Inspiration: The Expected and the Unexpected!
Welcome to my latest post! Before reading my post about inspiration let me take this opportunity to update you on some news from last month...
This past month I have been able to display five new pieces around town as a benefit of being a part of the York Art Association. My pieces will be on display and for sale at Alternative Therapies, Martin Foot and Ankle, Janney Montgomery Scott and the Jewish Community Center along with many other pieces from YAA members for a limited time until the next switch out.
I also completed 18 centerpieces for a Bat Mitzvah reception. Because they are wreath designs, the host will encourage guests to take them home as a party gifts. While they are used as centerpieces they will have a balloon weight placed in the center opening with balloons attached of course! I can’t wait to see how this looks and look forward to sharing the pics next time.
Now to the topic this month...
Soon after college, many moons ago, as a junior graphic designer for Family Circle Magazine I was occasionally tasked with some seriously mundane projects. One time my job was to trim the excess paper off of numerous posters. Ugh! It was not creative but at least I was being paid. After finishing and examining the leftover paper mess, I was intrigued by the shapes and forms it made. At that moment I recall thinking to myself that I knew I had to pursue paper art in the future. That was an unexpected inspiration that came from trash and it was one of the first things that inspired Paper Meditations!
It is a common question for artists: “Where do you find inspiration?” Usually it refers to how an artist gets an idea for a piece. For me, an idea can pop into my head anytime but it is usually when I am not distracted, like when I am about to fall asleep or before getting out of bed in the morning. I usually won’t have a final piece in mind but just something that I want to explore. You might think that I would sit down at my desk and wait for an idea but that rarely happens!
Because I can’t rely on ideas coming to me all the time, I have a method of inspiring myself with a challenge. For example, one such challenge came to me during a workout on the elliptical as I was listening to a music station that was interrupted by a “My Pillow” commercial. Personally I believe this ad to be THE most annoying and frequently broadcast ever so I thought to myself that instead of being annoyed I should make it a challenge. I asked myself, “can I create a piece inspired by this ad?” It made me think about pillows and their unique shapes and how I could create similar shapes out of paper. Before I knew it, I did have an idea to pursue! Hopefully I will be able to share a piece based on this idea in the near future. This may be the least likely way you would think I would get an idea but of course there are more conventional ways.
Paper itself is my number one inspiration!! No surprise there. There seems to me to be unlimited ways to cut, bend, fold and manipulate it into intriguing shapes. Not every form inspires a piece but I still fine the process and the medium itself the most abundant source of inspiration. Speaking of my process, I will fill you in on that topic next month since it is closely related to this topic.
As I began thinking about this topic I realized that inspiration comes in many forms and results in more than just a piece of artwork. Sometimes inspiration has to do with motivation and encouragement. Without family and friends and their support there wouldn’t be any Paper Meditations. Thank you, family and friends! You, along with Instagram followers have been and continue to be integral to my motivation. Instagram has revealed to me that I am not alone in my passion for paper creations. Seeing the wide variety of paper art from around the world and connecting with like-minded artists has been fascinating and inspiring. Specific artists have inspired me in different ways, too. Some exhibit exceptional technical skills that I aspire to. Others demonstrate how they are willing to develop and change their work over time. Some inspire me by that vast number of pieces they can produce quickly.
There are infinite sources for inspiration if you are willing to explore the expected ones and be open to the unexpected ones.
My question that I propose to my readers this month is...
Do you have tricks for finding inspiration, and where do you look for it?
This past month I have been able to display five new pieces around town as a benefit of being a part of the York Art Association. My pieces will be on display and for sale at Alternative Therapies, Martin Foot and Ankle, Janney Montgomery Scott and the Jewish Community Center along with many other pieces from YAA members for a limited time until the next switch out.
I also completed 18 centerpieces for a Bat Mitzvah reception. Because they are wreath designs, the host will encourage guests to take them home as a party gifts. While they are used as centerpieces they will have a balloon weight placed in the center opening with balloons attached of course! I can’t wait to see how this looks and look forward to sharing the pics next time.
Now to the topic this month...
Inspiration...The expected and the unexpected!
Soon after college, many moons ago, as a junior graphic designer for Family Circle Magazine I was occasionally tasked with some seriously mundane projects. One time my job was to trim the excess paper off of numerous posters. Ugh! It was not creative but at least I was being paid. After finishing and examining the leftover paper mess, I was intrigued by the shapes and forms it made. At that moment I recall thinking to myself that I knew I had to pursue paper art in the future. That was an unexpected inspiration that came from trash and it was one of the first things that inspired Paper Meditations!
It is a common question for artists: “Where do you find inspiration?” Usually it refers to how an artist gets an idea for a piece. For me, an idea can pop into my head anytime but it is usually when I am not distracted, like when I am about to fall asleep or before getting out of bed in the morning. I usually won’t have a final piece in mind but just something that I want to explore. You might think that I would sit down at my desk and wait for an idea but that rarely happens!
Because I can’t rely on ideas coming to me all the time, I have a method of inspiring myself with a challenge. For example, one such challenge came to me during a workout on the elliptical as I was listening to a music station that was interrupted by a “My Pillow” commercial. Personally I believe this ad to be THE most annoying and frequently broadcast ever so I thought to myself that instead of being annoyed I should make it a challenge. I asked myself, “can I create a piece inspired by this ad?” It made me think about pillows and their unique shapes and how I could create similar shapes out of paper. Before I knew it, I did have an idea to pursue! Hopefully I will be able to share a piece based on this idea in the near future. This may be the least likely way you would think I would get an idea but of course there are more conventional ways.
Paper itself is my number one inspiration!! No surprise there. There seems to me to be unlimited ways to cut, bend, fold and manipulate it into intriguing shapes. Not every form inspires a piece but I still fine the process and the medium itself the most abundant source of inspiration. Speaking of my process, I will fill you in on that topic next month since it is closely related to this topic.
As I began thinking about this topic I realized that inspiration comes in many forms and results in more than just a piece of artwork. Sometimes inspiration has to do with motivation and encouragement. Without family and friends and their support there wouldn’t be any Paper Meditations. Thank you, family and friends! You, along with Instagram followers have been and continue to be integral to my motivation. Instagram has revealed to me that I am not alone in my passion for paper creations. Seeing the wide variety of paper art from around the world and connecting with like-minded artists has been fascinating and inspiring. Specific artists have inspired me in different ways, too. Some exhibit exceptional technical skills that I aspire to. Others demonstrate how they are willing to develop and change their work over time. Some inspire me by that vast number of pieces they can produce quickly.
There are infinite sources for inspiration if you are willing to explore the expected ones and be open to the unexpected ones.
My question that I propose to my readers this month is...
Do you have tricks for finding inspiration, and where do you look for it?
Comments