What is inspiration? According to the Cambridge Dictionary it's: "someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something".
What inspires you? Artists get asked this question A LOT! And for me personally I find it so hard to answer. Mainly because I don't get inspired by any one particular thing, there are literally hundreds of things that I may be exposed to during a day that may fan the flames of my inspiration (wow, that was a bit poetic!). For example: beautiful art, music, flowers, sunsets, sunrises, the countryside, black and white photography, people, animals, light, shadows, moutains, music, great pieces of illustration, books, traveling to new places, galleries, museums, poetry, did I mention music? As you can see the list is vast, and this only refers to the things I can actually remember at the time of writing this.
Personally, if I had to narrow it down to one thing, travel is probably what inspires me the most. For me, there is nothing more inspiring than being exposed to different countries, food, culture, music weather, history and scenery. BUT, not all of us get to travel as much as we would like; which is why Google is my best friend! I keep different folders of images on my ipad of everything from animals, to sunsets, to flowers, to colour combinations that I like. (Pinterest is also really good for this). I also collect books; these are not all art-related, but can be anything that has imagery that I find beautiful. Whenever I'm feeling a bit stuck creatively, or want to explore something new I just have a browse and see what leaps out at me.
One of my iPad albums
I do have to put in a word of caution at this point: use other peoples work and things you find on the internet as just that - inspiration. To get your creative juices flowing. To get excited about showing up and to perhaps be spurred on to try something new. But at the end of the day you need to create YOUR best work. Not that of someone elses. It's a fine line.
What to paint? This is also a tricky question. A lot of artists love to paint/draw a particular thing such as horses, flowers or seascapes for example. The problem with me is that I get bored really quickly. I need the challenge of mixing things up, using different colours and experimenting with different lines and shapes. Which is why I love abstract art. Each piece can be as similar/different to my last piece of work as I want it to be. It really depends on my mood and what inspires me on any particular day.
Music, music, music! I cannot express how important this is to me! I sometimes listen to audiobooks while I'm working (currently making my way through the Harry Potter series!) but generally my go-to is music. Somehow it allows me to quieten my mind, stop over-thinking and just go with the flow. My favourite music to listen to is actually Andrea Bocelli (I can't believe I shared that!). Honestly, I love him. I think it actually works for me because I haven't a clue what he's singing about half of the time, so I can just allow myself to get swept up in the music!
What do I do when I'm uninspired? Sometimes you have to listen to your body, and perhaps acknowledge that maybe you need to take some time out. People don't often realise how mentally draining making art is, and for me it's especially difficult to learn how to switch off and to stop thinking about what I want to do next, or whether what I'm working on would look better with a bit more pink! (The struggle is real when it comes to pink!!!) When I'm uninspired I try to focus on something completely different artistically. For example, draw if you always paint. Try a different medium. Take an art class in something you have never tried before. Do whatever it takes to shake things up and get excited again.
At the end of the day sometimes you just have to get up, show up and give it your best. And if things don't work out then you try again tomorrow! I know this is easier said than done, and as artists we tend to be our own worst critics, but honestly sometimes we tend to take things too seriously. What is the worst that can happen? That we make bad art? Acknowledge why you don't like it, then move on and start again tomorrow.
If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me! This post turned out to be a lot longer than I expected (I didn't realise there was so much to say!). As always, comments, suggestions and feedback are always welcome!
Reading suggestions:
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (Elizabeth Gilbert) - still reading this whenever I get a free moment. Great inspiration for anyone living or wanting to live a creative life.
- Steal Like An Artist (Austin Kleon) - a witty and inspirational read for any creative. Really puts things into perspective.
- Brave Intuitive Painting (Flora Bowley) - haven't read this yet but the pictures are beautiful.
- Painting In Acrylics: The Indispensable Guide (Lorena Kloosterboer) - this is a must-read for anyone thinking of going into acrylics. Loads of information in an easy-to-use format. I have been using acrylics for over 15 years and was still able to pick up something new.
- Colour Mixing Bible (Ian Sidaway) - an art-room staple. I'm generally pretty good at mixing colours - I can 'see' what shades, tones and hues are needed to get a specific colour but I know a lot of people are especially daunted by this. The Colour Mixing Bible takes away all of the guesswork and provides all the 'recipes' you will need for a variety of different paint mediums (oils, acrylics, gouache, watercolour etc.)
