Sources of inspiration for content creators, from Pentland Brands
Resources
11th March 2025
Inspiration is everywhere – from digital archives and indie mags to creators reshaping visual storytelling. If you’re ready to dive into a content creation career, Ethan Penn, Creative Content Manager at Kickers (part of Pentland Brands), is the perfect guide. With his experience leading content strategy and pushing creative boundaries, here he shares his top sources of inspiration. Whether it’s online platforms, physical spaces or books, Ethan suggests where to kickstart your ideas.
📲 Online Communities
Are.na
An online social networking community and creative research platform – basically Pinterest for anyone with bleached eyebrows. Are.na is full of creative concepts and ideas that break mainstream ideals. You’ll also be introduced to a wide breadth of creatives from a range of disciplines.
Check out Are.na here
The Selfhood (@the_self_hood)
Founded by social media strategist Daisy Morris, The Selfhood channel covers social media and content strategy, emphasising the importance of building and harnessing your community. It offers an inspiring perspective that favours community over follower count.
Check out @the_self_hood here
🎨 Content creators
Content creators are the best – it’s literally their job – and there is so much to learn from these fashion-forward, social media-obsessed icons. From filming and editing techniques to trending sounds and styling products, they’re a great source of inspiration. I set time aside each week to check who and what’s trending, then think about how to translate this to my brand's content plan.
🏛️ Websites and digital archives
Museum of Youth Culture
Does what it says on the tin – but in the best way. As someone obsessed with British subcultures and nostalgic archives, the Museum of Youth Culture is my go-to. Soon to be reopening a physical space, they have an extensive digital archive that you can request access to.
Check out the Museum of Youth Culture here
Cold Archive (@cold_archive)
Possibly my favourite Instagram profile. Cold Archive is a community profile that (for me) encapsulates everything cool – from nostalgic shots of mid-70s punk mohawks to carousels of surveillance camera footage. It’s great alt-cultural commentary and provides a deeper level of contextual knowledge in nearly every caption.
Check out @cold_archive here
Cover Junkie
This platform celebrating some of the coolest cover designs out there – great visual references when shoot planning!
Check out the Cover Junkie here
🏪 Physical spaces
Unitom (Manchester)
Based in Manchester's Northern Quarter, Unitom is my favourite place for inspiration. A creative publishing haven for just about anything and everything, you can find an independently published zine that matches pictures of Princess Diana to different mushrooms, alongside bigger titles like Beauty Papers and BOYS BOYS BOYS. The shop offers endless inspiration, but it doesn’t have to be this specific store – it’s always good to do physical research beyond the internet, whether that’s at a concept store, WHSmith or a local library.
Dukes Cupboard
Dukes Cupboard has changed the game with its presence in the fashion and culture realms. More than just a vintage store (though they do sell banging garms), their creative direction and campaign partnerships are worth studying. The store has propelled well beyond bricks and mortar – great visual references!
Check out Dukes Cupboard here
📚 Books
Beg, Steal & Borrow by Robert Shore
A great read about how nothing is original – but by taking inspiration from lots of other things, you can make something original. It explores the balance between recognising trends and what’s popular, and using that knowledge to create something authentic for the brand you're working on.
Check out Beg, Steal & Borrow here
👀 Anything else?
Search #contentideas on TikTok
Why overcomplicate it? Searching #contentideas on TikTok opens up a Pandora's box of social media inspiration. The beauty of this is that there are countless ideas – some of which might not directly align with your brand or product. But that’s where you can get creative and trailblaze. For me, some of the best ideas have come from taking a concept that has nothing to do with shoes and making it all about shoes. Engagement is the only goal!
Your creative pals
The beauty of content is that it’s consumed by everyone! Whenever I have an idea – whether it's a small bit of reactive social content or a bigger campaign concept – I ask my pals. Ultimately, they’re the ones whose social feeds it’ll pop up on. Understanding what people want to see and how they want brands to show up is great primary research, and you really can’t beat creative spitballing with a fresh pair of eyes and perspectives.
Pentland Brands is a Creative Lives in Progress brand partner. Every year, we partner with like-minded brands and agencies to support our initiative and keep Creative Lives a free resource for emerging creatives. See here to find out more about how you can work with us.