Why I Make Mood Boards

There is a folder on my computer called garment. Before that there was one called time, and before that, disk, display, cybernaut, machine. Each one began the same way: I came across an image somewhere it didn’t belong — in an article about something else, at the bottom of a search for something unrelated — and looking at it brought a theme to mind. So I made a folder, named it, and put the image inside. Then I added to it, for months. Hundreds of images later, that folder is a mood board. This started years ago as something entirely private — a reference collection I kept for myself, with no thought of anyone else seeing it. Somewhere along the way I began choosing themes I thought would work as a presentation. If someone asked why I do this, the honest first answer is that I enjoy it. I suppose that’s fair enough, but it doesn’t actually explain anything. There are a thousand enjoyable things and I’m not doing those. The real question is narrower. What is it about gathering images…

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