good company if I am feeling unoriginal.
Next is an image of women duplicating propaganda posters by hand. I’d like to think that if I was born in this era, that this is the job that I might be doing. Then again, I may be one of the stubborn & courageous women pushing to be included in the fight – who knows! But I love this image. I love that the posters were being made by hand.
Those are just two images out there that piqued my interest, but I suggest you go out and do some searching yourself. There’s so much to draw inspiration from, their outfits, their badges as temporary workers, the buildings they worked in, the work they were doing – it’s amazing!