What Did We Do Before the Internet?

Whenever I'm thin on inspiration (which can be very often sometimes) I look to the internet.  Poetry first lines, writing prompts, challenges & sprints, pictures to give you an idea of what's possible and more recently the joy of tutorials and videos on YouTube.  All these things have added to my creative ability and provide both inspiration and a sense of community.

The internet has changed the way I look at my creative journey.  A teacher in the same location, offering an affordable price was the first and often only choice available.  Books offered a close second.  All that has changed.  Free online tutorials that show the step-by-step accomplishment of a creative task offer reference at the touch of my fingers.  Online courses bring the teacher into my studio and interaction with other creative people brings the community to me.

So if you are stuck for ideas and looking for something to work with check out the Net...it's a great place to start.

Music to Inspire

Sometimes music can inspire but most of the time it helps me find the words to say what can't always come out of my mouth.  Knowing this I decided to put together a 'Creative Path Soundtrack'.  Music that helps me see clearly who I am and what I'm worth.  Music that makes me believe anything is possible.  Music to listen to when I can't remember why I'm doing this art journey to begin with. Music to feel by and dance to...music to live.

Sadly, I didn't do a step by step show of how I made the art journal page because I wasn't sure what I where I was going with it until it was done. But here is the final product:

I did the art journal page first using (very watery) acrylic paint then added salt to give it texture.  I spattered black paint with a mask over the main area.  Using a roller I added gold paint over the whole.  I used a credit card to add even more black paint around the main area so it could *pop*.

With a butterfly stencil I painted in the black butterfly at the top then used more of the diluted acrylic paint in the main area to make a brighter/darker butterfly.  I scanned that image into my computer.  Using it as a template I added the text and the veins on the butterflies.

I then used photo editing software (Microsoft Office Picture Manager and Windows Paint) to create the front and back of the music CD.  I added the song tracks and titles then printed them out.  I burned the music on a CD and the final product goes into the binder with everything else.

CD Front

CD Back

Movie Magic

I think I would have enjoyed being a set decorator in another life.  I look at movie sets and I imagine just what went into making them look so good...so real and I think "I can do that!".  But even though I'm not looking for the drastic change of career that would put me in line to create those sets I admire, I've found that they are an unexpected source of inspiration.

Every paid attention to the art in movies?  Paintings on the wall, sculptures on display, pictures in frames and the projects that characters embark on right there in front of you begging for your notice and never getting it because they can't compete with what you're really there for; the movie, the story, the drama.

Every once in a while they will make a movie about art or an artist and push this visual inspiration right at you but most of the time, it's in the background.  Part of the whole (like the soundtrack) making the movie richer and more enjoyable yet not really upfront and centre where you might sit up and take notice.

But the next time you have no clue where to begin on your next painting, drawing, collage or art journal page...watch your favourite movie and take a look at the art on their walls. You might be surprised by what you notice and where that attention to detail could take you.

Perhaps paying that extra bit of attention to something you already love will give you yet another level to enjoy it on..  That's the magic of the movies.

Red Cars in Traffic

This is the first of my "Where Does Inspiration Come From?" posts because other than the motivation to get started...finding the inspirational ideas to bring forth into reality is one of the most common problem/question people have about creativity.

The truth is...ideas are all over the place.

The best analogy I can come up with is based on traffic.  If someone stopped you and asked how many red cars there were on the road, there is no way you could tell them.  That's how most people live.  Inspiration passes them by like red cars in traffic.

When you choose a creative life (and I think it is very much a choice!) ideas begin to show up out of the commitment to creativity.  It's a lot like realizing that there are not only red cars around you but there are plenty of them just whizzing by every few minutes.  Sometimes they go by so fast you haven't the chance to get a good look at them, other times a red car will stop right next to you and you get to see not only the sheen of the paint job but every detail of model, make and manufacturer.

Each 'red car' is an idea that might be suited to something you want to create, other times just a pleasant thought of what might someday be...maybe even be for someone else. 

I see red cars everywhere.  Books, movies, music, those daydreams I sometimes fall into when I'm standing in line at the checkout counter.  There are a lot of times I think I have more ideas than I will ever get to use.  So I figured I'd share some of my sources...and let others find a little more inspiration too.

Cup of Soup...Art

I bought a copy of "1000 Artist Journal Pages" and have come to enjoy flipping through it. I like all the levels of art it shows. Yet I never knew what to do with it beyond that. So when I found myself with a little left-over paint, I thought I might try an imitation.

This particular page was inspired by Kathy Welsh as featured in "1000 Artist Journal Pages" by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Number 0038 in the entire collection, I was attracted to the bold happy colours. I wasn't really interested in getting the final product perfect and adding and taking away elements was my way of stamping it with my brand of ART. I guess that's the true joy of a well written book or the inspiration that comes from being with other artists even from so far away - it calls me to be more than I am and sometimes more than I think I can be.

Variations on a Theme: Saxophone

I'm still not sure about the colours I used for this but I like the concept. That it was truly original helped a lot when all I could see was what was wrong with it rather than what was right. There is something very satisfying about pulling something out of a hat that didn't exist before - a little creative magic so to speak. The fact that one piece of inspiration can lead to so much more helps me appreciate that we need not look for it with all the zeal of mining for gold. Without the strenuous effort, it is possible to find treasures in places we hadn't even thought to look.

Inspired Guitar

I love movies and there is a lot to love. A well written script, good actors getting good direction and the joys of a well executed soundtrack to keep you interested. So it was a bit of a surprise when I started noticing other things. The fact that they never turn of lights and are prone to leave taps running drives me a little crazy but I truly love that everyone - and I do mean everyone - in a movie seems to have impeccable taste in art.

I now notice it all the time. The ones who have classic prints are no less enjoyed than the ones who have stranger looking pieces. This particular one was from the movie 'I Can Do Bad All By Myself' from writer director Tyler Perry. The movie was 'just okay' but I couldn't get this picture out of my head and ended up doing my own version of it. I like how it came out and if I should ever need to use it with one of my haikus, I think I'm already set for that.

It spawned a series...so there's more to come.

Watching The Audience

Desperation is great for inspiration. Everything I have come up with for this weeks Illustration Friday spark word: PARADE has been a little off. My artistic vocabulary has never been so severly taxed and I wondered if I really had the skill to pull of some of the ideas I had in my head. In a bid not to give up, I did this picture...


It's a lot like the other pictures I have done but for some reason it didn't feel like enough. I just didn't feel it, what with the plainness of it and the fact that it still didn't fit the idea of PARADING (although the first version was meant to be a nude).

So I decided to add a little colour using paint - nothing complicated there except I learnt that just because its drawn a certain way doesn't mean its ready for digitization. But I was a little better pleased with the final effect. It was a little strange but still intersting enough to give me some ideas for the future.

Sadly, it still didn't fit what I wanted for Illustration Friday. (Or maybe I just wanted to experiment some more) so I'm trying the same technique on something else...