We are living in an era where we are constantly reminded of our ability to create images limited only by our imagination. This notion often points towards AI-powered systems like DALL‑E, which generate visual material based on text prompts. However, as advanced as these technologies are, they also highlight the restrictions of our imagination, as they only bring to life what we can articulate in words. To truly reignite our inspiration, we need to venture into the visual realms of different times and places, a journey easily facilitated by a platform like Public.work.
Embark on journeys from vintage magazine covers to foreign children’s books, from lifelike foreign landscapes to intricate world maps, from Japanese woodblock prints to roadside Americana – the possibilities are endless on Public.work.
“On the downside,” Kottke notes, “their sourcing and attribution isn’t great compared to platforms like Flickr Commons.” Librarian Jessamyn West mentions that Public.work functions more as an interface for a site called Cosmos, a platform described as a “Pinterest alternative for creatives” aimed at fostering a more mindful internet.
Exploring the backgrounds of the images you discover may require some research effort or accessing information available elsewhere on the internet. As for how you choose to utilize these images, that is entirely up to your creative inclinations. Enter Public.work here.
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The British Library Puts 1,000,000 Images into the Public Domain, Making Them Free to Reuse & Remix
Free: Download 5.3 Million Images from Books Published Over Last 500 Years
Based in Seoul, Colin writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. His projects include the Substack newsletter Books on Cities and the book The Stateless City: a Walk through 21st-Century Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter at @colinm or on Facebook.
