The Best Public Domain Sources For Creative Inspiration

Where do artists find sources for creative inspiration when there is nothing new under the sun?
The public domain is a vast treasure trove!

How do you find creative inspiration when, as Someone said, “There is nothing new under the sun?”

That’s okay to quote that here, isn’t it?

It might be,

but just to be sure,

let’s find out who is credited with saying it.  “Google, who said???”

Dictionary.com says it is “A phrase adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes; the author complains frequently in the book about the monotony of life. The entire passage reads, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.””

Why use public domain sources for inspiration?

So, yes, it’s okay to write that quote in this blog post, or anywhere else, and not infringe on copyright laws.  Except…

and yes, there are always exceptions to every rule.  While quoting de minimus (short phrases of copyrighted works, or using titles of copyrighted works) is okay, it’s just plain good etiquette to give credit where credit is due.

As you can see by now, a lot of the phrases we use are quotes.  It’s all been said before.  And as long as you don’t copy long passages of a published work and pass it off as your own, you don’t have to worry about copyright laws.

Having said that, there is another thing called trademark that causes a lot more trouble.  As I understand, the Bible isn’t copyrighted, but someone can trademark certain portions in certain ways and have certain claims to it.

For example, you can hand letter a scripture onto a canvas, and this automatically becomes your property in the precise way you hand lettered it.  But anyone can legally use the same scripture, and even do it in the exact way you did it, until you trademark it.  You can trademark simple phrases or single words, and then you can’t use them to make money.  “That’s hot” and “you cannot be serious” are trademarked phrases.

We can’t use “Let’s get ready to rumble.”  It was trademarked in 1992 by Michael Buffer.  He has since made $400 million licensing it.  For example, a taxi company paid Buffer so they could use the phrase.  When a rider got into the taxi, they would hear, “Let’s get ready to rumble… for safety.”

So you can see, anyone who works with words or pictures should research rules and laws.

However, you can always…

Live on the safe side for inspiration.

There are many books and paintings and photos in the public domain.  Someone asked us if we could make a Beatrix Potter calendar, and I started to shake my head.  Then I thought, I’ll just check it out.  After all, she’s been gone a long time, and she didn’t have any heirs.  That’s how I fell into a bit of a pudding, as Beatrix might have said.  While her works are all in the public domain, there are certain items that her publishing house, which is still in operation, has copyrighted.  I wondered how I’d figure out which I could use and which I couldn’t.  Then I found Gutenberg Press.org.

Gold mine!

Gutenberg did all the hard work, and lists pages and pages of public domain works, all ready for you to snatch up and use in any way you can dream up. Then we simply need a program like PhotoShop to fashion it all into our own designs.

Here are my favorite sources of inspiration…

1. Gutenberg.org.  As I already said, this website is a deep, deep library of public domain works.  And they ensure that all resources on their site will always remain in the public domain.  They’re just plain good people.  You can download whole classics, pick out pictures here and there, and feel good all the way, because you don’t have to worry that you  might be stealing something.
2. Thegraphicsfairy.com.  This is what Karen says at the bottom of her website’s home page:  “The Graphics Fairy is a resource for Home Decorators, Graphics Designers and Crafters. Find over 6,000 FREE Vintage images, Illustrations, Vintage Pictures, Stock Images, Antique Graphics, Clip Art, Vintage Photos, and Printable Art, to MAKE craft projects, collage, Mixed Media, Junk Journals, DIY, scrapbooking, etc! DIY and Craft Tutorials, and Home Decorating Ideas are also offered. ”  Over 6000, my friends.  You will never run out of ideas.  Although, I find her website mind boggling by now.  When I first found it about 12 years ago, it was a friendly little next-door kind of page.  It’s still friendly, but, wow, it’s grown.  She has found ways to make it profit, yet at the same time, giving so much away for free.
3. Public domain photo sites, such as Unsplash.com, or Pexels.com.  (Right-click on any of these websites I have listed to go directly to their pages.)  Need a photo of coffee?  Go to one of these sites and type in “coffee” in the search bar.  Some searches turn up long scrolls of photos.  Their sites are super user-friendly. If you find a picture close to what you’re looking for, click on it, then scroll to find related pictures.  Vague searches actually work better than precise asks. Flickr:thecommons is a place I found lately.  A great help on this site is the way it details how a photo can be used, whether commercially or personally.
4. Publicdomainreview.org is a new-to-me treasure, also.  They are a “guide to finding interesting public domain works online.” The site is filled with obscure finds of all types: art, books, old prints. I can spend hours browsing!

So many sources for artists…

Now you know ours: public domain works.  Vintage paintings and ancient writings can be the basis of endless modern creations.

Do you have a public domain source you love and use?

Please help us spread the word about these great free sources, and share this post to social media. Thank-you!