One question that i get asked a lot is "Where do you find inspiration?" My answer is always a cheesy one, EVERYWHERE. But it's so true. i keep my eyes open. i notice color, design, composition, movement, flow, etc. i see beauty EVERYWHERE. i see it in the way parents play with their kids, a simple act of kindness like holding doors open for someone, a hug, a kiss, a warm handshake, pain, grief, etc. All these emotions are beautiful in their own ways because it tells us we are living. These are moments i like to capture in my art. By keeping my eyes open, by feeling with my whole heart, i find inspiration EVERYWHERE. inspiration can come in the simplest forms too. Like the above photo. i was in a local mall with emily, pre-CHA shopping, treating myself to some new tops without paint splatters on them when i saw this display. i posted it on instagram stating i was more turned by the display than the clothes, although that shirt & jacket are super cute. i knew those tags would appear in my art sometime in the near future.
it's not enough to look for inspiration EVERYWHERE. you have to put it to use. Even before that you should document it so you can use it later. Maybe it is with a quick photo using your phone like above. get into the habit of carrying a small journal. it can be lined or plain, that's your preference. i have multiple journals, one is always in my purse. i like mine to be functional art, in other words, i want it to be pretty. i totally fell in love with the grey moleskin above. i took it a step further and added the carved feather on top. Use it to make a quick sketch of your inspiration. Write down simple words describing what you like.
And then use it. create something based on your inspiration. i loved the overlapping tags with the mixture of manilla & white tags. i decided to add in some textured tags using my stencils with my sizzix big shot (see this post for details). first i doodled on the background, then i added in the maya mists, and finally i added stamp images in black. i will use this inspiration over & over again until i am ready to move on. but for now, tags are the word.
so have you created something this week? Anything goes...doodle, scrapbook page, art journal, card...just something creative. Share a link at the bottom of this post with the inlinkz button. Just leave a link to a specific blog post or image on flickr, rather than a general url. This way we can see your stellar creation.
