You will be find a bit about things that have inspired me and what I have learned in the inspiration and technique sections, as well as a little bit of information below.
What camera to buy
You don't need to spend much money on a camera it is more about just choosing something that won't hinder your vision. Although there is nothing wrong with using a phone a proper camera will give you far more creative control. I actually recommend using a film camera, you can buy a very decent film camera with all manual controls quite cheaply (for around £50 to £100). I often recommend the Olympus OM series (particularly the "professional" versions, the OM1, OM2, OM3 or OM4).
A resurgence of film and Lomography
A few years ago my brother told me about a new photography shop opening in Manchester, I was really excited until it turned out to be Lomography shop. Lomography sells cheap plastic cameras (including the iconic Holga camera) and even expired film to go with it. I would not buy a Lomography camera or expired film for that matter (although I might not say no if someone did buy me one), but I need to thank Lomography for making film cool again and turning it into more of a mass-market product. Thank-you Lomography.
Kodak announced in January 2017 that they would be making Ektachrome, a positive colour film that was used extensively in National Geographic magazine. In the last decade there have been some price increases and discountinuations (I am looking at you Fujifilm). In my view the industry that is manufacturing new film is not dissappearing, it has been adapting to meet the batch produced niche it has become (cue Ilford and Adox).
There is alot of commercial use of film too (fashion, etc.), which I have not mentioned.