Inspiration begets Inspiration
As an artist one thing we always talk about is….yep…you guessed it…
INSPIRATION
It’s a blessing and a curse, a wild hair and the grind, both near and far, shows up in the beginning and the end. It may feel fleeting or committed, a dream or shadow only to be lost in the wind or blinding bright sun. I have no real answers here about inspiration, how to harness it or find it on your bleakest days. I only know me and how inspiration works or doesn’t work for me. But it is my hope that some part of this post can help you ponder a bit more on your own inspiration.
10 facts (I believe) about inspiration:
Inspiration can be wondrous.
Inspiration is hard to wrangle and get into a routine.
Inspiration only comes around when I am ready.
Inspiration doesn’t need me.
I don’t need inspiration, but it is grand when I have it.
I can’t always keep up with inspiration.
Inspiration without action is lost.
Inspiration begets inspiration.
Inspiration comes in small feathery spurts.
I don’t need inspiration to make art every single day.
“Creativity takes courage.”
— Henri Matisse
Inspiration is defined as…
1: an inspiring agent or influence
2a: the quality or state of being inspired.
b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions
c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions
Just playing around on an index card.
Where do we go from here?
We have to be working, doing the creative thing we really want to do. Pablo Picasso is attributed to saying “Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.” It took me years to learn this. I always felt like I needed the muse to tell me when, where and how. I finally figured out, I cannot wait around, I need to at least work on an old idea when inspiration last struck me until inspiration strikes again. That has been the biggest helper for me.
Below are 10 inspirational ideas and an accompanying note as to why they work great for me and help me become inspired. No single one is a remedy and you may find different ones help you differently. Read them over and assess which ideas may be just right for you:
Be a pen collector! I carry with me 2 bags of a wide variety of pens to school everyday. This inspires me because I love all the colors and pen points and love having that variety.
Allow yourself to play with your art supplies without having an end result in mind. Exploration does a wonder on our imagination. This inspires me because the pressure is off and I can just mess around.
Keep a journal/sketchbook and don’t be precious about it. I tell my high school art students that we are to destroy their perfect sketchbook by marking in it. Sometimes I may just write the date in a marker and draw shapes, nothing special. This inspires me because I am making marks and playing with color and writing my ideas, dreams and aspirations. But seriously, you cannot be precious about it.
Keep a collection of your favorite things! I find it very inspiring to keep little treaures out to be able to see them and touch them. You never know when an idea may be sparked. All because these items were out for you to see differently. I have a small shelf that I keep small clay things I made, succulent plants, a jar of vintage jewelry, shells and little bits of dried flowers I have found from my yard. These items need to mean something to you.
What are your favorite things? Pay attention to what gets you excited and write down a list in your journal/sketchbook.
Books! I love a good how-to art book, or a book about art history and of course small books! See previous blogpost here on that. This inspires me because I love reading the artist author’s advice to pick up any tid bits I can about a medium or art practice. I am in a growth mindset of believing there is always something to learn.
Play with watercolor. This refers back some to #2, but watercolor is an excellent medium to just play with. You may say, well I am not trying to be a watercolor artist and I get it, but just playing around with color on the page and allowing it to dry to then add another color - really makes for some creative fun.
Cut out images that speak to you from magazines and newspapers, glue them down into your journal/sketchbook and make a notes about why you like it. This inspires me because I may see a pattern or a great shape that I want to remember or translate into my work.
Take pictures of things you love. It is no secret I take pictures nearly every single day. Whether it is something I made or something that looks so cool. This inspires me because on those not so inspiring days, I can look back through my camera roll and remember what was sparked.
Make something in the meantime. For me, this means I may make tiny vases from clay instead of other bigger things because I am being indecisive or uninspired, but I am still creating. Or another example is I may bead earrings instead of creating more complex metal earrings. Maybe because of a time restraint or something I wasn’t quite ready to tackle but that is okay, I am still creating.
Hopefully this list will give you some things to ponder and inspire you to do some creating! There are so many ways to find that inspiration, but just sitting down with a pencil in hand is all you need.
Photos from my current journal/sketchbook
Frames for your own inspiration
May 2022 Coloring page
This has been a fun post to think and write about. I believe I will be using it for those days when inspiration is hard to find. I would love to hear your ways of finding inspiration. Share in the comments below.
Thank you for encouraging me to keep creating~
Hannah