The public domain assets I’ve collected this month for a creatively rainy day – my version of digital thrifting.

An unexpected strength I’ve discovered in my creative career is my ability to find source material. Art searches? Fantastic. Looking through infinite digital piles of photography, illustrations, and public domain materials is my form of meditation. It’s also the purest example, in my day-to-day at least, of the purely subjective phenomenon of having — and honing — your creative eye.

I like to paperclip imagery in monthly collections, so it’s a little easier to both recollect and track any potential themes or trends within my work based on what I’ve been inspired by recently. It’s because of this habitual assembly that I get to see when and how my ideas change course; sometimes, I even see my work in a broader lens — the larger motifs of my personal style and vision coming to life. Public domain is my unexpected secret weapon.

Here’s the best, most captivating, most moving elements I’ve found lately. If they inspire you too, I’ll be glad.

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: All of the images in this post are Public Domain (CC0). I do my due diligence to check usage rights, but you should always do your own research when browsing imagery. Don’t be a dingus and steal others’ art without permission.